The Best PR Stunts of 2023, Ranked By Experts

A PR stunt can be the opening of a floodgate for public attention. Executed well, a tidal wave of positive support for your brand can roll in and be sustained by follow-up marketing campaigns. However, the problem with opening a floodgate is that there’s a chance all kinds of unwanted waste can get in, soaking your organisation in negativity. 2023 was a year of a lot of PR tidal waves, both good and bad. We are going to assess the best PR stunts of 2023 using our expert ranking system, so you can learn what makes a PR stunt successful and how to avoid it sending your organisation down the drain.

Tony’s Chocolonely, Oxfam and Glastonbury

Kicking off on the good list this year, we are turning our heads towards a superhero trio of synchronised brands: Tony’s Chocolonely, Oxfam and Glastonbury Festival. For those of you not in the know, the Dutch company, Tony’s Chocolonely, are a damn-right delicious, ethically sourced chocolate brand who are committed to tackling exploitation. Although they have been on UK shelves for a while now, they wanted an extra push to become an established household favourite. So, they worked their Wonka magic and created a series of limited edition chocolate bars, hiding five pairs of highly demanded Glastonbury tickets in them and selling them solely in Oxfam shops. Then, they sat back and watched the story unfold. A storm brewed on social media as people hurried to post their delight or disappointment. Oxfam saw an increased footfall to their stores. Funds were raised and buzz was created.Why was it such a success? As the head of Tony’s marketing said, ‘There is a huge amount of synergy between the three organisations: Tony’s Chocolonely and Oxfam are united in their mission to eradicate the injustice of poverty - the root cause of child labour and modern slavery in the cocoa industry’. So, how does it rank in our PR expert rating system?Creativity: A solid 5Sending people into charity shops on a mission to find golden tickets to one of the top music festivals in Europe, all whilst raising awareness and money for poverty-fighting charities? An all-round winner, we would say.Impact and Reach: 4This is based on the chocolate bars quickly selling out both online and in stores, generating significant social media buzz. Tony's Chocolonely and Oxfam strategically chose Glastonbury to partner with due to its reputation as a highly sustainable festival that generously supports charitable causes. Moreover, Glastonbury's exclusivity, where demand surpasses supply, added to the campaign's hype and excitement, creating a sought-after opportunity for those aspiring to be the fortunate winners.Authenticity: 5PR stunts often carry the risk of overshadowing the cause or appearing insincere. Yet, Tony’s Chocolonely and Oxfam's unwavering dedication to combating injustice proves that this stunt aligns seamlessly with their core values. So, we assign it a fabulous rating of five for authenticity.

Ted Lasso’s Public Displays of Encouragement

Next, let’s take a look at the TV industry for the next PR stunt on our list. Embodying the infectious positivity of Ted Lasso, Apple's campaign mirrors the coach from the beloved TV series, with his enthusiastic and uplifting style in a series of public displays of encouragement, turning the world into a playing field for optimism.Blown up and prominently displayed on 27 barns, billboards, and schools throughout America, Apple, in collaboration with their creative agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab, crafted handwritten letters for every player on the US Men’s National Soccer Team in their respective hometowns. Each message was brimming with the charming and affectionate essence of the TV character, Ted Lasso.A playful and lighthearted initiative, this campaign brought an element of unpredictability as team members and the public eagerly anticipated where the next surprise message might appear. It quickly gained internet fame, with people sharing their discoveries on social media and looking out for new installations. The campaign generated a remarkable 2.2 billion PR impressions and accrued $20 million in earned media.Why did it make our list of best PR stunts 2023? Well, as a Webby Award winner for best creative use of promotional efforts and as a ‘People’s Voice’ winner for a campaign that results in the rapid and widespread sharing of a marketing message, we couldn’t leave it out. So, how does it rank?Creativity: 3.5 The delightful personalised messages appearing in unconventional spots, like 'Aaron… Of all the grapes this town has cultivated, your talent was the sweetest of them all,' earn this campaign a respectable rating of 3.5. We appreciated the seamless blend of real life and television, which encouraged excitement about the TV series.Impact and reach: 4Considering how the messages spread like wildfire across different channels and platforms, and hey, the people loved it, we'd give this campaign a solid four out of five.Authenticity: 3.5This is a tricky one, as the messages themselves are thoughtful, individualised and genuine from the viewpoint of Ted’s character. However, the purpose of them is to promote a show that doesn’t have an obvious link to the US soccer team. We give it a 3.5 for authenticity.

French’s Turning Trash into a Mascot

Following up with another sports-related campaign is French’s Mustard, with their ‘Turning Trash into a Mascot’ PR campaign. When the University of Tennessee football team lost a match, fans lost their temper. One fan, blissfully unaware of what would subsequently transpire, threw one of the iconic French’s Mustard yellow bottles onto the pitch. For no obvious reason other than the factor of mild absurdity, it took over the internet and eventually became a part of the fans’ rallying cry. Leaping onto this serendipitous digital PR moment, the brand went on to partner with the team’s best player, Hendon Hooker, kitting him out in eye-catching custom-designed mustardwear. The campaign and partnership got a lot of media coverage, with over 229 media placements, 36 million social media impressions and 227 million earned media impressions, so it definitely makes our list. Creativity: 4We would rank this PR campaign relatively highly, considering how mustard and football don’t have an obvious link between them, but the campaign still was such a success. The originality of the campaign, from an unexpected moment of trash being thrown onto the football field and French’s opportune use of the social media frenzy that followed, is why we rank this PR campaign a four for creativity.Impact and reach: 5There’s no doubt that this one ranks well in the category of impact and reach, as the target audiences were engaged in their millions. It has also helped people associate the Tennessee football team with mustard, and not any old one, but specifically French’s mustard. They have continued with their streak of original crossovers and collabs, with the production of mustard doughnuts, mustard skittles and mustard ice cream. Gross but intriguing, right?Authenticity: 4.5Possibly the most genuine entry on our list, as this campaign was born out of a completely unplanned event. Often, campaigns that authentically emerge out of unplanned circumstances and seize the cultural moment are the ones that do best.

