The 10 greatest recession PR stunts ever
We know the economy is growing again, but these caught our eye and wanted to share them with you, all kindly supplied by prsuccess.
The 10 greatest recession PR stunts ever
A bold claim? You be the judge as we review 10 ways companies around the world have gained PR mileage from original and sometimes plain wacky ideas. Thanks to London Advertising and Textappeal whose new report, Marketing in a Recession, features even more examples.
1. One swallow… does not a summer make, says the proverb. But in Vietnam its nest flavours a tasty soup. So when an estate agent found he couldn’t shift a house, he publicised the fact it had nesting swallows. Their nests sell for £1,200 a kilo making the feathered occupants in the attic a profitable alternative to the student lodger. (Not so much trouble in the bathroom either.) PR tip: publicise unusual features which make a difference when budgets are tight.
2. Some like it hot. Including Kraft Foods which heated 10 Chicago bus shelters last winter. All in the cause of promoting its Stove Top Quick Cups to shivering travellers. Slogan: “Cold, provided by winter. Warmth, provided by us.” PR tip: in tough times “sympvertising” makes consumers feel good.
3. One for the pot(hole). Meanwhile KFC’s Colonel Sanders has swapped his stripey apron for a hard hat. His “bargain bucket” brims with tarmac rather than chicken wings. That’s because KFC has been filling potholes in the streets of Louisville, Kentucky as part of a “public-private partnership” with the local authority. But there’s nothing private about the public relations KFC reaps from the project. It stencils a chalk logo on each filled pothole. PR tip: providing community support when times are hard wins local kudos.
4. Round the bend. In Lithuania, a competition to assemble a lavatory in the fastest time attracted local plumbers – and the media in force. The PR haul: 105 print and online articles, 30 radio reports, two radio interviews, eight TV reports. And a winner who was, ahem, flushed with success. PR tip: A competition plus a wacky idea equals a PR winner when most news is gloomy.
5. Friends disunited. Facebook freaks in America were invited to delete 10 of their “friends” from their contacts list in return for a voucher for a free Burger King Whopper. In all, 233,906 so-called friends got the big E. PR tip: something for nothing (well, only ruined friendships) works well in a downturn.
6. Twitter smarter. But perhaps online help is better than a calorie-packed snack. Smart cars – the vehicle you can squeeze into tiny parking spaces – launched a Belgium website that lets users “park large URLs into tiny spaces”. Their pitch: a shorter URL is easier to use when you’re tweeting on Twitter. PR tip: providing a free online service will win PR plaudits even after the recession is over.
7. Down with recessions: French online store BrandAlley took inspiration from rock band Radiohead, which let downloaders decide what to pay for their In 8. Rainbows album. The store offered 10,000 products in a pay-what-you-like offer with a base price of €1. Result: 5,000 new customers with 85% paying an average €1.37 per product. PR tip: handing power to consumers is even more powerful than cutting prices – the two together are potent.
8. The morning after… Meet former KGB officer Colonel Onovalov, inventor of SpecTab, a Polish hangover remedy (and with their vodka, they need one). Except that Colonel Onovalov is the invention of PR wizards behind the campaign for the product. They placed his profile on Wikipedia, ran videos of his “experiments” on YouTube, and erected an nine-foot statue of him in Warsaw. Result: “endless” free TV on a budget that would have bought only four 30-second slots. PR tip: imaginative ideas can win better results than big spending.
9. Looking good. Want to join AMCETETCQRMNSVESG? The monstrous Spanish acronym translates as the Association of Women who in Spite of the Whole Crisis Thing Want to Dress Better than Ever to Keep Being Elegant and Feel Pretty. The women are, apparently, recommending Carrefour’s softeners and detergents as a way to keep their clothes smart. And they’ve won PR coverage and fan clubs on Facebook. PR tip: understand how the behaviour of your target audience is affected by the recession.
10. Break out. Société Générale “rogue trader”Jérôme Kerviel – an anti-hero in France - was the unlikely inspiration for a cartoon campaign for Kit Kat chocolate biscuits. The slogan: “the quest for the ultimate break”. It developed a viral buzz which outstripped its paid-for showings. PR tip: take calculated risks to win PR payback that exceeds expectations.
Article supplied with thanks to http://www.prsuccess.co.uk
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