Ooh la la – or how to pull off a stunt

I was going to write about something else this week until I saw Greggs’ latest brilliant PR stunt: Bistro Greggs, a ‘Parisian-inspired’ pop-up restaurant in Fenwick in Newcastle.

PR is a subject I’ve been thinking about with YumTuc. So here are some very quick and random thoughts on pulling off a stunt.

1. The idea

‘You can’t polish a turd’ was a charming phrase I often heard about stories in newspapers.* The same applies with stunts. They can’t be rubbish – the idea behind them must be strong, easy to convey in a sentence and feel original. Something interesting enough to pass the pub test – meaning you’d remember to mention it to a friend in the pub.

If it’s a lighthearted stunt I, it’s got to be funny. Or ironic or self-deprecating. In the UK, ideally all three.

If it’s serious, it’s got to be emotional. And genuine. But not cynical. 

3. Contacts

Of course, stunts like Greggs’ (especially from those without big PR and marketing teams) do blow up on their own – probably now more so than ever. But the majority have been well orchestrated and then brokered with various outlets. It’s not essential to have good media contacts but it certainly makes the process easier. 

4. Timing

Things have changed to some degree but there used to be certain times you knew you’d have more chance of landing a big story/stunt. Sunday for Monday. August. The week between Christmas and New Year.†  It’s not quite the same but it still pays to think ahead and, also, consider hooks or pegs that might make a stunt more timely/relevant.

5. Luck

This can’t be overemphasised. You could have the greatest idea, impeccably executed and all ready to go – only for it to come a cropper due to an entirely unforeseen event. A death, natural disaster, anything that suddenly becomes a ‘better story’. And then yours becomes old news (even though it’s never been news!) and misses its moment forever. 

Or the opposite might happen. Your fairly average idea, poorly executed and barely prepared, might find its way into the mainstream because something else suddenly falls off the agenda.

C’est la vie, as they won’t say in Bistro Greggs.

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*Not always directed at mine.

† When I was a journalist, if any PR (or, indeed, anyone in the world) brought me a story I could use in that grim post-Christmas week, I would pretty much transfer ownership of my house to them.