Publicity stunts: Doing a Richard Branson

When was the last time you did something out of the ordinary and pulled a publicity stunt to market your business? If you’ve never ventured beyond your beautifully designed website and informative e-newsletter, it’s time to do a “Richard Branson”.

Just as Google is synonymous with search engines, Richard Branson is renowned for his crazy publicity stunts. In fact they are so successful, he’s almost better known for his publicity stunts than the companies he’s aiming to create the publicity for.

If you are already in the spotlight, pulling a publicity stunt is easy. Consider the very public row between Gordon Ramsay and newsreader Tracey Grimshaw. Even the Prime Minister got involved. I don’t know if it was a publicity stunt or if there’s a genuine dislike between the two, but the Marketer in me says that the publicity created by this was gold. One thing’s for sure. It was talked about A LOT, and not just in the Australian media.

It’s not just people who are used to media attention however that are capable of grabbing the limelight. Frenchman Alain Robert, who climbed RBS in Sydney recently is a great example. Imagine for a second if he had flown a flag with your logo when he got to the top. Might that have generated some interest in your business?

I’m not suggesting that you should put your life in danger by climbing one of the tallest buildings in Sydney. I just want to highlight just how much publicity the act generated.

Publicity stunts don’t have to be dangerous, just creative and newsworthy. My mother-in-law Dorothy was the proud owner of a very successful chain of several hairdressing salons in Scotland in the 70’s & 80’s. One night a disgruntled competitor put a brick through one of her shop windows. After the initial shock had worn off, Dorothy grabbed a pot of white paint, and extended the cracks in the smashed window to create a more dramatic effect. She then invited the local papers to take photos and convinced them to run a story with the headline “Our customers love us so much, they couldn’t wait for us to open in the morning”.

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.

Ultimately your aim is to get people talking about you. Stuck for publicity stunt ideas? Two heads are almost always better than one (depending on the heads in question). So why not grab a glass of wine, as well as a friend, colleague or mentor and have a brainstorming session? Let your imagination run wild. If you need a bit of inspiration try a book called “How to Have Kick-Ass ideas” by Chris Barez-Brown. Any of Mr Richard Branson’s books would do just fine too.

Right, I’m off to bungy jump naked off the Harbour Bridge now. Look out for me in tomorrow’s papers.

Yesim Nicholson is a small business Marketing mentor.

26 Aug 09

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One publicity stunt that springs to mind is Julia Roberts and her armpit hair at the opening of Notting Hill. Perhaps I should give it a go at Flying Solo LIVE? Bronwen OBrien from Australia
Thinking hat on..... Fiona Fell from Albury, NSW, Australia
There is a guy who turns up in a banana costume to a lot of tax functions I go to - dificult to take him seriously.
Maybe I should wear a cape to FlyingSoloLIVE? Or bring a bevy of male models Like Sir Dick does? Heather Smith from CAMP HILL, Brisbane, QLD | Read my articles
Thinking hat definitely on. Great article. What to do..... Small Fish from Byron Bay, Australia
Having worked in radio promotions and marketing for 6 years you can only imagine the amount of stunts I have organised. Things to consider when organising your stunt:
*Think visual - media love a good picture
*Make sure you have the correct insurance, permits and legals done
*Maybe try and break a Guiness World Record
*Think of signage opportunities and logo placement
*Use Web 2.0 to promote your stunt - video updates, blog entries, twit your pics etc
*Allow yourself enough time to promote it probably
*Try and plan stunts around special events or ocassions eg Valetines Day, Fathers Day. Media are always looking for new angles to cover such events.
*Use locations that already have a build in crowd factor Michaela Clark from Brisbane
I think you can spend alot of time thinking of something newsworthy but there is so much competition for "editorial' that the chances of pulling it off are slim. But i try to use a similar philosophy within my own business world - be unique, build a character, entertain or amuse. Not only does it make life fun it also has people talk about you. suzy jacobs from Sydney

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