The Value of a Public Relations Stunt

Back in 1903, the philosophy for any given newspaper was that it is not good enough to simply report the news, but to also help create the news being reported. With this in mind, Geo Lefevre, a journalist for L’Auto magazine in France, came up with the idea that a race around France on bikes would generate some interest in his publication as well as stir up some headline grabbing stories. Thus, Tour de France was born—a PR stunt that not only put L’Auto’s competitors out of business, but is also a tradition still very much alive today.
The PR Stunt—a way to drum up media and public interest in a strange or sensational way and create recognition for the brand or product with which the stunt is associated. Sometimes risky, as reaction (whether positive or negative) can never be guaranteed, but in these hard-going economic times, a public relations stunt may be exactly the kind of light-hearted campaign people will engage with.
In 2009, 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. This stunt was hailed as one of the most effective in recent PR history as it had the whole world talking about Queensland.
Of course not all clients are as glamorous as Queensland and not all stunts will result in the consumer winning “the best job in the world”. What this campaign does demonstrate though, as did the Tour de France over 100 years earlier, is that people like interaction. A product or brand becomes a whole lot more exciting when a sensation is attached to it; be that a holiday, a sporting event, or even just a man submerged in a glass tank filled with two million skittles.