A billboard made of dead rabbits promoted a pizza firm’s Easter-theme rabbit pizza. Photo credit: PRexamples
Some marketing and PR ideas are ridiculous. But some ridiculous ideas actually work. Both small and large businesses can create unusual PR and marketing stunts that gain outsize attention.
These are some of the most interesting ideas we’ve uncovered.
200 dozen donuts. Krispy Kreme UK delivered 200 dozen donuts to a job resourcing company’s office in Wales – in a single 11×3-foot box. The huge box required eight people to carry it and a large distribution truck to deliver it. Yes, the donut maker could have delivered 200 regular boxes to promote its new donut delivery service for weddings and corporate events. But that’s not newsworthy. Delivering a donut box that three people can fit into attracts attention.
Carrying strangers. When 39 escalators in a Stockholm subway station went out of order, Reebok acted quickly to help commuters. It outfitted athletes from a local gym in Reebok gear and sent them to help carry commuters’ belongings – as well as commuters themselves — up the broken escalators. The real attraction was the spectacle of seeing strangers being slung over another stranger’s shoulder.
Weapons of mass instruction. 7UP commissioned artist Raul Lemesoff to build one of his “weapons of mass instruction” for World Book Day in Argentina. He converted a car into a mobile library shaped like a tank, and then drove it around urban areas and schools to hand out the 900 books shelved on the outside of the vehicle. The tank-shaped library attracted attention a typical World Book Day promotion would certainly not.
Rabbit pizza. New Zealand-based pizza firm HELL Pizza created a billboard made from dead rabbits to promote its Easter-themed pizza. The rabbit skins pined to the billboard, which do appear to be real, garnered both admiration and controversy. However, it fit the brand, was visual, reached the brand’s target audience, and generated publicity. HELL Pizza has tried other unusual PR stunts, including playing Russian roulette with its pizzas and handing out syringe pens at schools.
The Royal Selfies. Photos commissioned by gift retailer NotOnTheHighStreet.com portray what looks like members of the British royal family celebrating the Duchess of Cambridge’s first Mother’s Day. Photos, which were “leaked” to the media, portray the royals taking selfies and baby George playing in a toy crown while Prince William naps. But wait! The photos are all fake, produced by artist and satirical photographer Alison Jackson as part of light-hearted Mother’s Day promotion.
Chocolate grasshoppers. Grasshopper, which markets a virtual phone system to entrepreneurs, sent 25,000 chocolate-covered grasshoppers to 5,000 influential people it identified in North America. It also sent a man in a lime-green bull costume and a man dressed as a matador to serve as its mascots at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The tactic was effective and affordable.
Bottom Line: While these PR and marketing promotions may seem ridiculous, they succeed in gaining attention. PR and marketing professionals may find inspiration for their own ideas or at least perhaps get some laughs.
Resources
Newsletter #1033: The “Ridiculous Ideas” Issue
Andy Sernovitz
5 Insane Marketing Ideas That Worked
TheStreet
2014 in Review – Top 20 PR Campaigns and Stunts of the Year
PRexamples
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
