Article
January 26, 2009
The Top 50 Publicity Stunts.
Think Famous. Get Famous. Some genius publicity stunts that inspired us.
The Olympic Torch Relay. The IOC’s world famous Torch Relay, has been executed in the months before the Winter and Summer Games since 1936. The legendary stunt has generated mass publicity for the Olympics, athletes, and sponsors .
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. In 2008 twenty-eight floats; a 400-lb. inflatable Buzz Lightyear, Dr. Seuss’s Horton elephant, a giant Smurf, 10 marching bands and a cast of thousands attracted 3.5 million New Yorkers to line the streets for the Macy’s 82nd annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. Another 50 million households watched from home. The first parade was a much smaller affair, created in 1924 as a publicity stunt to draw attention to the store. Macy’s employees walked 6 miles in fancy dress, accompanied by animals, on floats, from the city Zoo.
Tiger Tees Off. In March 2004 Tiger Woods was paid $1 million to play in the Dubai Desert Golf Classic. Organisers staged a media call to launch the tournament in which Woods practiced his tee-shot from the helipad of the Burj Al Arab, the world’s tallest free-standing hotel.
Tour De France. 100 years ago Henri Desgrange came up with the idea of a bike race round France in order to raise the profile of L’Auto, the newspaper he worked for. The first race was a big success. The road conditions were terrible, the riders barely slept and they were expected to ride through the night. But it captured the imagination of the public, doubled the circulation of L’Auto and put its rival paper Le Velo out of business.
Sex Pistols Sign To A&M Records. To mark their new deal with A&M records – The Sex Pistols staged a contract signing event for media in front of Buckingham Palace.
The Peanut Protest. Mark McGowan pushes a peanut, using only his nose, from Goldsmiths College to 10 Downing Street in protest at his student debt. The two week journey across London in September 2003 drew massive media interest and culminated with McGowan delivering the nut to Prime Minister Tony Blair, asking him to accept it as payment for his debt.
Hands Across America. On May 26, 1986, more than 7 million people, including President Ronald Reagan, joined hands in a human chain across sixteen states to raise money for the hungry and homeless in the United States. Participants paid ten dollars to reserve their place in line.
Ikea’s Bondi Book Stunt. For one day only the Scandinavian furniture giant placed 30 bookcases on the sands of Bondi beach in Sydney. Beachgoers were invited to swap one of their own books or make a donation, with money raised going to The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation.
Calendar Girls. In 1999 a group of eleven members of the Women’s Institute (in Yorkshire, UK) stripped to create a calendar to raise money for charity. The original calendar featured the women posing nude – obscured by baked goods and flower arrangements. 800,000 copies were sold worldwide. Their efforts took the world by storm in 2000 and inspired a hit movie, starring Julie Walters and Helen Mirren. Since then almost £2m has been raised for leukaemia research. The ladies posed again in 2009 to mark the 10th Anniversary. Angela Baker came up with the idea for the original calendar after her husband, John’s death from lymphoma. You can buy the calendar here.
Best Job In The World. To bring tourist attention to their region Tourism Queensland took an advert to recruit an “island caretaker” willing to spend six months exploring the land and waters around the Great Barrier Reef for £70,000. The post, billed as “the best job in the world” would involve the successful applicant moving to a rent-free three-bedroom villa, complete with pool, on Hamilton Island. Click here to read more about the campaign.
Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty. Unilever’s toiletry brand Dove became a household name thanks to its highly PR’able ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ which used real women in ads rather than the stick thin models favoured by rivals. The campaign kicked off in 2003 with adverts featuring six ordinary women in their underwear and boosted sales by 700%.
The Boston Tea Party. On December 16th 1773 American patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbour – in protest against repressive taxation and the monopoly of the East India Company. The event achieved mass awareness. The architect of the stunt, Samuel Adams, orchestrated much of the propaganda for the revolution – he pulled together the Sons of Liberty, developed the symbol of the liberty tree and named the Boston Massacre.
