Top 10 PR and marketing stunts and campaigns of July 2014

By Rich Leigh on Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Here, in reverse order and based solely on the number of unique views each post received, are the top ten PR and marketing campaigns throughout July 2014:

10. Australian clothing brand launches sexy underwear for men – Less a PR campaign and more an actual company selling lingerie for men, including bras and, er, ‘panties’. Post by WAA’s Alex Mansell.

9. Positive pants from Fruit of the Loom – another day, another post about underwear. Fruit of the Loom – remember them? – launched a campaign giving people with ‘negative names’ such as Debbie (as in ‘Debbie Downer’) free pants. Post by Splash Partnerships’ Niki Goddard.

8. World’s first ‘tweeting couch’ unveiled in World Cup piggyback stunt – it’s a sofa that automatically tweets when you select a pillow to throw to, entirely naturally, convey your emotion in relation to the football match you’re watching. Odd, but there’s something about this I like. Or liked when I wrote it.

7. World’s first driveable deckchair unveiled on Brighton Beach – a driveable deckchair was kitted out with a self-adjusting GPS parasol, a boom box, bonnet-based sand pit and refrigerated slushy machine in this campaign by a car hire comparison site. Although I’m obviously perpetuating it due to its headline-friendliness, I really don’t recall all this ‘world’s first’ business a couple of years back. I’d like to think we’re getting to the end of it soon, though, because it’s now getting to a stage where there’s a valid reason certain things haven’t been done before.

6. Giant dead parrot suspended above London to promote Monty Python show – I really like this. A relevant, timely and eye-catching stunt. Of course, it’s impossible to tell how useful ideas like this are in the grand scheme of things, but it made me smile and you might, too. Post by Ciaran McCormick

5. Apes Attend Planet Of the Apes Screening – two chimpanzees attended a screening of the new Planet of the Apes film. Although a stunt for the local safari park, that’s easily lost in this story, which you’d be forgiven for thinking was an effort to promote the film instead. Post by Taylor Herring’s James Herring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThfQTqNPiIA

4. Royal Mint Launches New £5 Coin With Quirky Photoshoot – the new ‘Portrait of Britain’ £5 coin collection includes London landmarks. This no-frills campaign – Hope & Glory’s second to feature in this month’s top 10 – centres on the coins being photographed in line with the actual landmarks. The pictures look great, as you can see. Post by Taylor Herring’s James Herring

3. Luis Suarez offered a job as a meat-taster – it was going to happen and, to be fair, Mattessons (or rather, Saatchi and Saatchi on its behalf) executed it pretty well. Paddy Power even got involved, offering odds on Suarez taking the job testing Fridge Raiders – the squeakiest meaty snack you’re ever likely to taste. God, the World Cup feels like ages ago now, doesn’t it? Post by Twelve Thirty Eight’s Inderdeep Gill

2. Burger King serve gay pride burger with powerful message – to celebrate Gay Pride, Burger King sold bog-standard Whoppers in rainbow wrapping with the message ‘we’re all the same inside’ printed inside – without first telling customers what made the ‘Proud Whopper’ different. I like that, it’s sweet and certainly wouldn’t have cost much to deliver what is a nice message. That said, the video for this features all kinds of stupid. ‘I think it’s about time’ says one person who ACTUALLY believes it’s about time there was such a thing as a gay burger. ‘Do gay people eat fast food?’ asks another. Also, somebody cries. Which is ridiculous. Post by Ciaran McCormick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBkAAortU_g

1. 150 Yorkshire sheep dyed yellow in Tour de France sponsorship stunt – Yorkshire really went all out to celebrate the Tour de France Grand Départ and this stunt to highlight Yorkshire Building Society’s sponsorship worked brilliantly.