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.
#41
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
#43
Geraldo Rivera opening sealed underground vault supposed to be Al Capone’s. It was empty.
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3points
#45
The Bacon Craze of the 2010s.
The national pork board basically pushed against Bacon being called fatty and unhealthy and decided to push it out to other restaurants and touted bacon as a "flavor enhancer" and then they got a little too crazy by making a lot of things with Bacon like Bacon Soap, Bacon Perfume and that cringe Epic Bacon Era.
The national pork board basically pushed against Bacon being called fatty and unhealthy and decided to push it out to other restaurants and touted bacon as a "flavor enhancer" and then they got a little too crazy by making a lot of things with Bacon like Bacon Soap, Bacon Perfume and that cringe Epic Bacon Era.
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3points
#46
The contest MTV had back in the 80s where you could win a chance to party with Van Halen on tour.
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3points
#47
The Boeing test pilot that pulled off a barrel roll in a prototype 707 passenger jet in front of everyone at an aviation conference. Functionally it’s a 1G maneuver that doesn’t stress the airframe, but it looks impressive as hell.
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3points
#48
P.T. Barnum’s "Fiji Mermaid" in 1842. It was literally a monkey torso sewn onto a fish tail, and Barnum *knew* it was fake. But that was the entire point. He didn't just sell it as a genuine biological specimen; he sold the *controversy* around it. He planted articles in newspapers debating its authenticity, which drove massive crowds to his museum just to see the hoax for themselves and decide if they were being fooled. He wasn't selling a mermaid; he was selling the spectacle of the debate. It’s a foundational example of manufacturing engagement and "any publicity is good publicity" long before the internet existed.
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3points
#51
WKRP Turkey drop.
GetsMeEveryTimeBot:
It was the most unusual promotion idea I ever heard of. Never been anything else like it.
GetsMeEveryTimeBot:
It was the most unusual promotion idea I ever heard of. Never been anything else like it.
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2points
#53
Not in the history of the world at all but aqua teen hunger force in Boston absolutely blew my mind. Every in Boston was freaked out. Everyone.
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1point