Distance’s Rob it to Get it

Running concept store Distance is inspired by art, fashion and design, as well as providing tips and gear to athletes who want to improve their performance. In celebration of ‘real runners’ they thought up the ‘Rob it to Get it’ campaign. A selection of the most coveted items were made available in the store with one simple rule: if you could outrun the ‘security guard’, French Olympian Meba Mickael Zeze, you could keep the item for free. As Zeze had run the 100m in under 10 seconds, this was unlikely, but people’s egos made them believe they had a chance. Out of 76 runners, 74 were caught, and two actually made it away with the ‘stolen’ items. How does this campaign rank in our expert eyes?Creativity: 4.5By having a real-life Olympian interact with and race members of the public, this was an effective stunt to demonstrate the brand value of inclusivity in the community, and to advocate and encourage people to believe in their sporting capabilities. Reach and impact: 3.5As well as a high scorer of fun, the unconventional concept of incorporating ‘theft’ as a promotional strategy made a significant impact on the Parisian running store. The campaign garnered attention in prominent publications like the Washington Post. However, the decision to delay social media posts until after the campaign to avoid too many people queuing up to get into the store didn’t allow the opportunity for hype and curiosity to build. All things considered, we give Distance a commendable rating of 3.5 for its reach and impact.Authenticity: 3Distance remains dedicated to catering exclusively to die-hard running enthusiasts, and the campaign was designed to reinforce this commitment. While 'Rob it to Get it' aligns with this value, we find the intended message of the campaign could have been communicated more clearly. Hence, we rate it a 3.

Oxfam’s Stay in the Fight

Our final entry onto the list of best PR stunts of 2023 is one of our own because it’s just that good, in the eyes of our experts, of course. Oxfam came to us wanting to create a new kind of campaign, one that moved away from the traditional patronising tone of legacy ads. They wanted to boost awareness of Oxfam’s Legacy Giving Programme as well as encourage general brand awareness and engagement. The Stay in the Fight campaign helped to encourage the boomer generation to continue supporting causes that were always important to them during their lifetimes by leaving a gift in their will to Oxfam in order to ‘stay in the fight’. Two parts of this campaign make it worthy of our list. First of all, we activated it by reuniting a group of the original 1983 peace march protesters to recreate powerful images in commemoration of what was one of the largest public demonstrations in British history, protesting nuclear missiles.

We also crafted a compelling feature starring Edith, a former protester, recounting her experiences to her grandchildren. The film navigates between what initially appears to be black-and-white flashbacks of Edith's youth in London, only to unveil that it is actually the reality of present-day activism in Kenya. This seamless transition underscores the significance of legacies and continuous activism in driving meaningful change.Creativity: 5Our experts give us a five for creativity. This is an objective rating based on an entirely unbiased judgment system. Obviously. Impact and Reach: 5The campaign had quite a substantial impact, with media coverage extending to over 240 articles in renowned outlets such as The Independent, The Standard, and Mail Online. This easily lands another five. Authenticity: 5And another five for authenticity, of course. But in all seriousness, we worked hard on this to align with Oxfam’s values and produce a genuine campaign that enhanced their commitment to social justice, sustainability, and making a positive impact on communities worldwide. So that concludes our list of the best PR stunts of 2023. If you want to check out our best PR stunts of all time, including a socially distanced nude art installation or people dressed up as giant animals, you can read our article here.

PR Campaigns that Backfired

To understand in a little bit more depth what will help you get onto our list of 2024, it’s worth taking a look at the worst campaigns of this year. In recent months, Zara has stirred up controversy with their latest campaign. Demonstrating a lack of sensitivity and offensive messaging, the 'The Jacket' campaign serves as a clear illustration of brands struggling to promptly adjust to the ever-changing cultural and political landscape during their campaign release, which can significantly influence its reception.The ad campaign featured mannequins with missing limbs, wrapped in white sheets and plastic, surrounded by rubble. This was released at the same time as the attacks on Gaza, as widespread and distressing scenes of death and violence in the region unfolded before us.Zara released a statement on social media, stating that it was unfortunate that some people were offended. They did remove the ad and explained the creative intention behind the campaign, but the damage to the brand’s image was already done, with the hashtag #BoycottZara trending. What the release of the campaign highlights is the importance of considering potential insensitivities and understanding cultural and political contexts of what’s going on around you in the world; keep in mind that advertising never exists in a vacuum. Want to learn more from terrible PR campaigns? Check out our article on PR Disasters: Lessons to learn from PR stunts gone wrong.

Working with Don’t Panic

If you’re ready to check out some more of the best PR campaigns of all time, head over to our Case Studies page, where you can find a deep dive into all of the best campaigns that we’ve created.Looking to launch your own PR stunt? Get in touch with the team here at Don’t Panic today and start concocting the perfect show-stopping campaign!