PR Stunts: How to Capture Attention and Stay true to Your Brand

Public Relations (PR) stunts have taken center stage in recent years, from IHOP’s headline-grabbing name change to IHOB to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon launch, which turned a rocket launch into a global spectacle. These high-profile campaigns demonstrate how brands can leverage bold, creative moves to generate buzz, increase engagement, and leave a lasting impact.

Naturally, every brand wants a piece of the action—who wouldn’t want to be the talk of the internet overnight? But before jumping into the world of PR stunts, it’s crucial to approach them strategically. A successful PR stunt isn’t just about grabbing headlines; it’s about aligning with your brand identity, leveraging media effectively, and ensuring a measurable impact.

Before launching your next big publicity move, keep these three key principles in mind.

1. Staying True to Your Brand Identity

A well-executed PR stunt should amplify your brand’s voice, not distort it. The most memorable campaigns seamlessly integrate with a company’s existing personality, ensuring that audiences recognize and embrace the message rather than questioning its authenticity.

Understanding Your Brand’s Personality

Before crafting a stunt, consider your brand’s core values, mission, and tone. Is your brand playful and irreverent, like Taco Bell’s Twitter presence? Or does it lean towards innovation and disruption, like Tesla’s product launches? Aligning your stunt with your established brand persona ensures consistency and builds trust with your audience.

📌 Example: Taco Bell’s Twitter Persona
Taco Bell has mastered the art of digital humor, engaging in witty banter with customers and celebrities alike. Their late-night, taco-craving alter ego resonates with their audience because it feels natural and authentic. If Taco Bell suddenly adopted a formal, serious tone for a PR stunt, it would feel off-brand and likely fail to connect.

Leveraging Humor—With Caution

Humor can be a powerful tool in PR, but it’s also risky. A joke that lands well with one audience might backfire with another. Text-based humor, in particular, can be misinterpreted, leading to unintended backlash. Before incorporating humor into your stunt, test it with a diverse group of stakeholders and ensure it aligns with your target audience’s sensibilities.

Targeting the Right Audience on the Right Platform

Different demographics consume media in different ways. To maximize the impact of your PR stunt, you need to meet your audience where they are.

Millennials & Gen Z: Social media campaigns thrive on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Gen X & Baby Boomers: Traditional media—TV, print, and radio—can be more effective.
Business Professionals: LinkedIn and industry-specific publications work best.

📌 Example: IHOP to IHOB
IHOP’s temporary rebrand to IHOB (International House of Burgers) was a PR stunt designed to boost burger sales. While it caused widespread confusion, it also drove an astonishing fourfold increase in burger sales, proving that a well-timed stunt can have a significant financial impact.

💡 Key Takeaway: If your PR stunt doesn’t feel true to your brand, it will confuse rather than captivate. Keep messaging aligned with your brand’s existing identity and engage your audience on the platforms they use most.

2. Mastering the Media Ecosystem: Owned, Earned, Shared & Paid Media

In the age of digital marketing, the success of a PR stunt depends on how effectively it leverages media channels. The PESO model—Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media—outlines how brands can maximize exposure and engagement.

Owned Media: Your Foundation

Owned media includes your website, blog, social media channels, and email list. This is where your campaign begins—crafting compelling content that explains your stunt and reinforces your message.

📌 Example: SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Launch
Elon Musk didn’t just launch a rocket—he launched a narrative. By live-streaming the event and posting updates across Tesla and SpaceX channels, he ensured that the stunt was framed exactly how he wanted before the media took over.

Earned Media: The Power of Publicity

Earned media is the holy grail of PR stunts. When news outlets, bloggers, and influencers pick up your story organically, it lends credibility and extends your reach exponentially.

📌 Example: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
This viral campaign started small but quickly earned media coverage on national news networks, talk shows, and celebrity social media accounts. The result? Over $115 million raised for ALS research.

Shared Media: Riding the Social Wave

Social media is the fuel that keeps PR stunts alive. The more people share, comment, and engage with your stunt, the longer it stays in the public eye. However, brands must be aware that once content is shared, control over the message is lost.

Risks to Consider:

Negative interpretations
Hijacking of the message
Social media backlash

📌 Example: Pepsi’s Controversial Ad with Kendall Jenner
Pepsi attempted to create a social justice-themed PR stunt, but the execution was widely criticized for being tone-deaf. While the ad gained massive attention, the overwhelmingly negative sentiment forced Pepsi to pull the campaign.

💡 Key Takeaway: The most successful PR stunts strategically use owned media as a launchpad, leverage earned media for credibility, and harness shared media for viral impact—all while carefully managing potential risks.

3. Measuring Success: Defining and Tracking Impact

A PR stunt without clear objectives is like a ship without a compass. Before launching a campaign, define what success looks like and establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress.

Set Clear Goals

Common PR stunt goals include:

Brand Awareness: Increasing visibility and media coverage
Engagement: Boosting social media shares, likes, and comments
Sales Growth: Driving direct revenue or conversions
Cause Promotion: Raising funds or awareness for a cause

📌 Example: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Goal: Increase awareness and donations for ALS research
Outcome: Over 17 million people participated, raising $115 million

📌 Example: IHOB

Goal: Drive interest in burgers and increase sales
Outcome: Quadrupled burger sales within a month

Use Data Analytics to Track Performance

Measure impact through:

Social Listening Tools: Track mentions, sentiment, and reach across platforms
Website Analytics: Monitor traffic spikes and engagement metrics
Sales Data: Compare revenue before and after the stunt
Media Coverage Reports: Count press mentions and media impressions

📌 Example: Netflix’s “Stranger Things” Upside Down Takeover
To promote Stranger Things 4, Netflix flipped billboards upside down, turned cities into eerie sci-fi landscapes, and created immersive fan experiences. The campaign drove:

135 million hours viewed in the first weekend
Over 1 billion social media impressions

💡 Key Takeaway: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Define your campaign’s objectives, track performance with analytics, and refine future PR strategies based on real data.

Final Thoughts: PR Stunts as a Strategic Tool

When executed with strategic intent, PR stunts are more than just attention-grabbers—they are powerful tools that can boost brand awareness, drive sales, and create lasting audience connections.

The Formula for PR Stunt Success:

✅ Align with Your Brand Identity – Stay true to your brand’s voice and personality
✅ Leverage the PESO Model – Maximize exposure through owned, earned, shared, and paid media
✅ Measure Impact & Optimize – Set clear goals, track results, and adjust strategies accordingly

PR stunts aren’t just about making noise—they’re about making an impact. With careful planning, thoughtful execution, and a clear understanding of your brand and audience, your next PR move could be the one that takes your brand to the next level. 🚀