PR and publicity stunts, when done well, are a unique way of raising brand awareness, generating press coverage and creating conversations about companies and clients on social media, online and in print.
Masters of the art
Take Banksy, for example, who recently unveiled his latest work, a tree mural in Finsbury Park intended to draw attention to the treatment of nature in urban areas. Once again, he and his team have captured the headlines with an artistic statement in the public domain.
Of course, his most memorable stunt of recent times was the shredding of his famous ‘Girl With Balloon’ artwork when it was put up for auction. You know the drill – he makes a statement or grand gesture, it gets people talking, it goes viral and the news spreads far and wide.
The same principle applies to any well-executed PR stunt. Just recently, another master of the craft, comedian Joe Lycett, had people requesting he air his spoof ‘Turdcast’ podcast, created as part of the ‘Turdis’ stunt that highlighted the plight of the country’s polluted waterways.
This was from the same man who called out David Beckham on LGBT+ rights and made Liz Truss squirm on the Laura Kuenssberg TV show. What did he do in principle? He made a statement or gesture, got people talking, it went viral and the news spread far and wide.
Putting the marketing hat back on…
Okay, so I’ve used two big celebrity examples here, but the tactic can be used for a wide range of marketing activities, big or small. Passionate marketers should consider all their clients to be as newsworthy as Banksy – and adopt a similar approach to producing creative content before promoting and marketing it through a multitude of platforms. The aim always has to be to create the content, get people talking about it and have them share it far and wide. It’s exactly the same principle.
What are the benefits of PR stunts?
A well-executed PR stunt succeeds in gaining media attention (and coverage), raising brand awareness and making an impact. Of course, regardless of the stunt itself, what clients really want to see are the long-term benefits (“return on investment”, anyone?) of the activity.
While there is not one golden measurement rule that can be applied across all PR and marketing, certain elements will always reveal what was successful. This can range from the amount of coverage gained, as well as its perception and tone, through to more data-driven evidence, including social shares, analytics and growth in web traffic. These are all quantifiable examples of evidence you can present to clients to show the overall impact of your stunt – or indeed, a campaign as a whole.
Map out a timeline
Of course, planning is crucial – you can’t just decide to carry out a stunt on the spur of the moment. It’s important to identify the objective of doing the stunt in the first place, before then researching its benefits – and weighing them up against any potential risks. The budget available will also shape the activity overall.
Once these aspects have all been considered and evaluated, a timeline can be created, leading up to the date of the stunt itself. It may coincide with a certain calendar event, or simply the day of a new product launch. Also bear in mind the size, set-up time and location of the stunt.
Get noticed
Remember to use social media to tease any events, as well as use all available platforms to stream and promote the event when it takes place. Using hashtags and bespoke webpages as part of an overall theme will help spread the word further – as well as aid post-event monitoring.
So there you have it. Whether you’re Banksy or a bank, a comedian or a CEO, PR and publicity stunts can always be used to your advantage, provided they are well-planned and executed.
