In an ever-changing industry full of content and competition, getting your brand noticed can feel like an uphill battle. A publicity or PR stunt can be bold, unexpected, and often headline-grabbing and they’re designed to turn heads and spark conversation. Whether it’s a Guinness World Record attempt, floating something down the Thames (we’ve all suggested it…), or a disruptive/inspiring brand collaboration, a well-executed stunt can catapult a brand into the mainstream or digital spotlight overnight.
Delivering a PR stunt for a client can be a powerful tool to build buzz, create news (when there may not have been any), connect with audiences, and elevate a brand’s presence against its competitors. Here’s a snapshot of some of Carousel’s most successful PR stunts from over the years…
The Art of Promoting 'The Art of Banksy'
Following a successful year-long run of The Art of Banksy exhibition in London, we were challenged to replicate the noise for the opening at MediCity in Salford and to create new angles to pitch into press who may have already covered the exhibition. We also wanted to create talkability and online engagement whilst also increasing website and social visitation to drive discovery and ticket sales.
We decided we needed to ‘be more Banksy’ in our comms to drive exposure and in Banksy’s words ‘Think from outside the box, collapse the box and take a f*cking knife to it.’
So, to tease the opening to a new regional audience, we disrupted - we coordinated a stunt to bring Banksy’s most iconic artworks to life on the streets of Manchester. Using local actors, we positioned ‘Girl with Balloon’ and ‘Kissing Coppers’ across the city, midweek, and in rush hour. Just like the artist, it provoked mass engagement. We gave media partners including Manchester’s Finest a heads up so they were on-site alongside our social team to capture the stunt as it happened ensuring as we had as many eyes as possible across the city on the activity.
The video captured by Manchester’s Finest had over 11k likes and 261k video views, making it one of the most viewed Instagram reels on Finest’s channel.
The Call of the Disco Ball: Breaking Records at Camp Bestival
The first festival season post Covid-19 was a competitive field! Every festival went above and beyond with its comms and activations, and there was intense competition for press coverage. We needed to create an extra hook for the media to ensure we could turn attention towards Camp Bestival and achieve widespread coverage for our client.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, popstar and friend of the festival, had a resurgence over lockdown following the popularity of her weekly kitchen discos and it was a trend we knew we had to jump on for a story. We set our sights on a Guinness World Record and worked alongside Camp Bestival to pull together a comprehensive plan to break the attempt for the World’s Largest Disco Dance. With help from Sophie and award-winning choreographer Claire Hodgson, on Saturday 30 July, 598 Camp Bestival festival goers took part in the Guinness World Record attempt, breaking the previous record by 274 dancers. The Carousel team supported with pre and post event press releases, securing blanket coverage for the attempt across national and regional titles.
Teaming up with Play Expo for a Prank Wario Would Be Proud Of
With the North’s biggest gaming event just around the corner, Carousel and client Play Expo came up with a plan to communicate the show's move to Manchester and its improved transport links by taking over the city centre’s busiest tram stops and renaming them with the help of a team of cosplay characters.
St Peter’s Square became Tetris Square, Piccadilly Gardens became Rainbow Road (Mario Kart) and Shudehill became Silent Hill. The whole Metrolink map was renamed in celebration of the show which took place later that month at Manchester Central and the media lapped it up with coverage across a number of regional titles.
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