Harrods Gift Wrap A Helicopter. Luxury department store Harrods used over 600 metres of paper to gift wrap a helicopter. The chopper was sent to a Harrods customer as a gift to take his partner on a trip of a lifetime. The wrapping was caught on camera to help promote the launch of the ‘Anything Is Possible’ season.
That Dress. Unknown model Liz Hurley arrives at her boyfriend’s Four Weddings And A Funeral premiere in a Versace dress adorned with safety pins. The next day she was the most famous person in Britain.
BA Can’t get it Up. Virgin Airlines took a swipe at the late-running, British Airways sponsored Millennium Wheel project by flying a blimp over the site – carrying the message ‘BA Can’t Get It Up’.
Lotus’ Faceless People. Lotus cars placed ‘faceless people’ at key events in 2008 including Wimbledon and Elton John’s party to tie in with their marketing slogan – ‘True character in a faceless world’. The ‘humanoids’ wore prosthetic skin covering their facial features and black suits with the Lotus logo spelling out the message that you are nobody until you own a Lotus.
The Big Bird Race. Back in 2004 bookmaker Ladbrokes came up with a unique betting opportunity and one that would also do its bit for conservation. In ‘the ultimate flutter’ – 17 Albatrosses were electronically tagged to allow the public to follow their migration across the Southern Ocean. Punters and wildlife enthusiasts alike could bet on which bird they thought would win the race, with updates available at Ladbrokes.com via an interactive map. All proceeds generated during the Big Bird Race were donated to the ‘Save the Albatross’ campaign, while punters were also given the option of donating their winnings to the fund. After a long journey, a Tasmanian Shy Albatross called Aphrodite, sponsored by Jerry Hall, eventually crossed the finish line first. Following the success of the race in 2004, it was decided to stage the race again in 2005 with similar rules – however all of the birds went missing off the coast of Australia.
Trafalgar Square Turfed. In May 2007 Trafalgar Square was transformed into a green space as part of Visit London’s campaign to promote green spaces and villages in the city. The grass covered the square for two days during which visitors were able to soak up the sunshine in deckchairs or enjoy a picnic More than 2,000 square metres of turf covered the piazza around the national monument.
The Blair Witch Project. Producers of The Blair Witch project succeeded in creating huge pre-hype for their low budget horror flick which centered on students being murdered in a forest. Blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction was key to the early buzz that surrounded the movie. Allegedly the film makers had circulated tapes to colleges which were presented as ‘real video diary footage’. Clips that were presented as ‘documentary’ rather than fiction were shown on the Independent Film Channel. This was one of first feature films to use online and viral PR to build hype. The buzz ensured that Blair Witch was a major success which took over $150 million at the box office.
Squirrel Crisps. Snack food giant Walkers launched its Do Us A Flavour campaign in 2008, challenging members of the public to think up a unique flavour of crisp. Crisps that taste of chilli and chocolate, onion bhaji, hoi sin duck and even Cajun squirrel were subsequently produced as part of the competition. Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal helped pick the top six entries from more than one million, and Walkers turned the ideas into reality.
KLF Burn A Million Quid. K Foundation Burn a Million Quid. It wasn’t the KLF’s machine gunning the 1992 Brit Awards (with blanks), which cemented their controversy. On 23 August 1994, the K Foundation burned one million pounds sterling in private on the Scottish island of Jura. The money represented the bulk of the K Foundation’s funds, earned by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty as The KLF, one of the early 1990s most successful pop groups. The act inspired a book and world tour of the film Watch the K Foundation Burn a Million Quid. In 1995 the pair resolved not to explain their act for 23 years. The fact that the pair have never fully explained their motivations has forever sealed their legend. Is it art / an act of purity / a crime against humanity? Fervent speculation still rages on. Whether or not intended, Drummond and Cauty’s burning of a million quid, is one of the most controversial publicity stunts of all time. The burning question which still remains is why? (with thanks to Photini)
It’s A Wrap. The most accident-prone street in Britain was given the ultimate safety blanket – 1,500 sq metres of bubble wrap. Cars, gates, lamp posts and even garden gnomes were wrapped to highlight the dangers of winter driving. According to a car insurance comparison website, confused.com, homes in Somerville Road, Worcester, generate the highest number of accident claims in the whole of the UK. The stunt took eight men more than 12 hours to complete.
