We’re a creative bunch here at Clareville. And that’s a good thing, because behind every piece of media coverage we secure lies hours of hard work, research, brain storming….and a huge dose of creativity.

With journalists receiving hundreds of emails and phone calls each day, it can be hard to achieve cut through. How can you stand out from the rest, capture the attention of your audience and communicate your brand messages?

One of the options is via a PR stunt. If executed well, a PR stunt can catapult an unknown brand into the media spotlight. Here are our tips on how to do it well….

• Have a clear objective – PR stunts can be fun but they also have to have substance, and be backed up by clear objectives decided at the outset. While brand awareness is likely to be a key objective for any stunt, there needs to be some evidence as to how the activity will translate commercially, support enquiries, sales, recruitment, investment etc.
• It’s a cliché we know but….think outside the box. Stunts are popular but not all of them are successful. The best ones tend to be original, creative and where possible….a little risky!
• Engage your audience – once the stunt has their attention, it must keep them entertained. This can be easier said than done, so here’s where a little of that highly prized creativity comes in.
• Be topical & timely – relevancy is key here. There is nothing worse than a random stunt which has no bearing to anything whatsoever.
• Encourage ‘shareability’ – it’s all well and good spending months planning a huge PR stunt, but what if nobody sees it? If the stunt will take place in just one location, the media pick up will be limited unless the content is packaged up and easy to share.

Here’s a stunt which caught our eye recently. Simply but clever, the activity by insurers Hiscox brings online hacking techniques into the real world, with devastating effect.

Want to find out more? We’re happy to share our advice on PR stunts, PR campaigns and pretty much everything else! Contact the team, we’ll be happy to chat.