Have you ever come across a story so strange that you wonder who thought it up? Sometimes, just one surprising move is enough to get everyone talking. The more outrageous it is, the harder it is to look away.
That’s what a PR stunt is all about. It could be a bold marketing campaign, a clever publicity trick, or just something unexpected that makes the news. The main goal is to catch people’s attention and get them talking. Some stunts become famous, while others leave people wondering what the creators were thinking.
Want to know which stunts made the biggest splash? Reddit users have shared some of the most memorable PR stunts ever, from smart publicity moves to wild schemes. Read on to find out which ones people still talk about long after the news dies down.
#21
It's scary how successful the trickle-down economic theory has been. The Reagan administration KNEW that it would only benefit the wealthy and make them even wealthier. One of the MAIN reasons why billionaires exist is because of their insanely low tax rates.
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5points
#22
Given that the Space Race was really about marketing the benefits and achievements of capitalism versus communism, I think you could make a legit case that the moon landings were largely a PR stunt.
That doesn't mean they weren't an incredible and historic achievement, but from a scientific research perspective - not to mention the expense - there was very little reason to send humans, and no real reason at all behind putting so much emphasis on being first.
The drive was all about rubbing it in the faces of those godless commies over there, and making sure the whole world knew how awesome we were. That's a PR stunt to me, even if the outcomes were mostly beneficial.
That doesn't mean they weren't an incredible and historic achievement, but from a scientific research perspective - not to mention the expense - there was very little reason to send humans, and no real reason at all behind putting so much emphasis on being first.
The drive was all about rubbing it in the faces of those godless commies over there, and making sure the whole world knew how awesome we were. That's a PR stunt to me, even if the outcomes were mostly beneficial.
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5points
#26
I'm thinking Santa Claus. Coca-Cola didn't invent that bowl full of jelly but the modern depiction of him is almost certainly due to their advertising.
I'm not sure if that explicitly counts as a pr stunt but they definitely invented a thing and made it wildly popular and successful without having to do their own advertising much of the time.
I'm not sure if that explicitly counts as a pr stunt but they definitely invented a thing and made it wildly popular and successful without having to do their own advertising much of the time.
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4points
#27
Probably the Pyramids of Egypt. They do nothing other than to flex the might of a Nation and ego of a king.
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4points
#28
I remember when the Segway was revealed - it was teased for weeks as a revolutionary technology that was going to change transportation. There was a primetime TV reveal of this spectacularly hyped thing. I remember sitting down to watch it as a family, and then it ended up being a Segway...
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4points
#30
Convincing people that Dubai is an attractive holiday destination.
Either that, or getting people to pay to have listening/data collection devices in their homes (Alexa etc).
Either that, or getting people to pay to have listening/data collection devices in their homes (Alexa etc).
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4points
#32
How about the "Got Milk" campaign run by the US government to get more people to buy milk so they didn't have to buy it and stockpile it?
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4points
#33
The most memorable to me in modern history is the ATHF Mooninites in Boston. However, the real answer for modern history is before my time with "The Beatles Are Coming."
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4points
#35
Branding Methane as Natural Gas.
Methane: "Isn't that from farts? Isn't that terrible for the climate? I don't want it!"
Natural Gas: "Ah it's natural and therefore must be good! I want to pump it into my house to cook my food with it!"
Better yet, the phrase "now you're cooking with gas" was a slogan by publicist Deke Houlgate for his client the American Gas Association in the 1930s. He paid off a bunch of the popular entertainers of the day to integrate the term into their work and the saying is still in the public lexicon today almost a century later.
Methane: "Isn't that from farts? Isn't that terrible for the climate? I don't want it!"
Natural Gas: "Ah it's natural and therefore must be good! I want to pump it into my house to cook my food with it!"
Better yet, the phrase "now you're cooking with gas" was a slogan by publicist Deke Houlgate for his client the American Gas Association in the 1930s. He paid off a bunch of the popular entertainers of the day to integrate the term into their work and the saying is still in the public lexicon today almost a century later.
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3points
#37
Columbus landing in the caribbeans and gas lighting everyone in to thinking he found india.
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3points
#39
Rasputin’s everything. His ridiculous story, magic powers, Machiavellian machinations, all of it even his name, it means “Greg the debauched”. 100% propaganda.
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3points
#40
The Coke New Coke marketing maneuver or the War of the Worlds radio broadcast are classic contenders. Both completely captured global public consciousness, whether intentional or accidental.
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3points