Cops Stage Fake Art Exhibition. London’s Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit raise awareness of some of the investigative methods involved in detecting and preventing the increasingly sophisticated crime of art forgery by staging an exhibition of fake art at the V&A.
Earth Hour. Earth Hour started off in 2007 with 2.2 million people turning off all their non essential lights in Sydney, Australia. A year later and this event had captured a global audience with up to 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Famous landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Rome’s Coliseum all plunged into darkness as the world joined together to raise awareness of climate change issues.
Edward Bernays. Born 1891, Bernays was nephew to Sigmund Freud and pioneered the use of social science in delivering public persuasion. In the 1920s, working for the American Tobacco Company, he sent a group of young models to march in the New York City parade. He informed the media that a group of women’s rights marchers would light “Torches of Freedom”. On his signal, the models lit Lucky Strike cigarettes in front of the eager photographers. The New York Times (1 April 1929) printed: “Group of Girls Puff at Cigarettes as a Gesture of ‘Freedom'”.
Frozen Grand Central. On a cold Saturday in New York City, the world’s largest train station came to a halt. In January 2008 a flash mob group from Improv Everywhere froze in place at the exact same second for five minutes in the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. The stunt has inspired many spin-off’s including the T Mobile dance-mob PR stunt/advert shot in Liverpool Street Station London in 2009.
Richard Branson. Sir Richard Branson has always understood the power of a good picture, whether donning a wedding dress for the launch of Virgin Brides, a spacesuit for Virgin Galactic, or sticking a TV on his head for Virgin 1. The Virgin brand is one of the most recognisable in the world, helped in no small part by its CEO’s willingness to have fun with his own image in a way unimaginable for most brands and companies.
The Travelodge Nativity. In December 2007, Travelodge announced that all married couples named Mary and Joseph would be offered a free room at one of their hotels. The hotel chain said that husbands and wives who showed an official marriage license would get a night’s stay on the house between Christmas Eve and January 5th 2008, but with more home comforts than the humble stable of the Nativity story.
Naked Gail Porter on The Houses Of Parliament. A 100ft naked image of Gail Porter was projected on to the Houses of Parliament in 1999 as part of a publicity stunt by FHM magazine.
When Pepsi Turned Blue. In April 1996, Pepsi paid The Mirror to print on blue paper. They also arranged for Concorde to be sprayed blue and got the cosmonauts on the Mir space station to pose with a giant Pepsi can. The stunt was a success overall but Pepsi had to take some PR pain too. The Sun newspaper poured scorn on the initiative (for obvious reasons). Other papers suggested that the 300 litres of blue paint applied to the Concorde would prevent it from going supersonic. Pepsi denied this. Meanwhile Nasa’s Endeavour space shuttle blasted off – stocked with Coca-Cola.
PETA. The animal rights campaign group are renowned for their highly visible, frequently controversial campaigns. From young women dressed in lettuce bikinis to the annual “Running of the Nudes” PR stunt which sees PETA activists run naked through Pamplona, Spain in a parody of the bull run tradition. The organisation has managed to win the celebrity vote – as such Christy Turlington, Eva Mendes and Naomi Campbell have posed naked on billboards supporting the slogan “I’d Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur.”
Asda’s Free Eye Tests For The Swiss. Piggybacking the media frenzy of Euro 2004, British supermarket chain Asda offered free eye tests to Swiss citizens. The stunt responded to a controversial decision of Swiss referee Urs Meier who disallowed a late goal. His ruling terminated England’s future in the tournament.
