PR stunt. These are words that suggest high-budget exploits, designed to make hashtags go viral and audiences gawp with delight. But what’s achievable without a big investment? What exactly does it take to engineer your own event talking point? And what can event organisers learn from some of the best promotion stunts around?

Lesson one: Stunts can be serious

Clever stunts can garner attention for worthy causes: it’s not all about Hollywood blockbusters and big-name brands. Back in 2016, busy thoroughfares across the UK became the backdrop for a moving First World War tribute. Hundreds of actors dressed up as soldiers preparing to leave for war and handed out cards detailing the names, ages and regiments of those who died in the Somme. Commuters slowed, stared and tweeted, struck by the poignancy of this powerful human memorial, organised by artist Jeremy Deller as part of the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary.

Lesson two: Let your audience get up close and personal

When event director Naz Kabir decided to create a buzz around his animatronic outdoor dinosaur experience, he relied on the reptiles to do the talking. Having purchased two large animated dinosaur costumes, he sent them out onto the streets of central London to meet, greet, and unnerve passers-by.

“The best reactions came when the dinosaurs roamed into parks, supermarkets and schools. The pictures and videos were uploaded onto Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and ended up going viral.” Naz Kabir, event director, Jurassic Kingdom.

There were 29,000 views of the video in Newcastle, 22,000 in Leeds, 44,000 in Manchester and 45,000 in London, and it’s estimated that around 10% of ticket sales came as result of the Facebook videos. Why? As well as having social media appeal, this stunt also had mass market appeal – engaging toddlers, tweens, and pensioners alike.

Lesson three: Experiential events demand experiential stunts

When software company Workfront held their ‘Back to the Future of Work’ conference in 2016, they realised that an event themed around an iconic eighties film deserved its own iconic talking point. And what better way to do it than by inviting attendees to climb inside a real-life DeLorean?

In fact, Workfront’s team has a real understanding of how to engineer that all-important event talking point. At another immersive conference, delegates were split into teams and given a series of work-related challenges to complete while defending themselves from a zombie invasion.

“Once delegates made it through to the ‘safe zone’, there was a more traditional conference where industry leaders discussed and debated some of the biggest productivity killers. Keeping it light-hearted but informative was key, and meant that delegates got something out of attending.” Jada Balster, vice president marketing, Workfront

Lesson four: Simple but effective can work wonders

While a Hollywood budget can make PR stunts memorable, it’s also possible to create impact without big investment; take Printkick Merchandise’s work with the ADHD Foundation to create ‘The Umbrella Project’. In a bid to raise awareness of the wide spectrum of conditions that fall under the umbrella term ‘ADHD’, they hung 200 coloured umbrellas across a main thoroughfare in Liverpool. As well as debunking the generalist nature of the term itself, the colours also served to highlight the personalities of children with ADHD.

“Decorating the umbrellas with ‘superpowers’ helped the children to focus on skills and strengths. Local businesses could sponsor an umbrella which was donated to support families, and display them on their premises after the event.” Aman Brar, product lead, Printkick Merchandise.

As well as underlining the importance of visual appeal, the stunt attracted the attention of the local media, with the Mayor of Liverpool pledging commitment to people with ADHD and autism.

Lesson five: Hollywood budgets deliver the goods. Who knew?

So while massive investment isn’t required to get people talking, it can definitely help. Two years ago, the new Ghostbusters film was about to hit screens in the UK. The accompanying PR stunt was as high-octane as it gets.

“I walk through Waterloo station every day and this PR stunt is definitely the best I’ve seen. Not only was there a giant ‘Marshmallow Man Stay Puft’ breaking through the floor, but Waterloo had been given the Ghostbusters treatment, with green slime dripping down from the ceiling and over CCTV cameras.” Del Manning, co-founder and executive creative director, Collider.

Uniformed Ghostbusters handed out cards encouraging people to call the Ghostbusters hotline, and a pop-up booth sold Ghostbusters merchandise and cinema tickets. The results were impressive: national press coverage, 52.6 million impressions at Waterloo and 362,882 calls to the Ghostbusters hotline. Great work by outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux – a reminder of the power of big budgets and a truly immersive approach.

For more insight into how to create pre-event excitement, check out this blog on exactly that.