One of the first publicity stunts was the Boston Tea Party—and that sure got results, says Debbi Karpowicz Kickham, president of Maxima Marketing and co-author of Off the Wall Marketing Ideas. The best ones, she says, involve taking a risk.
"You need to be bold and put yourself out there," Kickham says. "Be witty and creative and even funny."
If you're nervous about how your stunt will be received, she advises tying it to a holiday like April Fool's Day, when people expect silliness. Offering something that benefits others gets the public on your side, and tying your promotion to news or current events will help get media attention.
Kickham offers a couple of caveats, as well. "If you need to, get permission for whatever you plan ahead of time," she says. "And plan for the worst-case scenario. Make sure that there aren't any variables out of your control that could spoil it," like the weather or traffic.
To maximize the results, she advises, "Write a press release about it, so that after the fact, journalists and the public will have all their questions answered and know where to go for more information."
For inspiration, check out these highly creative campaigns:
Intoxicating idea
When Bonnie Harris launched Wax Marketing in St. Paul, she faced stiff competition.
"The Twin Cities is a big advertising and PR town, so we were up against quite a few big names in terms of trying to get the name out there," Harris says.
She had an ace in the form of an alliance with Red Bull; the energy drink company had sponsored several events publicized by Wax Marketing. She and her contact came up with a cocktail recipe for the Wax-tini—then it was up to her to promote the heck out of it.
Harris began telling everyone she met that if they taught a bartender how to make a Wax-tini, she would buy the drink. Her interns hit happy hours with the company credit card, buying rounds and spreading the word.
"I bought a lot of drinks, it made us look innovative and creative, and several people had a great time," Harris says. The stunt also led to a writeup in the local press, with a total expenditure of around $600.
While she couldn't tie the Wax-tini directly to new business, she found that it was a great conversation starter. Moreover, at networking events, she found that people had heard of the cocktail.
"That made it a warmer lead," she says. "These things are to raise awareness and brand recognition more than to directly get business."
"It was Red Bull, so I was connected to a good brand. It put me into a demographic that was young and hip."
She learned that there was huge benefit from being attached to the Red Bull Brand. "The story that they created this recipe for me gave me instant cachet. I wasn't just doing a stunt on my own," she says. Another important element was that it was easy. "Most small businesses don't have time to run and plan these things," Harris says. "This was in the course of things we were doing anyway."
Hair-raising scheme
David Katz started JackTheDonkey.com in 2009 to engage more people in fundraising for good causes and maybe provide a little bailout to nonprofits. As site visitors legally share music, enjoy media or comment, a donation of 1.1 cents per impression is made to a variety of charities.
To raise awareness, he'd tried attending protests in a donkey suit and wearing it to hand out flyers at the subway entrance. Looking for something less time-intensive, he began OneYearNoShear.com, which tracks his appearance as he forgoes shaving and haircuts for 365 days.
"It's another reason to check back on Jack periodically," he says, as well as more content for his Facebook and Twitter feed.
As he got hairier and hairier, he began to get double-takes from people on the street, and lots of questions from people he knew in the neighborhood. He made business cards that read, "Thanks for staring at OneYearNoShear.com & for giving a poop" on one side; the other side said, "Thanks in advance for joining JackTheDonkey.com & for giving a poop."
While Katz can't tie his hair growth to website traffic growth, he says, "Having zero marketing dollars, this is a way for me to promote an online business offline. It's also to get my friends and people on the street talking. I'm thinking small and hoping that each individual takes it out to a bigger network."
Making a splash with guerilla media
FeeFighters.com offers an online marketplace where small business owners can get competing bids for credit card processing services.
"We're in a really boring industry and trying to make it somewhat interesting," says Sheel Mohnot, who handles business development for the startup. The company does online advertising and gives away the obligatory T-shirts, but it's also spotted an under-utilized place to advertise.
FeeFighters.com printed mats that staffers place on the floor in front of urinals at conferences. The mats say, "You are pissing away money on credit card processing. Try FeeFighters.com to save $$$."
Of course, the company wouldn't try this at a stuffy financial services industry affair, but it's gotten attention and laughs at startup conferences. "There are lots of potential partners and startups at these events," Mohnot says. "People think it's really funny, we've gotten tweets and comments."
He can't say for sure whether the urinal mats have drawn in new customers, but traffic to the website is up 500 percent.
Image credit: Davharuk
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