It used to be that stunts were a mainstay of PR. Over time they came to be considered passé. But smart PR practitioners are realizing they can extend the life of a one-off stunt via online channels and the viral nature of social media. Procter & Gamble’s Charmin Times Square portable potties are a great example. They’ve become iconic in the digital age and have generated ongoing traditional and social media buzz year after year.
With celebrity endorsements getting harder to come by and more expensive, and traditional media difficult for established brands to secure, smart communicators and marketers are maximizing existing content, events and traditional fodder online. But, many of the novices doing this work came up in a social media world; they aren’t often grounded in the need for a long-term strategy that fits their client brand’s personality and heritage. It’s important to make sure that a stunt—as cool and viral as it seems—is based on the client’s core business objectives. And, it needs to be integrated into the full marketing campaign to give it a longer shelf life.
A Dec. 12, 2011, Wall Street Journal story, “PR Stunts in a Digital Era,” features a young PR firm that promoted a retail account by wearing prom dresses around New York City for a month, culminating with a fake prom at a hip NYC hotel. Although this is very clever, it would be even smarter to keep the momentum going with ongoing contests to find the coolest holiday dress, the best nightclub dress, the most romantic Valentine’s Day outfit and other similar ideas. That way, the retailer’s name stays current and top-of-mind with its target audience all year long.
Snapple has done it right many times. Its stunts always reflect its hip, young and offbeat personality. And the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island has become a classic PR stunt that has actually morphed into a long-term brand campaign.
MAKE A STUNT LAST
It’s a very exciting time to be in PR. We can and should learn from the great marketers’ and PR folks’ past successes. But, the question we need to ask ourselves as we brainstorm for the next big thing in Times Square or Grand Central Station is, “How do we make this one-off stunt work hard for the brand all year long?”
The answer is to give it legs. No more are PR stunts relegated to just a one-off event with the hope of B-roll footage making it on to broadcast for a few days of prolonged life. With the explosion of the Web and its global reach, an event has the potential to live on indefinitely, if you plan and execute it properly. Here are some tips on how to maximize a PR stunt in the digital world:
1. Conceive the right strategic stunt. Every brand has a personality and a target audience. Ensure the stunt stays true to the core brand values and will be impactful to its audience. Be creative and make it big, but don’t stray from your client’s strategy, or else you risk doing more harm than good for the brand. Although you want the stunt to be a bit outrageous to be effective, you also want to convey your message clearly.
2. Sell it to the client or internally. Develop a foolproof plan that clearly outlines the concept, how it fits into the overall brand strategy and provides details about the execution of the stunt and measurable media results/impressions. Determine how else the client might want to maximize the stunt with other marketing efforts, and build it into the plan. For example, you might consider print or online advertising to build buzz around the stunt, or perhaps it makes sense to tie in to a retail location or promotion (like offering discounts timed to the event in order to help drive retail traffic).
3. Execute it flawlessly. Even the most creative, well-thought-out plans can backfire if you aren’t careful to consider all possible variables. For example, Snapple’s ingenious idea to create the world’s largest popsicle in Times Square turned into a disaster when the sculpture melted into a gooey mess all over the street. Although the concept was creative and strategic, something as seemingly minor as not considering the weather (it was 80 degrees that day) and how fast the 25-foot popsicle would melt caused the stunt to fizzle into a flop, as the streets were closed off and firefighters were called in to clean up the sticky mess.
4. Extend its life. Once you have all the ingredients of a successful PR stunt, take it to the next level by making it viral. Tease the event online. Post photos, footage and information about the stunt on the brand’s Web site and social media sites. Tweet and post key messages before, during and after the event to create viral buzz.
Encourage fans to do the same, and create ways to continue the conversation through strategic and relevant contests, promotions and special offers. The stunt will then take on a life of its own.
CONTACT:
This article was written by Marcie Klein, senior VP at Pollock Communications. She can be reached at [email protected].