What’s a PR Stunt and Should You Do One?

When you think about what a PR stunt is, one thing that’s certain is that it should be impossible to miss.  A publicity stunt is designed to generate headlines, social hype, and customer interest. Done right, a stunt can boost brand awareness and deliver acres of media coverage.

In this blog we’ll answer some key questions, including whether stunts always have to be huge productions, and whether you can even call yourself a PR person if you haven’t floated something down the Thames.

Here are five things you need to know about PR stunts.

1. A PR STUNT NEEDS A STRATEGIC FOUNDATION

Don’t make the mistake of doing a publicity stunt just because it’s a big, exciting idea. A stunt can be a great way to launch a campaign, but you still need robust strategy and messaging behind it so that you know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Even if it feels like this can get lost in the fireworks of full-on stunt publicity, the PR stunt meaning only truly resonates when it has a solid strategic foundation. From the journalists covering the story, to the people sharing it on social, or chatting about it offline, if there’s no substance – or if it feels like an inauthentic fit for the brand – its impact will be fleeting at best.

For example, when we devised the attention-grabbing idea of a ‘diamond-a-day advent calendar’ for luxury jewellery retailer Beaverbrooks, the stunt meant we could talk about the brand’s diamond expertise and showcase Christmas gift ideas at different price points, positioning the store as the place to go for jewellery during a crucial trading period.

2. STUNTS DON’T HAVE TO BE HUGE

While the big, flashy ideas often spring to mind, a public relations stunt (aka publicity stunt or media stunt) can actually be anything from a high-profile spectacle, to a clever creative idea that captures people’s imagination.

We’ve successfully devised stunts at either end of the scale, from installing an elephant in the room (literally huge) to inventing glitter gravy (small in scale – huge in impact). Both approaches can work equally well; the most important thing is clarity of concept, messaging, and storytelling.

3. PR STUNTS SHOULD PROVOKE A REACTION

A great media makes people look twice, makes them laugh, elicits an emotional response, surprises them, or maybe even shocks them a bit. The fundamental purpose of a stunt is to get noticed – making people think and talk about the product, brand or subject you’re highlighting.

As a PR agency, we love the chance to let our creative imaginations run wild and come up with ideas that stop people in their tracks. Over the years, we’ve removed all trace of Shakespeare from British culture, taken an immersive outjoyment pod into the heart of UK cities to shout about the benefits of being in nature, launched the world’s first ‘hand catwalk’, and encouraged Brits to wear their pyjamas to the pub for breakfast ‘inn-bed’. For every one of these ideas, the creative hook is memorable and, crucially, the idea ties directly into the brand’s core messaging.

4. YOU DON’T HAVE TO FLOAT SOMETHING DOWN THE THAMES

This has become the biggest PR stunt cliché in the UK but we’re not saying you should never do it; you should probably just think a bit longer and more creatively if the urge comes over you. That said, an eye-catching installation against a highly recognisable London backdrop is a tried-and-tested media-friendly stunt option and there are definitely ways to make it work for your brand.

We recently installed a giant ‘sustaina-billboard’ on the banks of the Thames, turning a B2B PR corporate rebrand into a story about sustainability and biodiversity, which was picked up across national and trade media, proving that publicity stunts are not only for consumer brands.

5. EXECUTION IS CRUCIAL – STUNTS ARE NOT RISK-FREE

Even the most brilliant creative ideas can fall flat if the execution doesn’t work. One thing we’ll always be doing as PR pros, is thinking through countless scenarios to assess where or how a stunt could go wrong.

From an idea that simply doesn’t land, to something going wrong on the day, an off-message celebrity, or – the curse of PR events – a major news story breaking and drowning out your stunt, we’ll aim to predict all potential pitfalls and devise plan B (and plan C, plan D etc…) ahead of the big day.

While stunts don’t come with a guarantee, and you can never be entirely sure how well one will perform, experience combined with exceptional planning will give you the best possible chance of success. And when they work, they can generate buzz and engagement around your brand like nothing else.

So, if you want to sprinkle a bit of PR stunt magic on your next campaign, get in touch – we’d love to chat about ways that we could help.

The author: Jane Ainsworth is managing director of WPR. She has over 20 years’ experience in developing and delivering communications strategies for consumer brands including Dunelm, Tesco, Mothercare, Greene King, John Lewis, Bullring, Beaverbrooks and Westfield.