What do the Ice Bucket Challenge and Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad have in common? Both were PR stunts. But one became a cultural phenomenon, while the other became a punchline. So, what makes the difference?
There’s a fine line between a viral masterpiece and a disaster that gets brands roasted online. Some stunts captivate audiences, spark conversations, and even drive sales. Others? They crash and burn in the most humiliating ways possible.
The secret is pretty much about being smart. Forget about being bold or flashy. If a stunt doesn’t resonate with the audience, it’s just noise. A well-executed PR stunt taps into the right emotions, trends, and timing, while a bad one feels forced, tone-deaf, or just plain desperate.
So, how do brands walk this tightrope between brilliance and backlash? Let’s break down the science behind PR stunts that actually work and why some just make us cringe.
Photo by Visual Tag Mix from Pexels
The formula for a winning PR stunt
A great PR focuses on making an impact. In other words, the most successful stunts follow a surprisingly simple formula: they connect emotionally, feel authentic, and make people want to talk about them. Let’s break it down.
1. Emotional hook
If a stunt doesn’t make people feel something, it’s dead on arrival. The best PR moves trigger strong emotions. It can be excitement (Red Bull’s Stratos jump), nostalgia (Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign), or even outrage (Gillette’s controversial “The Best Men Can Be” ad). If your audience doesn’t react, they won’t remember.
2. Authenticity over gimmicks
Audiences can smell a cash grab from a mile away. So don’t even bother trying to do some gimmicks. A PR stunt needs to align with a brand’s values, not just be a flashy attempt to go viral.
Take Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign. It was bold, but it made sense coming from a brand known for sustainability. Compare that to the infamous Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad, which tried to insert itself into social activism.
3. Cultural relevance
A well-timed stunt taps into the conversations people are already having. Oreo’s legendary “Dunk in the Dark” tweet during the Super Bowl blackout worked because it was quick, clever, and perfectly relevant at the moment. On the other hand, a stunt that feels out of touch or late to the party can come across as desperate.
4. Simplicity wins
The best stunts are easy to grasp in seconds. If you have to explain it, you’ve already lost. Think of IHOP’s temporary name change to IHOB (International House of Burgers). It was simple, a
5. Call to action to get people involved
nd surprising, and made people curious, even if they were just arguing about whether it was a bad idea.
The best stunts work hard when they can invite participation. The Ice Bucket Challenge worked because it turned viewers into active participants. Even Wendy’s famous Twitter roasts function as a PR stunt; engaging customers directly and making them feel like part of the fun.
When PR stunts go horribly wrong
For every legendary PR stunt, there’s an equal and opposite disaster. A failed stunt can do so much more than embarrass your brand. Worst, it damages a brand’s reputation, alienates customers, and sparks a PR crisis.
The most common missteps happen when brands try too hard to be relevant, force an emotional connection, or completely misread their audience. Here’s what separates the trainwrecks from the triumphs.
1. Trying too hard to be “woke”
Consumers respect brands that take a stand, but when a company forces social activism into its PR campaign, it often backfires.
The Pepsi x Kendall Jenner ad (2017) is the poster child for this mistake. The commercial attempted to align Pepsi with the Black Lives Matter movement, featuring Kendall Jenner defusing a protest by handing a cop a can of soda.
People saw it as tone-deaf, trivializing real social justice movements and reducing activism to a feel-good marketing ploy. Pepsi was forced to pull the ad and issue an apology.
Lesson learned: If a brand wants to engage in social issues, it needs to do it with sincerity, real action, and input from the communities it aims to support. Otherwise, it just looks like an opportunistic cash grab.
2. Overcomplicating the message
The best PR stunts are simple, clear, and easy to understand. If people have to think too hard about what’s going on, the message is lost.
Take SunnyD’s bizarre tweet (2019): “I can’t do this anymore.” The brand attempted to mimic the language of mental health struggles in a bid for relatability, but instead, it confused and irritated social media users. People weren’t sure if it was a joke, a cry for help, or just bad marketing.
While some brands jumped in to respond supportively, many saw it as an uncomfortable and unnecessary attempt to insert itself into mental health conversations without adding real value.
Lesson learned: A PR stunt should have a clear and immediate impact. If the audience needs to decode the message, it’s already failed.
3. Ignoring the risk of backlash
Some brands push boundaries for attention, but if they don’t predict how the public might react, they can end up on the wrong side of the conversation.
Example: Peloton’s controversial holiday ad (2019). The commercial featured a woman receiving a Peloton bike from her husband and then documenting her fitness journey.
Instead of inspiring viewers, the ad was widely criticized for promoting outdated gender norms and implying that the husband was pressuring his wife to lose weight. The backlash was so intense that Peloton’s stock dropped by $1.5 billion in just a few days.
Lesson learned: Before launching a stunt, brands need to consider all possible interpretations. Because once the public decides it’s offensive, there’s no taking it back.
4. Hijacking tragedies for PR
There’s a fine line between showing respect for a serious event and exploiting it for marketing. If a brand crosses that line, the backlash is swift and brutal.
