One PR parallel I recently discovered is Halloween costumes. The approach I take in choosing a Halloween costume can be a teaching tool about the basics of a great public relations strategy.

1.)    It has to be affordable – This is a big stipulation for any student with a limited cash flow. It’s easy to assume that students always look for the affordable options. However, it is important to also understand that many businesses are looking for affordable marketing options too. Just as a great costume doesn’t need to be expensive to make a statement, neither do great public relations tactics.

2.)    It has to be unique – No one wants to wear the same dress as someone else on the red carpet. The same goes for a Halloween costume. You had the greatest idea for a costume and you don’t want someone else to get the attention or credit. If your PR strategy looks and sounds like someone else’s, it is going to be very difficult to grab a client’s attention. Be unique, original and different from your competition.

3.)    It has to be practical – My friend once dressed as a Lego person for Halloween. He had trouble getting in and out of his dorm and was bumping into people with the giant costume he made himself. You do not want your PR strategy to resemble my friend’s costume. Although his costume was affordable and unique, it was not very sensible. Flashy PR might be appealing, but if it’s inflexible and impractical, you’re most likely not going to use it. Sometimes simple and practical goes a long way.

If you stick to these three simple tips, you will not only have a great costume, but also a great PR strategy! Learning all there is to learn about great PR can be overwhelming sometimes, but PR parallels help inside and out of the classroom and office.

Happy Halloween from Maven!

If you don’t have a policy, or are looking to improve your current plan, click here to download Maven Communication’s social media policy template.

In its most basic form, a corporate social media policy is a set of guidelines that employees can reference when navigating unfamiliar scenarios online.  To be effective, we recommend a carrot vs. stick approach: rather than reinforce what employees can’t do, the policy should offer guidelines for what they can do and outline best practices for how to do it.  The goal is not to hobble employees, but educate and empower them to participate with guidelines and proper training.

There are two schools of thought for developing a corporate social media policy:  The Kitchen Sink or A-La-Carte.  In the first approach, the company develops a comprehensive policy that addresses all available social media food groups outright.  In the second, the company develops specific policies based on current involvement, creating new policies as the need arises.  (If your company uses Facebook, but not YouTube, it may not be necessary to include a comprehensive YouTube policy just yet).  Your company’s size, scope and involvement online can help determine which approach is right for you, but keep in mind that both will evolve as new platforms and rules of engagement emerge.

Regardless of your approach, below are a few things to consider when developing your own social media policy.  Prior to launch, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the company’s employment agreement and local state laws to ensure the policies are consistent.

- Be Transparent:  When participating in any online forum, always disclose your identity and, when appropriate, company affiliation.  Never post anonymously or create an alias for any reason.  Be  truthful and accurate in all communications.  If you are not sure about the accuracy of a statement, confirm the information with the appropriate resource.

- Use Commonsense and Exercise Good Judgment:  Never post comments that will cannibalize goodwill or be construed as racist, insensitive or generally malicious.  Case in point:  As Japan reeled from the impact of a Tsunami and pending nuclear meltdown, former Aflac spokesman Gilbert Gottfried tweeted a series of insensitive missives poking fun at the plight of the Japanese.  This is clearly not a good judgment call.  He was fired the following Monday.

- Be Respectful: Common courtesy and good manners go a long way in diffusing a potential volatile situation.  Be courteous and thankful for customer feedback, even if you think the person is wrong.  Avoid being overly defensive or rude when handling a potentially antagonistic situation.  If you feel a situation is escalating quickly, ask a superior how to proceed and determine the most polite way to address it or appropriately disengage from the discussion.

- Post Relevant Content:  Post content that adds value to your audience.  Avoid posting spam or off-topic discussions or photos.

- Follow Copyright Laws and Trademarks:    Seek and secure approval before posting anything that contains company logos and trademarks.   Make sure you have the right to publish content before posting and always site proper sources when using other people’s work.

- Protect Confidential and Proprietary Info: Employees have an obligation to protect the company’s proprietary and confidential information.  Do not publish or disclose any proprietary information with a third party or online.  Employers should reference their state’s laws governing trade secrets and include these measures in any policy they develop.

- What Happens in Vegas Stays on Google:  Very simply:  Think before you Tweet.  Google can archive news for years, so think about your content carefully before posting.

