PR Stunts Round Up: September 2022

In January 2023, Tarte Cosmetics took 50 influencers (including Alix Earle, of course) on an insanely extravagant trip to Dubai which basically meant TikTok was full of Tarte Cosmetics mentions and commentary for two full weeks. Was it excessive or brilliant? Plus, how did Tarte's founder and CEO Maureen Kelly respond to the controversy? We dive into all the details and break it down.  For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com 

Southwest Airlines has been all over the news this week because of major issues with its operation. So, what better time to replay one of our fave episodes, all about one of the country's most beloved airlines? When Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher was faced with a competitor slashing prices in the 1970s in an effort to put Southwest out of business, Herb got creative and pulled a PR stunt. Then, in the 1990s, he did it again when faced with a potential legal battle over a tagline....he responded with an insanely creative PR stunt. In fact, the reason Southwest is one of the top airlines in the industry today is because of these off-the-wall, creative stunts that Herb pulled off. The culture of the airline was truly born out of these stunts and we bet you feel pretty inspired after this one! For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com.

It's officially the HOLIDAY SEASON! In honor, we are replaying one of our favorite holiday episodes where we cover the top 9 holiday PR stunts and campaigns.  From TikTok-ing Turkeys to Elf-Themed Hotel Suites, this holiday-themed episode covers some of the craziest, coolest Christmas and holiday marketing campaigns and stunts. Did you know that consumer-facing brands typically earn 50% of their annual revenue all in the fourth quarter of the year? The holidays are BIG business for brands. In this episode, we’re talking all about some of the top Holiday PR Stunts & Marketing Campaigns.  For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com

In honor of Spotify Wrapped hitting this week, we are replaying our episode from last year all about the viral marketing move from Spotify. If you paid any attention over the last few weeks to your social media feed, you couldn’t miss the fact that almost EVERYONE is sharing snippets of their Spotify Wrapped to social media. Spotify has curated a fun end-of-year wrap-up of its users' music listening habits into a shareable format that creates major FOMO for non-Spotify users and reminds us of the immense power of personalized marketing. For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com

In January 2008, Tropicana was selling about $700 million per year of its Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice. The brand decided it was time to rebrand its best-selling product, and that single move nearly crushed the brand - causing sales to fall by 20% in the 2 months after the rebrand launched....equating to about $30 million in losses overall.  The brand recovered, but now there is a bigger problem looming ahead: in today's world, fruit juice doesn't have the same appeal as it did 20 years ago. Will Tropicana make juice cool again? Tune in to find out! For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com.

It's time for our October 2022 PR Stunts and Campaigns round-up! In this episode, Alexis breaks the rules and throws in a few stunts that had nothing to with October (shocking!) and we cover a variety of brands, including: Dogs Only Kitchen Fecal Billboards Visit Sweden Geo-Restricted Audio  Bumble & Ted Lasso Collab Dole Uses Trash to Fight Hunger Oscar Meyer Celebrates World Vegan Day ...and more! For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com. 

In just 10 years, Carvana has become the fastest-growing e-commerce company in U.S. History. At Carvana, you can buy a car 100% online, no salesperson required, and if you live in one of Carvana's 34 cities, you can even buy a car via a coin-operated vending machine. But, has Carvana bought its brand awareness? With a whopping $100 million advertising budget, Carvana has tried more advertising campaigns and PR stunts in a decade than most brands try in a lifetime.  Will its latest tagline and campaign "We'll Drive You Happy" stick around? Tune in for the scoop! For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com. 

It's officially SPOOKY SEASON! Our very own Alexis is the queen of Halloween, so join us as she takes us through some of her favorite Halloween campaigns and stunts. We talk about: - Snapchat sells costumes - Uber's tricked-out Halloween rides - Liquid Death collabs including Martha Stewart & Postmates - Heinz hawks tomato blood ketchup and pushes vampires to go vegan - Asos and the #ASOSAlterEgo TikTok challenge - Chipotle's Boorito campaign For source material, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com. 

It's time for September's PR stunts and campaigns round up! The brands we cover this month include: Tide, Mint Mobile + Arizona Iced Tea, Heinz, Draft Kings, Guitar Center + Southwest Airlines, M&Ms and My Little Pony. For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com.

Before you listen to this episode, make sure you go back and listen to Episode #59: Gatorade & Be Like Mike! Recently, we covered Gatorade's "Be Like Mike" campaign, which has gone down in history as one of the most iconic and memorable advertising campaigns in the history of sports marketing. Featuring Michael Jordan, this campaign origin story is full of twists and turns that involve an insane brand feud between Gatorade and Powerade (owned by Coke) and so much more.  Join us as we chat with Bob Roth, former Regional Cold Channel Manager for Gatorade during the brand's iconic Be Like Mike campaign. Bob shares some behind-the-scenes information and a unique perspective on what the campaign did for the company.  For source materials, please visit www.willitstickpodcast.com.  Visit www.serendipitconsulting.com for more information on how to develop your OWN amazing campaign, PR stunt or marketing activation!