The Wax Blog

I’m a little tired of hearing about the wonders of social media and the stunning achievements of the PR 2.0 world. Anybody who’s ever done the hard work of promoting in online video knows that for every thousand views, you’ve got a ton of leg work. Those “Susan Boyle” moments just don’t come around that often.

I may get called a Luddite for this, but there simply isn’t a better public relations tactic than the good old-fashioned STUNT. Jay Conrad Levinson may have coined the term ‘guerilla marketing’ to try to make it seem like a fresh concept, but ever since the first beauty pageant to find Miss Dove soap, creative stunts and promotions have made the difference for brands. And by combining those stunts with the power of online promotion, you’ve got a wicked good strategy.  What better example than the Old Spice campaign…many would say this was a red hot viral campaign but really, it was a clever promotional idea launched with an ad campaign, but fueled by strategic use of Twitter and YouTube to make it seem current and new. That’s the beauty of integrated marketing.

Most people think big promotions have to cost quite a bit of money, but really it just takes a creative idea. London-based Taylor Herring Public Relations is arguably one of the best agencies in the world at truly creative, unusual promotions. Taylor Herring provides public relations for events like movie premiers and television shows, as well as  PR for major brands like Honda and Google. But what they, and their online division also do very well, is create unusual experiences for their audiences that might be eyebrow-raising, but still fit the image of the brand. And although they are the people that created the world’s first ‘live’ TV commercial, the campaign that got my attention was one they did for a comedy channel’s stand-up season on UK television. Instead of something huge, they thought up the idea of simply finding the world’s oldest jokes and created a “Historical Humour Study” including the oldest jokes and one liners. Complete with a resident professorial expert, the idea was contained in a simple press release. Yet it was so unique, the agency garnered millions of impressions for its client. (You can read the entire case study on the Taylor Herring site here)

Here are a few simple tips that you should follow when planning your own ‘stunt’: (more…)

The decision on April 3 in Iowa allowing gay marriage in Iowa belonged to a judge,  appointed by a conservative Republican governor, no less. God I wish I’d thought of that. What a great PR stunt.

Let’s break down why the gay marriage ruling should have been the brainchild of Iowa’s communications director.  Here’s how a truly brilliant PR play is made -

1. It’s unexpected. Who would have thought that a state known mainly for corn and the butter cow would be as forward thinking as Vermont and more advanced than California?

2. It plays into a powerful group  just starting to “tip” in the media.  “Progressive” Republicans are a new/old group that the media used ot ignore but are fast becoming the hip new topic. Just ask Cindy McCain @mccainblogette and her 20,000 followers on Twitter

3. It appeals to a demographic with ALOT of disposable income. Gays traditionally have a been a highly sought after set of customers. They’ve certainly kept Cher going all these years. With all these states in budget crisis who wouldn’t want to attract visitors with tons of dough coming in to celebrate the greatest moment in their lives?

4. The timing  was perfect – it came just as gay marriage advocates were at their lowest according to Time. A shot in the arm to the movement added to the media frenzy. Had Iowa been the fifth state with the ruling, we wouldn’t have cared.

Finally, for PR stunt to be really good there’s got to be an element of risk to the brand. Sure, there are plenty of conservative Iowans probably horrified by this supposed slam to the sanctity of marriage. But if those gay couples come asking to rent their bed and breakfast for a weekend, I kind of doubt they’re going to turn it away in this economy.