Barbie Street. In November 1997 toy giant Mattel announced a ‘pink month’ to boost sales of their best-selling doll Barbie. The centre piece of the campaign involved re-decorating an entire street in bubblegum-pink. Mattel estimated that media coverage reached over 100 million people. (pic credit: Aidan O’Rourke)
Michael Jackson Statue On The Thames. In June 1995 Sony launched $30 million dollar promotional campaign for the album HIStory by floating a huge statue of Michael Jackson down the River Thames. There were a total of nine statues throughout Europe. Each statue was 10 meters tall, 2,100 kilograms in weight and made from steel and fibreglass.
Message In A Bottle. In 1959 The Guinness Brewing Company was wondering how to build a global identity. Its solution was to drop 150,000 bottles of Guinness Export into the Atlantic and Caribbean. Each bottle contained a message from King Neptune and instructions for how to convert the bottle into a lamp. The brewery intended that beachcombers would discover them and spread the word.
Homer Meets The Giant Of Cerne Abbas. To mark the release of The Simpsons Movie in July 2007, Fox Theatrical created a 70m x 50m chalk Homer in his underpants on a hillside to mirror the famous, 250 yr old chalk giant and brandishing his very own magical symbol, a doughnut.
Fathers For Justice. Despite factional issues within their own organisation, the campaign group Father’s For Justice became famous for their headline grabbing tactics. Their supporters resorted to dramatic protest stunts, usually dressed as comic book superheroes. They frequently scaled public buildings, bridges and monuments – perhaps most famously Buckingham Palace.
Brown Is The New White. Snooker ace Jimmy White temporarily changed his name by deed poll to Jimmy Brown in a sponsorship deal with HP brown sauce. White known as ‘the Whirlwind’ for his fast potting, also swapped his black tuxedo for a brown outfit during the Masters tournament.
FBI’s Most Wanted. In 1949, a reporter from United Press International asked former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to list his most-wanted criminals. After the story generated acres of positive publicity, the bureau formalised the Most Wanted list as a means to bringing media attention to fugitives. As of November 2008, 491 fugitives have been listed and 460 captured or located, 31%) of them due to public assistance.
David Blaine In A Box. Public interest in David Blaine peaked In September 2003 when he staged his most ambitious stunt to date. The American illusionist spent 44 days suspended in a glass box by the River Thames in London without food.
P.T Barnum: Born in 1810 Phineas Barnum was a circus promoter, museum curator, publicist, hoaxster and consummate showman. He staged bizarre events and generated sensational word of mouth for his attractions. From Jumbo the Elephant to the Feejee Mermaid, Barnum’s publicity stunts tickled the hearts, minds and imaginations of millions.
Cannes Bee Movie launch. At the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, Jerry Seinfeld climbed to the top of the iconic eight storey Carlton Hotel, dressed in a giant bee costume. Thirty minutes later, arms and legs flailing, he zoomed down a 126 meter wire which took him across a four lane road, to the beach pier below where the press pack of international media were assembled. For more Cannes stunts click here.
The BBC’s Flying Penguins. In April 2008 the BBC released remarkable footage of flying penguins that would be featured in a new natural history series. The following day the corporation issued a press release confessing to the April Fools Day stunt which was to promote their new online catch-up service iPlayer.
Madonna kisses Britney. At MTV’s Video Music Awards in 2003 Madonna and Britney play tonsil hockey, their combined star power ensured the picture dominated front covers around the world for days to come.
KFC Face from Space. To celebrate a revamp of their logo – fast food giant KFC created an 87,500 square feet picture of founder, Colonel Sanders.The massive creation is made up of 65,000 one-foot square painted tiles that were laid out in the Nevada desert in a task that took 24 days.
Ultimo Bras. Founder Michelle Mone created huge tabloid coverage when she sacked Penny Lancaster (Rod Stewart’s current partner) and replaced her with Rachel Hunter (Rod Stewart’s ex-partner), as the face and body of the brand.
Mission Not Impossible. In May 2006 movie publicists, promoting Mission Impossible III, teamed up with the famous Vegas venue Caesars Palace (who were celebrating their 40th anniversary) to create a new world record that would be broadcast on national television. Stuntrider Mike Metzger become the first rider to successfully perform a backflip over the famous fountains.
