PR stunts have been used to great effect by corporations to improve reputation and get across key messages. A good PR stunt reflects the messages a corporation wants to send out. However, many fall short here and become instead publicity stunts. As communications professionals are only too aware, the distinction between a publicity stunt and a PR stunt is deeper than the name; a PR stunt takes into consideration the potential implications for relations with the public.

 

However, corporations don’t just have to communicate with the public. Even a stunt which sings the perfect brand story to the public and reflects well on the company, its ethos, and its trustworthiness, could be one which damages corporate reputation. What might go down really well with one set of stakeholders could also strike a foul chord with another.

 

Whether the aim of the stunt is to publicise a campaign, launch a new product, make CSR evident, or to illustrate a USP or business ethos, it could be seen by anyone. It’s an open stage and the old rule, ‘never turn your back on the audience’, still stands, even when there are many audiences to face.

Among the easiest to overlook is the internal audience. PR stunts may often embarrass employees or cause them to roll their eyes, but occasionally not keeping employees in the loop can have more dramatic consequences. In February, a stunt to promote the Dell Streak and its ability to interact with Harley-Davidson Motorcycles led to Dell employees panicking and calling the emergency services. The stunt involved an employee dressed in a black biker outfit and a mask running around one of Dell’s campus buildings in Texas carrying two objects which looked like weapons and ordering everyone go to the lobby. The employee was arrested and the stunt made the news for all the wrong reasons.

 

Gary Quinn, head of media at Tangerine PR, believes that every stunt should also consider media relations. ‘The relationship between PR professionals and journalists can often be fraught,’ he says. ‘What we don’t need is people sending out lies on behalf of industry.’

 

A recent story to make headlines was the tale of the monster slipper. A customer of the novelty footwear company, Monster Slippers, claimed to have been sent a two metre-long slipper after a decimal point on his online order form was lost in translation between England and China (where the slippers are manufactured).

 

Increasing pressures on journalists means less time to check up on fact in the rush to deliver content, and indeed this story appeared in various newspapers. The Guardian, however, believing the story to be a hoax, investigated further and found that the customer closely resembled Monster Slippers’ web manager whose Twitter profile was then suddenly taken down. Suddenly, a stunt to get attention for the holiday season had become about the lies the company had told. Monster Slippers has attempted to rescue its reputation by auctioning the giant slipper for BBC Children In Need.

 

The dating site Beautifulpeople.com has also recently been accused of bending the truth in order to get coverage. The dating site, which only allows ‘beautiful’ people to join, claims that a ‘Shrek’ virus allowed thousands of ‘ugly’ people to join the site leading to later rejection of these members, but it is believed that there was no computer virus. ‘If this is the case then it’s not a PR stunt but a PR lie,’ says Quinn.

 

There are many business audiences to consider: investors, clients, suppliers, regulators. The business mindset is alert to publicity campaigns, and these audiences are conscious of the role of PR in corporate reputation. There are also audiences outside the bubble to consider: the community and context into which the stunt is projected.

 

In 2009, a photo opportunity for Air Force One in New York was combined with a training exercise involving a Boeing 747. However, in the wake of the September 11th attacks, a plane flying low over the city followed by a fighter jet caused the public to think another terrorist attack was taking place. Some businesses were informed that the photo shoot would be happening, but the public were not told. Needless to say, those responsible were called to apologise for the panic caused.

 

There are, however, some great examples of stunts which, far from allowing external affairs to trip them up, have taken advantage of topical events.

 

At the peak time of the year for car insurance renewals, Confused.com realized it was also the 50th anniversary of Bubblewrap. So this was a strategic time to promote their car insurance price comparison function by wrapping England’s most accident-prone street in Bubblewrap in the stunt that’s become known as Accident Avenue.

‘Timing is everything, says Michele Charles, head of PR at agency Cake. ‘The stunt was originally planned for August 2010. However, January’s prolonged period of snow and ice, and resulting rise in motor insurance claims, provided the perfect tactical opportunity and news hook for the story. In order to capitalise on the opportunity, Cake therefore had to turn the stunt round in just ten working days.’

 

The stunt also took into consideration the various audiences of Confused.com. Charles says, ‘We were keen to ensure that key stakeholders internally at Confused.com bought into the idea and supported it, particularly because the website hadn’t really done anything like it in the past. At the end of the campaign we were able to demonstrate a significant ROI, which helped cement the importance of PR within the communications mix. It was also absolutely key to work very closely with the council, and with the residents of the street to ensure they were happy with the stunt and what was going to happen. And of course we also had to consider what would happen to the bubble wrap after the stunt – this was donated to Oxfam and used to wrap goods sent out for the Haiti crisis.’

 

The T-Mobile flash mob at Liverpool Street station tapped into a trend which is especially good for promoting company ethos. The stunt summed up the people-centric, fun-loving message that T-Mobile wanted to put out, and has been followed by other viral successes, such as the video created to tie in with the Royal Wedding in April 2011. The stunt was a success in part because of its rapid spread via YouTube, amplified by other social media channels.

 

Whether it’s Ken dumping ‘Bulldozer Barbie’ in aid of Greenpeace or Vladmir Putin Goes Scuba Diving, viral videos grab attention. The blogosphere is another awareness-driving channel, with some stunts even being directed at bloggers: grasshopper.com sent real chocolate-covered insects to 5,000 online influencers.

 

Yet disastrous PR stunts spread just as quickly – if not more rapidly – as the successful ones through social media. And what’s true of social media now applies to more traditional comms means as well: when planning a stunt, there’s no replacement for careful strategising, full consideration of your audience, and staying true to your brand.