As the pressure to stand out from competitors becomes increasingly important, a number of businesses are thinking outside the square when it comes to marketing.
And one of the more unique ways to do this is via a marketing stunt. These stunts, which are otherwise known as experiential or guerrilla marketing – rely on the imagination of a business rather than a big marketing budget, making them ideal for SMEs.
Typically, a campaign is unexpected or unconventional and targets consumers in unanticipated places. And best of all, it can cost just a fraction of a more traditional-style marketing campaign.
But pulling off a marketing stunt isn't for the faint-hearted. Devising one of your own will take time and effort – not to mention a fair bit of courage.
But don't be put off by that. Some of the best known brands in the country are pulling off marketing stunts that create strong brand recognition, making it a worthwhile proposition for all.
One of the most recent high-profile campaigns came from the National Australia Bank, which staged a fictitious break-up with the other banks. The bank hired actors, with 60 couples breaking up in restaurants, bars and public spaces across Australia on Valentine's Day this year. The break-up scenes were filmed and seeded online.
Marketing stunts that stand out
But smaller, lesser-known businesses are also using marketing stunts to gain traction in their market.
The owner of Messages on Hold, Kym Ilman, has become known as Australia's king of ambush marketing. His business, which turns over more than $13 million a year, has made the headlines numerous times over the years for its daring marketing stunts.
A few years ago, he managed to get his brand seen by millions attending and watching the Melbourne Cup after a well-thought out and executed marketing stunt went according to plan.
Illman explains that he paid a local man $1,000 to attend the famous horse race with his mates and stand in a pre-determined spot near the finish line wearing giant foam fingers. This image was captured by the media and played in glorious slow motion.
"Year after year, that image has been replayed to preview the Melbourne Cup. It's achieved unbelievable coverage that cost me just a thousand bucks."
Illman has also raced in a rally car, and says he couldn't resist pulling over to throw out his giant foam fingers to the crowds on a stretch of road being constantly filmed by the media.
Author and marketing specialist Ben Angel has also employed many marketing stunts over the years. These include dressing up as a cowboy while his business partner dressed as a cowgirl to attend a networking event with 400 men to promote a speed dating business.
Family restaurant Nando's is also well-known in marketing circles for its unique approach to marketing. It pulled off a saucy stunt a couple of years ago at the premiere of Sacha Baron Cohen's latest movie Bruno, where he himself was Bruno-ed.
A Bruno double and his entourage rolled up in a hot pink Hummer and made it through security on to the red carpet, fooling security, fans and the media. After making his way onto the stage, the fake Bruno posed for cameras and waved to the crowd before the models doused themselves in Nando's Perri Perri sauce and unveiled signs spruiking the brand.
The stunt was executed for less than $20,000 and generated millions in publicity for the Nando's brand across the globe.
Michael Abdul, managing director of Melbourne's The Sphere Agency, which conducted the stunt, said within 20 seconds of the stunt, 1,000 media outlets across the globe were alerted of its success.
"We had three press releases ready to go, depending on the outcome and whether we got past security," Abdul says.
But plenty of small businesses conduct marketing stunts on a far smaller scale with their own success.
Among them is Angela Sweeney, who entered the 'Bird Man' competition at Sydney's Manly Wharf some years ago as a cheap way to launch her salon. Staff turned up and handed out 1,000 t-shirts giving $20 off first visits.
"We were able to talk on the microphone and announce our business and it worked a treat. The crowd roared and it went down as a huge success," Sweeney says.
Sweeney's business monitored how many of the vouchers were returned to work out how many participants remained repeat customers.
"We got air time on The Footy Show, we had over 500 people bring in their vouchers in a month, and the rest is history – it was up from there."
But in 2005, the salon burnt down. After a month-long rebuild, she relaunched the business with a 'fire' theme, using Do Not Enter yellow tape so people could view the new-look rooms.
Topless guys in fireman pants daubed in black soot were hired to serve drinks. Sweeney says the relaunch was a huge success, gaining lots of local coverage.
Sydney-based Sweeney, who has since built and sold three businesses and now works as a business consultant mostly to start-ups, says marketing stunts can make your business stand out in a sea of beige.
"Marketing stunts can be exactly what a business needs to create a point of difference in the market."
How to run your own marketing stunt
Illman says that marketing stunts have helped him prove that his brand has personality and spunk. But he admits a stunt isn't always easy to execute.
"You've got to be pretty bold and often bend the truth a little to get your stunt in front of the right audience. Therefore, it's not always easy to get your own staff to be comfortable doing that."
The first step is to pick your target market.
"Marketing stunts are purely about brand recognition, so keep that in mind when working out what sort of activity would suit your business."
Sweeney also advises businesses to make sure they set a budget at the start, saying costs can easily run away.
But bear in mind that marketing stunts work best when backed up with other types of marketing. NAB's Break Up stunt for Valentine's Day this year was extended to other mediums, including press, outdoor, radio, street chalking, helicopter banners and video.
Illman says he also uses email, bulk faxing and direct marketing.
But be warned that there are lots that can go wrong, including the public interpreting your marketing stunt in a way you didn't intend, which could cause damage to your brand.
Sweeney says SMEs need to think carefully before proceeding with a stunt of their own.
"If executed poorly it can be a waste of money and detrimental to the ongoing success of a business."
This was the case of IT company Dell, which recently found out the hard way that there is such a thing as bad publicity after hosting a hostage-themed marketing stunt, which rapidly went from bad to worse in the US.
A Dell sales manager dressed in a biker costume and black mask while carrying two metallic objects told people at company headquarters to 'go to the lobby'. This prompted calls to the police, which triggered a SWAT team response to what was interpreted as an extreme risk scenario. Two employees behind the stunt were arrested and faced a number of charges.
Melbourne's Ronnie Navani, managing director of The Media Shop warns that it's easy to put a foot wrong when trying to dream up a marketing stunt.
"You've got to remember that a marketing stunt isn't so much about branding, and to be sure that the marketing stunt is relevant, fun and cheeky. The timing of a campaign is also important."
Navani recommends that SMEs speak to either a professional PR or advertising agency to get some guidance before implementing their own PR stunt.
"It's important that a business understands the limits of what they can or can't do. If a stunt isn't implemented properly, you could upset a lot of people and be up for fines or bad publicity, so the warning is to be careful."
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