- Assign Responsibility to Someone who Understands your Company and Customers:  Many companies hand over the keys to the kingdom to interns, since they are often younger and more familiar with using social media.  However, inexperienced staff members may not recognize inappropriate content before blasting it out to thousands of people.  Assign ownership for your company’s social media initiatives to employees who you trust to be the gate keepers of your brand.  While this role often falls to someone in the PR or marketing department, it doesn’t necessarily have to.  Regardless of who bears ultimate responsibility, make sure there is an approval process for reviewing posts about the company or industry before they are sent.

When creating your own policy, don’t be afraid to solicit ideas from other companies in your industry.  For examples of other corporate social media policies, including IBM, Ford and the American Red Cross, the Social Media Governance website offers an online database complete with company policies and templates.

Posted by @rebeccadevine

To learn more about Maven and our services, including online reputation and social media management, please contact Rebecca Devine at 215.434.7190 or rdevine@mavenagency.com.

1. Being professional does not mean being silent. Nodding ‘yes’ or having short responses does not make you seem professional. When looking to hire someone, especially in the PR field, showing personality will make or break your chances of getting hired. When speaking professionally make sure you think about what you want to say, collect your thoughts and have a clear, composed answer. Interviewers understand you are young and nervous, but they expect a certain degree of professionalism, even from students.

2. Get there early. This seems obvious, but after google mapping Maven’s location, I gave myself extra time to find the building. After locating it and the entrance, I walked across the street to Starbucks. With a coffee and my laptop in hand, I reread some of Maven’s blogs and client news. With 20 minutes until my interview I walked back to the building, signed in and was still 15 minutes early.

3. Always expect the unexpected. You never know what you are going to run into especially if you are driving to the interview. Along with the address, it is helpful to write down who you are meeting with, their phone number and the position title. If there is traffic and you are running late, call the contact to let them know. It is common courtesy and the interviewer will appreciate the heads up.

4. Never interrupt. Wait for the interviewer to finish asking their question before you start to respond. As simple as it seems, it gives you time to think of your response and effectivley answer the question that was asked.

5.  It is a small world. Chances are you can connect to your interviewers, whether you went to the same school or have a mutual contact; it helps you get a foot in the door. One small connection can make you memorable. Likewise, interviewers may call their contacts from organizations on your resume; another reason to never burn a bridge.

Interviews are nerve-wracking, but be professional and be yourself. For more interviewing tips, please  click here.

There are too few jobs for too many people. Entry-level openings are receiving interest from over qualified professionals, so what is a college soon-to-be graduate to do?

My colleague Jessica covered how students can better market themselves. I am going to follow her with my own advice. Like Jessica, I also handle the vetting process for internships with Maven. Maven utilizes Drexel University’s co-op program, but we also accept resumes, interviews and interns from the other universities. I receive and sort through hundreds of emails, cover letters and resumes, and conduct most of the interviews, with other Mavens stepping in of course.  I also attend a number of career events held by area schools and associations. You can say I am well-versed in the subject.

What I have learned is that people tend to give the same advice over and over again to student. What students crave are practical steps and knowledge they can do now. I have gathered five pieces of real advice for PR student and provided a list of resources to actually follow it. I like to call it an official ‘PR handbook’ but think of it as ‘CliffNotes.’

I realize the following resources are geared for those looking within the Philadelphia region, but wherever you are, you can do the same for students in your area. Believe me, they will appreciate it. If you are a student, your future looks bright because you have already found this entry and thus are looking in all the right place! I hope you enjoy and good luck on your exams, job hunt, interviews, etc:

The PR Student Handbook:

5 Pieces of Advice & the Resources to Follow It

ADVICE #1: “RESEARCH AREA FIRMS”

Public Relations Society of America Philadelphia – Directory of Firms: If interested in working at an agency, take an interest in these agencies by visiting their websites, signing up for their email updates/newsletters and stalking their social media profiles. Also be SURE to sign Up for PRSA Philadelphia’s Job Bank, a weekly email (free for members & $45/year for nonmembers) of completely NEW communications jobs. Every week new regional industry jobs land in your inbox – it can’t get easier than that! The Job Bank subscription is a free benefit to all PRSA Philadelphia members. For non-members, it is an annual fee of $45 for 52 issues of the publication.

Philadelphia Public Relations Associations – Directory: This is a directory of their members and their contact information – this is job searching gold. PPRA also offers Job Postings which is another great place to look for local, public relations jobs.

Another method is to scope out the Philadelphia Business Journal‘s annual Book of Lists for PBJ_BOL_PRFirms (80+ lists like interactive marketing, advertising and graphic design firms). While the information within the lists has recently become more reliable (read this entry about it on the PBJ‘s blog), the information is not verified and some agencies do not like disclosing such intimate details, us included (er – excluded?). Maven does not submit for the list because agencies ranked only by annual fee income – but we LOVE seeing the list when published!