Prince Changes His Name. Following a row with his record company Prince announced to the world (on June 7th, 1993) that he would be changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.
Bye Bye Blue Smarties. Blue Smarties were voluntarily removed from tubes in 2006 as maker Nestle announced a drive to remove artificial ingredients in children’s food. After a two year absence the blue sweets were brought back with a media fanfare as a natural colouring agent in seaweed was discovered.
David Beckham’s Hair. The world’s No.1 celebrity footballer David Beckham has always played to the gallery. When not stepping out in sari or allowing the reality TV cameras into his home he keeps himself busy by unveiling new haircuts. Timing has always been his forte – the reveals are usually made just before key games and tournaments to ensure that the media lens is firmly pointed in his direction.
The Goodyear Blimp. Tyre and rubber company Goodyear built its first PR airship, the Pilgrim in 1925. The firm painted its name on the side of the balloon and began to tour sporting and entertainment events across the USA. In later years the company offered up their blimps to TV networks, free of charge, for use as a camera platform – which they did in exchange for brand mentions.
Elvis Presley joins the army. On 24 March, 1958 Elvis Presley became soldier No.53310761 and a national hero when he enrolled in the U.S Army . The move came after Presley had spent ten years in the creative wilderness following a fateful movie deal. To quote Alan Levy’s Operation Elvis ‘By pretending he was just like anybody else, the Army had demonstrated to the world The Importance of Being Elvis.’ (with thanks to Ben Thompson)
Red Bull In St Marks. Venice’s St Marks Square had been making headlines all week for record flooding so Red Bull dispatched their stunt man to wake-board across the world famous piazza assisted by a power winch.
A Lego Inauguration. A week before President Obama’s official inauguration – Legoland in California revealed an impressively detailed model of how the ceremony might look. The display showed Barack Obama and his wife Michelle arriving at the White House by helicopter. There were also more than 1,000 other Lego figures, representing celebrities, officials and other guests. An excellent example of how creative, opportunistic PR can hijack the topical news agenda.
Burger King’s £85 burger. Burger King launch an £85 burger, made from finest Wagyu beef from Japanese Kobe cattle and garnished with foie gras and blue cheese. Rather than beans or salad, customers could get treats like black truffles as a side-order – but the traditional fries and fizzy drink would still be available. The burger was to be sold in a select few stores, with Kensington and Chelsea top of the list.
The Beatles Rooftop Gig. The Beatles final live performance was an unannounced rooftop concert. The gig, which took place on top of the Apple Records office in London (in January 1969), attracted a lot of attention from passers-by and was eventually closed down by the police. Similar stunts are regularly employed as means to drawing a crowd and creating that all important photo opp – most recently, in Feb 2009, by U2 on the roof of BBC Radio’s HQ in London.
A Publicity Masterpiece. Actress Kim Cattrall posed semi-naked as part of a campaign to save a famous painting. The Italian masterpiece, Titians’s ‘Diana and Actaeon’, was under threat of being removed from public display. The Sex And The City star went topless for a modern photo version of the painting to help artist Tom Hunter raise 50 million pounds to save the artwork from hitting the open market.
Borat At The White House. In September 2006, Secret Service officers denied Borat access to The White House. Sacha Baron Cohen’s creation had hoped to persuade ‘Premier George Walter Bush” to attend a screening of his film. The antics prompted the Kazakh government to disown the movie which went on to take more than $248 million worldwide.
Extreme Scrabble. Scrabble mobilised their fans to celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary. PR’s at the board game compiled (and presumably staged) various snaps of extreme scrabble play including shots of sky divers who jumped from a plane 13,000ft over Florida to play the word game.
Google’s Streetview Captures The Stig. Google brought together two great unsolved mysteries in January 2010 as Top Gear’s mystery racing driver The Stig was ‘caught on camera’ by Street View – on the banks of Loch Ness. The cult character from hit BBC motoring series was spotted on the mapping website on the shores of the Scottish lake made famous by sightings of a prehistoric monster.
