Last month I wrote about Miley Cyrus’ brilliant PR stunting. This got me thinking about other memorable PR stunts. The Britney-Madonna kiss at the 2003 VMAs. Janet Jackson’s famous wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl in 2004. (Yup it’s been that long)
And these great ones!
- RedBull Stratos
In 2012, Felix Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier. And it was awesome. Need I say more? Best.PR.Stunt.Ever. Watch the jump here!
- Abercrombie & Fitch
This one makes me lol! Abercrombie & Fitch did a reverse endorsement offering to pay Mike “The Situation” Sorrention, from the TV show Jersey Shore, to NOT wear any of its clothing. They released a statement saying “Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image”. Then they sold t-shirts that said “The Fituation”. (The Situation then sued them for defamation of character…)
- Diamond Shreddies
Of my favourite PR campaigns was Kraft Foods’ launch of “Diamond Shaped” Shreddies, a square-shaped Shreddie rotated by 45 degrees, turning it into a diamond shape. Real-life market research videos showed people found the diamond shape to be “better,” “crunchier,” and “more flavourful.” Here’s a great Ted Talk by Rory Sutherland on creating intangible value.
- The Blair Witch Project
Remember that movie? Remember how it was promoted as a real documentary and we ALL talked about it? (Then we all went to see it and got motion sickness.)
- Calendar Girls
Ever see the movie Calendar Girls? It was based on a PR stunt by the Women’s Institute in the UK whose members posed nude for a calendar to raise money for leukemia research. The sold a ton… obviously.
- The Artist Formerly Known as Prince
In 1993, Prince announced that he would be changing his name… to a symbol that was unpronounceable.
The Publicist Diaries 