The public relations departments at Pepsi and United Airlines are having a rough start to 2017. The media coverage they have received for Pepsi’s “protester” campaign gone array and a security guard dragging off a seated passenger off a United flight has caused the public perception of their brands to plummet.
These prove the way the public views your brand, especially in the age of social media, is absolutely crucial. One wrong move and your brand will be lambasted in the newsfeeds of tens of millions, but it can also go the other way. A successful viral campaign called the “Ice Bucket Challenge” in 2014 drew tons of funding for research and is proof that social media can also do some good. Regardless of the campaign you launch, your customer service department and call center team must know all the details about the campaign and be prepared for both a negative or positive reception. Despite the risks of public backlash, companies know that it takes a calculated risk to rapidly build awareness, so in honor of good PR, here are 5 marketing stunts that hit it right on the money.
1. RED BULL’S STRATOS SPACE JUMP
On October 14, 2012, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped from a height of 39 km (24 miles), well into the atmosphere over New Mexico. He rode a helium balloon up and deployed his parachute after 4 minutes and 19 seconds – it made Baumgartner the first person to break the sound barrier without the use of an engine. Although the Red Bull Stratos stunt was the complete opposite of their motto “It gives you wings,” it was a resounding success with 8 million live views on YouTube.
2. DOVE’S “REAL BEAUTY” CAMPAIGN
Dove’s parent company Unilever launched this campaign in 2004 to promote female body positivity through commercials, advertisements, workshops and published a book, among other avenues. The campaign revolved around using “real” women of all shapes and sizes in their advertisements rather than stick-thin models. The campaign was a tremendous success with sales boosted by 700 percent.
3. THE GUINNESS BOTTLE DROP
A.W. Fawcett, the former Managing Director of Guinness, had the ingenious idea of dropping bottles of his beer into the ocean. Enclosed in the bottle was a message stating that the bottle be returned to Guinness Exports. Its finder would also need to report the location and date it was retrieved. Fawcett dumped 50,000 bottles in 1954, then another 150,000 in 1959 after the initial success of the first drop that saw bottles land as far away as the Bahamas and Tahiti. In fact, bottles are still turning up today!
4. ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE
This campaign when viral in the summer of 2014 after an American man named Pat Quinn dumped a bucket of ice water on his head in support of his friend Pete Frates who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. Quinn “challenged” others to take part or donate to an ALS charitable organization if they did not comply within 24 hours. By the end of the year, there were more than 1.2 million tagged videos on Facebook between June 1 and August 13, according to the New York Times, with a reported $1.8 million donated to the ALS Association.
5. WESTJET CHRISTMAS MIRACLE CAMPAIGN
In December 2013, Canadian airline WestJet gave passengers a chance to meet Santa after they scanned their boarding passes. Each told Santa what they wanted for Christmas. While their flight was in the air, WestJet employees went out and bought the gifts and surprised the passengers when each of their wishes came down the conveyor belt at baggage claim. These weren’t small requests, some passengers received a flat-screen TV and others received Android tablets. The YouTube video created went viral around the world and significantly boosted WestJet’s brand awareness as an airline that cares about its customers.