Panda’s In Paris. 1600 papier mâché pandas were put on display in the centre of Paris to increase public awareness about the endangered species. The pandas, installed by members of the WWF, represent each of the remaining 1,600 pandas left in the wild.
A Tummy Tuck For Little Chef. In August 2004 roadside restaurant chain Little Chef put its famous logo on a diet. The company commissioned a slimmed down version of the chef character without his tummy in response to the growing awareness of healthy eating. Tim Scoble, chief executive of Little Chef, told The Times: “We get accusations that he’s overweight, so he’s going to lose his paunch.”
America’s First .Com City. Half.com, a retail website known for promoting heavily discounted items, paid Halfway, Oregon, to adopt the name Half.com for their town for 12 months – becoming America’s first “.com” city. In exchange, Halfway received $100,000, new computers for the local school and other financial subsidies. There was a blitz of publicity and five months later eBay bought the company for $300 million.
The Human Billboard. In November 2008 an engineering student spent the day glued to a billboard in East London for a book pr stunt. Press reports claimed that the living advert ’caused passers-by to double take.‘Daring’ Dave Lions agreed to promote ‘This Diary Will Change Your Life’ to help pay his way through university. (picture credit: London Media)
Formula1 in London. Formula1 cars parade through central London in July 2004 ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell and other F1 stars give fans and families a chance to see the awesome cars up close as they roar through Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. Ear plugs were recommended. Photos and video ran round the world.
Robbie Williams vs Oasis. On 22nd February 2000, having been dismissed as a “fat dancer” by Oasis star Noel Gallagher, Williams responded by sending Gallagher a £100 funeral wreath to The Sun newspaper, with a note that read: “R.I.P. Heard your latest album – with deepest sympathy, Robbie Williams.” The Sun then passed the flowers on to Gallagher.
The Lamborghini Police Car: Taking product placement up a gear – Lamborghini handed Rome’s police department the keys to a brand new 560-horsepower, fully customised Gallardo. The car hits 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, making it just the thing for chasing down criminals or making a run for espresso.30 officers were personally trained by Lamborghini’s test drivers.
Chemists Solve Italian Job Riddle. An IT specialist solved the notorious cliffhanger quandary of The Italian Job movie and won a competition organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The society attracted over 2000 entries and received lots of media attention. The winner John Godwin of Godalming in Surrey won a holiday in Turin, the city where the 1969 film was made.
Threshers Voucher Error? In 2006, shortly before Christmas, alcohol retailer Threshers leaked a voucher worth 40% off booze via the internet. Word on the street was that the promotion was only intended for retail partners. The myth that Threshers had mistakenly released the voucher made it spread faster and faster round the country via email, social networks and blogs. Threshers told the media that they were worried about losing money on the promotion but no doubt ended up making a huge profit and getting publicity in a month than they got for the previous year.
Courting Publicity. No.1 seeds Ana Ivanovic and Elena Dementieva launched the Sony Ericsson Tennis Championships by playing a match on a specially built court on a desert island in the bay of Doha.The only people on the island other than the two tennis pros were the ballboys.
Musuem Appoints Director Of Fun. The National Railway Museum in the UK hired a 6-year-old as its “director of fun.” Six-year-old Sam Pointon wrote to the National Rail Musuem and applied to replace retiring director Andrew Scott. In his application Sam wrote: “I have an electric train track. I am good on my train track. I can control two trains at once.” Bosses were so taken with his enthusiasm they offered him the role. Great move. Deserved more coverage.
World’s Greatest Dice Roll. With the help of a helicopter designed for extreme conditions, gambling website Gnuf.com air-lifted two huge dice, weighing half a ton, over a steep snow-packed slope in the mountains outside Nuuk, Greenland. By visiting gnuf.com, users could view the film of the dice on their journey down the mountain and bet on the result which would be revealed a week later.
