Most Extreme Marketing Stunts for Every Small Business
Stunts are a good technique to generate tons of earned media if you want to have a strong return on investment (ROI) for your advertising and marketing campaign.
If you’re new to the term, earned media refers to the exposure created by your campaign, stunt, or promotion that you wouldn’t have to pay for. This takes the shape of news reports on television and radio, articles in magazines and newspapers, mentions on all social media platforms, and reposts from the general public.
In this article, The Good Marketer is going to get into the most extreme marketing stunts that every marketing agency and small business should be aware of.
The Most Extreme Stunts to Focus On
Be the First to Do Something
Something that is both fun and impactful is ideal. You should also think about the world’s first attempt and how it ties to what you’re selling. It’s no good being the first bookstore owner to drink 100 gallons of grape juice in 48 hours – you always have to ask yourself, “where is the relevance?”.
Break a World Record!
The Guinness Book of World Records is a well-known publication all around the world. Thousands of records have been preserved, and new records are set every day. Guinness has parts of its website dedicated to people getting involved in new or current records as it has become such a wonderful method to grab the public’s attention.
Don’t stress if a record doesn’t exist; just make one that compliments your brand, even if it’s as absurd as the “number of Doritos stacked on your finger.” It will be picked up by someone somewhere.
Capitalize on a Big Event
Big events happen everywhere at different times of the year. A great time to execute a marketing stunt could be at a large event with local or regional news coverage or a huge number of attendees.
It is essential that your idea relates to the event (even in the slightest way) or else the publicity you may generate could work against you in a negative light and be received in bad taste.
Tic When Other People Tac
One of the most difficult tasks for a marketing agency’s creative team is persuading a client to do something that its rivals do not.
It dates back to the 1950s and 1960s when clients would turn down interesting work because it “didn’t appear like an advertisement for our product.” However, this is the best approach to getting people’s attention.
When everyone else is going little, go large. Be silent when they’re making a racket. Use drama when they’re employing comedy – you get the gist.
Provoke a Competitor
It’s a narrow line to tread here. Ensure you’re not being nasty or exaggerating your epicaricacy. Though this is business, openly mocking the collapse of a competitor’s brand may generate a lot of press. One of the most well-known examples was the battle of the billboards between Audi and BMW.
Audi initiated it with “Your Move BMW”, and only a few would’ve expected BMW to respond with a billboard that said “Checkmate” right next to it.
Celebrity Influence Works
Another simple technique is to attract the public’s attention, but it is not the cheapest choice. If you collaborate with a well-known figure, you can count on a mass audience of millions to watch basically anything he or she does.
Of course, you’ll need to choose the correct action, product, or service and the right moment to execute it. You could potentially receive thousands to millions of views if you link your business to a prominent name, but there’s a high chance it’ll cost you a fortune to get them.
Size Matters… Go Big!
If you don’t want to go unnoticed, create something that is impossible to overlook. That does not solely refer to the size of the event but rather to the production of something physically massive and magnificent. For example, when Michael Jackson’s album HIStory and tour were released, gigantic statues of Michael were erected in cities all over the world, including LA, Paris, Milan, Berlin, London, and more.
Every single one of these statues created international headlines, resulting in millions of dollars in earned publicity. So as you can see, these initiatives will take time, money, and a great deal of planning, but there’s a high chance they’ll make the news.
Do Something Outrageous/Out of the Ordinary
If you have a concept that you believe is pushing boundaries very far, don’t put it aside quite yet. It’s possible that it could be the perfect way to raise awareness of your brand, product or service.
These are fantastic times to try something different since all it takes is one brave soul with the courage to be different, to create something revolutionary that could last a very long time!
So, Is Extreme Marketing Worth It?
The Good Marketer says, only if it is as true of a reflection of your brand as your average marketing would be and when used as a supplement to your regular marketing efforts such as social media marketing and SEO. They talked a little about the relevance of extreme marketing stunts, but they can’t stress enough how important this is.
Of course, taking a car into the most extreme off-roading course is a pretty extreme thing to do, it might even stick in people’s minds, but does it make sense if you’re marketing an energy drink? Probably not.
There are also certain risks involved in extreme marketing stunts. And if you consider that most will be done live (one time and one time only), an audience won’t be able to forget what they’ve seen.
So, if things go wrong, brands need to be prepared to deal with the fallout – especially if you are a small business trying to make a name for yourself.
Finally, cost.
For small businesses especially, time and money are hot commodities, and extreme marketing can be costly in both. If going big is your thing, you might want to consider how much time and money you will be spending and run this against the potential results you could achieve.
If it seems worth it, by all means, go for it. But when money is very much an object, it needs to be given some serious consideration.