Case in point: AT&T’s 9/11 tweet (2013). On the anniversary of September 11, AT&T tweeted an image of the Twin Towers reflected in a smartphone screen, with a caption paying tribute.
While they likely meant well, people saw it as tasteless—using a national tragedy as a backdrop for product placement. The outrage was immediate, forcing AT&T to delete the tweet and apologize.
Lesson learned: Brands should never use tragedies for marketing unless they have a direct, meaningful connection to the event and are offering tangible support. Otherwise, it comes across as exploitative.
5. Forgetting the audience
A stunt that doesn’t align with a brand’s audience or one that delivers the wrong message, can quickly spiral into disaster.
One of the worst examples? Burger King’s “Women Belong in the Kitchen” tweet (2021).
The tweet was meant to promote a program supporting female chefs, but by leading with a phrase commonly associated with sexism, they sparked immediate outrage.
Even though the full context was positive, the damage was done. People didn’t stick around to read the explanation. The backlash forced Burger King to delete the tweet and apologize.
Lesson learned: A great PR stunt always considers how the message will be perceived. If there’s even a slight chance the audience could take it the wrong way, it’s probably not worth the risk.
Risk vs. reward: When to play it safe and when to go bold
Not all PR stunts are created equal. Some are lighthearted and low-risk, designed to generate a quick laugh or a small media buzz. Others are high-stakes gambits that can either propel a brand to cultural relevance or leave it scrambling for damage control.
Knowing when to play it safe and when to push boundaries is what separates a calculated genius move from a cringeworthy disaster.
Low-risk, high-impact stunts: Smart, safe, and effective
These are the stunts that rely on cleverness rather than controversy. They’re designed to delight audiences and create engagement without the risk of backlash. They work best for brands that:
- Have a corporate or family-friendly image to maintain.
- Want to generate goodwill without taking big risks.
- Are introducing a new product, campaign, or message with a broad appeal?
Examples of low-risk PR stunts:
- Playful social media campaigns. Like Wendy’s famous Twitter roasts, where they engage customers in a fun and witty way.
- Feel-good community initiatives. Think of Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which personalized soda bottles with common names, making it instantly shareable.
- Clever brand tweaks. Like Google turning into “Topeka” for April Fools’ Day, a harmless but attention-grabbing move.
- Surprise giveaways. Random acts of kindness, like JetBlue’s surprise flight upgrades, win people over with positivity.
Best for: Brands that want to be seen as fun, creative, or generous without stepping on any toes.
High-risk, high-reward stunts: Bold, controversial, and unforgettable
These are the PR stunts that command attention, sometimes by pushing social, cultural, or political boundaries.
When done well, they can generate massive press coverage, go viral, and establish a brand as a thought leader. But if miscalculated, they can alienate audiences, spark backlash, or damage trust.
Brands that take high-risk approaches often:
- Have an edgy, rebellious, or challenger-brand identity (e.g., Burger King, Tesla, or Nike).
- Want to disrupt the conversation and challenge the status quo.
- Are willing to handle controversy if it aligns with their core values.
Examples of high-risk PR stunts:
- Nike’s Colin Kaepernick Campaign. By featuring the controversial NFL player in its “Believe in Something” ad, Nike made a bold political statement. It led to both boycotts and record-breaking sales.
- Tesla’s Cybertruck Window Smash. Whether accidental or intentional, the failed demo got everyone talking about the truck, leading to increased pre-orders.
- Gillette’s “The Best Men Can Be” Campaign. Aimed at tackling toxic masculinity, this campaign divided audiences but reinforced Gillette’s stance on social issues.
- Burger King’s Moldy Whopper Ad. By showing a decaying burger to highlight its commitment to fresh, preservative-free food, Burger King shocked audiences—but it also made a strong brand statement.
What can go wrong?
- If the message is misunderstood, the stunt can come off as insincere or exploitative.
- If the timing is off, it might seem tone-deaf (e.g., trying to be funny during a crisis).
- If the stunt alienates a core audience, it can lead to long-term damage.
Best for: Brands that are brave, strategic, and ready to handle controversy if it aligns with their vision.
So, how do you decide?
Before choosing a PR stunt approach, ask yourself:
- Does this align with our brand identity? (Would people expect this from us?)
- Are we prepared for different reactions? (Can we handle backlash if it happens?)
- Does the potential upside outweigh the risk? (What’s the worst that can happen?)
- Can we control the narrative? (Do we have a plan if things don’t go as expected?)
If YES, then maybe it’s time to go bold.
If NO, a creative low-risk stunt might be the smarter play.
At the end of the day, a great PR stunt mainly focuses on being strategic. Whether you’re playing it safe or making a bold move, the key is to own the message and make an impact.
That’s where Agility PR Solutions comes in. With its AI-powered suite, including PR CoPilot, Agility helps PR teams track media coverage, analyze sentiment, and stay ahead of the conversation. So, every stunt you pull off is strategic, data-driven, and optimized for success.