Two Strangers And A Wedding. In 1999 two contestants, who had never met before, were chosen by a radio station’s listeners to marry on live air. The marriage lasted just three months. But the bride eventually married the competition host, BRMB radio DJ Jeremy Kyle. The stunt was originally made famous in New Zealand.
Beaujolais Noveau Spa Launch. Marketeers at the Hakone Yunessun spa resort in Tokyo arranged a unique treat for their guests to celebrate the arrival of 2008’s Beaujolais Nouveau. Bathers splashed about in a wine filled pool. For the teetotallers there was also a pool of green tea.
Cosmo’s Beach Babes. In March 2007 the Australian version of Cosmopolitan magazine created a human advert by gathering over 1,000 bikini-clad babes on Australia’s Bondi Beach (the girls were lined up to spell out c-o-s-m-o).
$5Million Dollar Bra. Heidi Klum and a bevvy of supermodels took to the stage in Miami in November 2008 for the Victoria’s Secret show where the company unveiled a $5 million ‘Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra’ paraded by Adriana Lima. (Photo Credit: Splash News)
Eau De Burger. In 2008 Fast-food chain Burger King launched a meat-scented fragrance.The cologne for men sold at a New York retailer and online was being touted as “the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat”. Beef-loving consumers could buy a bottle of the scent for just $3.99.
A Night At The Museum. In 2010 capitalising on the impact of the Hollywood movie franchise, London’s Natural History Museum created a unique dinosaur sleepover event for kids. The initiative ‘Dino Snores’ was such a success the museum now plans to allow 400 kids to sleep there every month.
and finally…a hat tip to some of our own…
Pink My Ride. To mark the launch of the Fiat 500 Pink – we worked with marketing agency Krow to win the car manafacturer a place in the record books by painting an entire vehicle in pink nail polish. The artist used 131 bottles of pink nail polish to turn a brand new Fiat 500 into a glossy pink ride. He lived and slept in a special studio where he completed the mammoth task which was broadcast over the internet by webcam.
Polar Bear On The Thames. We floated a 1.5 tonne, 20ft high statue down the river Thames to mark the launch of natural history channel Eden. The campaign reached 260 Million people.
Live Sky Dive For Honda. We worked with Channel Four to stage Britain’s first live television commercial – an ambitious sky-diving stunt which would be the curtain raiser for a new Honda advertising campaign. Sky divers took to the sky over Madrid to undertake a series of highly challenging formations to spell the name H.O.N.D.A to viewers during a 3 minute commercial.
Edible Ascot Hat. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the reinvented Flake 99 ice cream brand – we created an edible fashion accessory which was then paraded at the world famous hat parade that is Ascot’s Ladies Day. We secured next day coverage in every main UK paper – from The Sun to the Daily Telegraph.
Giant Suduko. Our team created a giant Sudoku board for Sky 1 to launch their new game show. Visible from up to 3 miles away, the full 275 x 275ft puzzle grid was positioned alongside the M4 Motorway – one of Britain’s busiest roads.
The Simpsons Movie. In 2007 we were hired by 20th Century Fox to promote The Simpsons Movie. In a homage to the famous Pink Floyd album cover we created a super-size Spider Pig (the size of a double decker bus) and flew it over Battersea Power Station.
Del Monte’s Super Smoothie: In July 2009 we marked the launch of the Del Monte Superfruit Smoothie range by creating a ‘for one-day only’, limited edition Daniel Craig lolly. The 007 creation was in a response to a national survey that we undertook to find the UK’s smoothest celebrity. Sales increased by 25% in the first week.
Sister Act’s Abseiling Nuns: In May 2009 we stopped city centre traffic by sending six nuns abseiling down the front of the iconic London Palladium theatre to mark the start of new West End hit musical Sister Act.
Zooming In On The Lumix. We worked closely with digital agency AKQA to launch Panasonic’s ZX1 Lumix camera – a super-compact with an 8x optical zoom. The key PR creative focused on bringing the camera’s lifestyle and zoom features to the fore via a series of giant model installations that would appear across the UK.
