Top 10 PR and marketing stunts and campaigns of July 2015

By Rich Leigh on Monday, August 3, 2015

HOLA PR LAND. 3 things to start:

The PRexamples Summer Party is coming up – on the 20th August (moved from the 6th as a result of the Tube strike). I cannot wait, and with 300 or so tickets gone, it looks like it’ll be a great night of shameless, agenda-less boozing. I’m currently working on a similar thing in Manchester, fingers crossed, and MAYBE even a couple for US readers. Early days, but looking possible.
If you have seen/are working on a stunt/campaign you think should be featured on the site, tweet me@RichLeighPR or email me – rich at prexamples dot com. It’s easy to miss examples, so we do really appreciate submissions.
As happens every summer, student contributors are quieter as a result of not being at uni and, you know, having lives. If you – as a PR student or professional (or just even somebody with an interest in PR/marketing) would like to contribute, please do just sign up to write for us here. It’s easy, good fun and there’s the chance to win yourself £100 if your post is the best-read of the month (that wasn’t written by me/somebody working at my imaginatively named agency).

As per point 3, congratulations to LSI-TEC’s Johny Ho, all the way from Brazil, who has won this month’s £100 prize, courtesy of the lovely lot at Smoking Gun PR!

Here then, in reverse order (and based solely on the number of unique views each post received), are the top ten (well, eleven this month, you lucky things, as two posts had EXACTLY the same number of uniques) PR and marketing campaigns throughout July 2015:

10. Bringing art to the Snapchat generation – post by Linstock Communications’ Arlen Pettitt

Image: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) took to Snapchat to share some of the works of art it houses. This doesn’t have the normal cringe-factor you’d associate with a brand/organisation trying to reach da yoof dem, and strikes me as similar to the very funny @MedievalReacts.

9. Brekkie anyone? – post by The PR Office’s Lucy Willatt

To highlight the fact that a third of us skip breakfast every day, three people with ‘mobile breakfasting-units’ – nicknamed Special Kases – were spotted eating Kellogg’s Special K on the London Underground.

-8. Giant skull found at ‘magnified’ crime scene on London’s South Bank

A 2.5m tall model of a human skull was revealed at a magnified crime scene on London’s South Bank. The tried-and-tested ‘make it massive’ PR stunt was ‘to kick-off the summer season of crime dramas on television channel Alibi’.

-8. Strawberries and cream-scented portaloo offers Wimbledon goers queue relief

Bathroom retailer bathstore created ‘the ultimate toilet experience’ – a Wimbledon-themed portaloo on wheels dubbed the ‘QLoo’. With its AstroTurf interior, a radio streaming match commentary and strawberries and cream room fragrance, the toilet was created to give queuing tennis fans a way to relieve themelves.

7. Bulmers opens bar that, incredibly, looks like a black and white movie scene

A great photo-led campaign. As part of Bulmers’ ‘LiveColourful’ campaign, a black and white bar was opened, with all the colour drained out using makeup, coloured furniture and fittings – all except for customers and the branded bar.

6. Immigrants asked to ‘jump in the back (but only if you’re good at sport)’ by Paddy Power

Spotted at Dover this morning… pic.twitter.com/3RCTQp7mdl

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 2, 2015

This one caused a bit of controversy, shock-horror. In short, betting firm Paddy Power jumped on the well-covered news story reporting on immigrants trying to find their way into the UK at Calais by jumping into lorries this month by offering them a lorry to get into – ‘but only if you’re good at sport’.

5. Naked baristas shock New Yorkers in Nestle PR stunt – post by Jordan Smith

To promote its ‘all natural’ coffee-mate creamer, Nestle used ‘Au Naturel’ – basically, naked and body painted – staff and customers in pop-up shop The Natural Bliss Café. Cue wide-eyed perverts customers.

4. Burger King turns ‘Burger Lovers’ into ‘Big King Lovers’ – post by LSI-TEC’s Johny Ho

Good. God. We’ve all had this thought at angles meetings – but it’s usually dismissed with ‘nah, too tacky’. Not so for Burger King. The burger purveyor ‘was able to convince 4 out of the 5 invited people after trying their new Big King Burger to update their existing burger tattoos with ‘grill marks’ and ‘crowns’ from the restaurant’s brand’.

I despair.

3. ‘Where’s Wally?’ campaign asks families to hunt for 100 Wallys hidden around the UK

A nationwide ‘Where’s Wally? Hunt’ (that’ll be Waldo to US readers) has been launched by Virgin Trains to encourage families to get out and about this summer, with a luxury weekend break in London up for grabs for whoever finds the most.

2. Carlsberg surprise holidaymakers with free beer on baggage carousel

Proving that people very much like free stuff – especially when that stuff is alcohol, this simple stunt has been especially popular this month. At London City airport, Carlsberg recently surprised holidaymakers at baggage reclaim with free crates of beer on the carousel.

1. Hidden ant-sized tickets allowed finders to see Ant-Man in the cinema for free