Plan A Publicity Stunt: A Guide

Pat Walls

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Updated: September 12th, 2024

What Is A Publicity Stunt

Publicity stunts are generated by a certain campaign or promotion (initiated by you) and are intended to raise awareness for your business.

Press could result in the form of TV coverage, write-ups in local newspapers, mentions in magazines and of course social media.

Key Takeaways

Publicity stunts are organized by your brand
Successful publicity stunts should be something unusual that catches the public eye
When executed right, a publicity stunt can cause a huge spike in popularity and exposure for your brand

Understanding Publicity Stunts

If you're looking to get immediate buzz around your brand, planning a publicity stunt is right up your alley.

Sometimes, brands need to create their own news - and the best part is, you don't need to pay for the media coverage you get as a result of your stunt.

If you plan something unique and exciting enough, the media will write all about you, free of charge.

Here are a few different ways you can grab the medias attention:

Do something entertaining that people want to read about
Engage in some friendly competition with another brand
Be a disruptive force in your industry to get some buzz (do something your competition is not doing)
Work with a big influencer or celebrity and have them promote your brand or attend one of your events

Stunts are also amazing for UGC (user generated content). Everyone carries a phone with a camera on them, and if you're able to catch their attention, they're likely to record and share this online.

Real World Examples: Plan A Publicity Stunt

1. Benefit Cosmetics

Benefit Cosmetics decided to promote their products by creating a "brow mobile" truck that was seen all over the streets in Ireland.

For a place usually known for their trucks, this publicity stunt certainly got the attention it deserved.

The stunt quickly became a social media frenzy - gaining tons of shares and discussions all over Instagram and Twitter.

In addition to the press coverage, Benefit cosmetics also gained a 60% share of the U.Ks £20m market of brows.

What did they do well? A lot.

Their stunt was very instagrammable and gained a ton of UGC
They created something unique and never been done before in this specific area.
The company was able to explore the streets** to find new customers,** versus staying in one place and making customers come to them. Brilliant.

2. Tinder's Adopt A Dog Campaign

In 2014, Tinder launched a campaign called "Swipe Right To Adopt A Dog."

The stunt was aimed at connecting single dog parents with dogs available for adoptions.

Why did it work?

The stunt put the company in a positive light amid a time where they didn't have the best reputation
This charitable effort set them apart from all the other dating apps and helped them stand out
The stunt gained over 2,000 matches in just week
Everyone loves dogs, especially the act of saving dogs, and now customers associate Tinder with this sort of heroic act.