ADVICE #2: “GET TO KNOW THE LOCAL MEDIA”

PPRA’s website offers a list of Philadelphia media outlets within their other area resources: Most local resources, not all but enough to get started. Start by frequently reading the big ones (Philadelphia Inquirer & Philadelphia Business Journal) so you get to know the reporters and their beat (subjects/topics they cover). It will pay off in the future. Do the same with national outlets.

ADVICE #3: “LEARN ABOUT THE INDUSTRY”

Read case studies and current news about public relations. Also subscribe to the newsletters of industry publications and experts. Here are my absolutely-all-time-favorites websites to keep tabs on new PR trends, tips, analytics and tools of the trade. The following all are completely free too.

         HubSpot: Marketing Resources

         Ragan.com: PR News & Resources

         Mashable: Follow the topics Public Relations & Social PR Guide Series

         Dan Zarrela

         PR Sarah Evans

                  ~ More to follow below in the ‘& More’ section.

ADVICE #4: “JOIN AN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION TO NETWORK”

List of Associations in Philadelphia Region (not all but most)

         American Marketing Association – Philadelphia Chapter

         eMarketing Association

         Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

         Innovation Philadelphia

         Philadelphia Advertising Club

         Philadelphia Area New Media Association

         Philadelphia Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators

         Philadelphia Public Relations Association

         Philadelphia Interactive Marketing Association

         Professional Marketing Forum

         Public Relations Society of America – Philadelphia Region

         The Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association

ADVICE #5: “LOOK FOR JOBS ON SOCIAL MEDIA”

Facebook (10 Facebook Pages Every Public Relations Professional Should Follow)

         PR Job Watch

         PR Jobs

         Help a PR Pro Out

Twitter

         @mediabistrojobs – Media job listings from mediabistro.com

         @media_pros – Jobs for media professionals

         @PRSAjobcenter – Jobs in public relations, communications and marketing

         @socialmediajob – Jobs in social media

         @JobAngels – Helping the unemployed find jobs

         @findinternships – Internships and entry level jobs for college students

         @freelance_jobs – Freelance jobs

         @heatherhuhman – Entry level jobs and internships

         @Project4Hire – Freelance and temporary jobs

         @ Philly_Jobs

         @JobPhiladelphia

& MORE:

Looking for free tools to follow PR/marketing trends and analytics? Well then don’t miss my annual list of of free tools for PR pros. Click here for 2010′s list and click here for 2011′s list.

Help A Reporter Out (HARO): Sign up as a ‘source.’ This is a free email service that 3x a day will send you a long list of journalists looking for people, places and companies for their stories. It is a great way to get a feel for what is trending right now and what journalists want.

         PR News:  Free Webinars

         PR Week: Whitepapers (some content is subscription-based, but whitepapers, blogs, etc is free)

         PRSA:  Blog & Free Webinars

         PRDaily

         Brain Solis

         Bad Pitch Blog

         Cision Free Webinars

         Vocus Blog

A fraction of Maven’s strategy was to create and maintain a company blog featuring regional real estate data, lifestyle stories, tips and community profiles. The blog was developed to engage potential home buyers and sellers, while also serving as a resource for PF&R agents looking to share the latest market information.

Here is a sample entry on the homes of our hometown, home run-hitting Phillies from Prudential Fox and Roach’s blog:

Phillies’ Homes for Home Opener

Phillies’ Homes for the Home Opener

On Friday, April 1^st, the Phillies 2011 – 2012 season began with the Philadelphia Phillies overcoming the Houston Astros with a 5 – 4 win at Citizens Bank Park. In honor of the home opener, we’ve highlighted of the homes and neighborhoods of our favorite Phillies who live in the Philadelphia region. Just for kicks, we also included their salaries for the year, and calculated how many homes they could buy in the region.

The Line Up:

Manager: Charlie Manuel

Home Field: Haddonfield, Camden County, NJ

2010 Median Sale Price in Camden County: $174,000

In the off-season, Manuel lives in Winter Haven, Fla. During the season, however, the couple can be found cruising Kings Highway in Haddonfield, NJ, where they are both active in the community.  Read more about Charlie’s life in Haddonfield and with the Phillies in this article for SJ Magazine by clicking here.

Charlie Manuel’s salary for the 2011 season is $2.4M, meaning good old Charlie could purchase more than 13 houses in Camden County this year.

——————————

Player: Cliff Lee

Home Field: Rittenhouse Square, Center City, Philadelphia

2010 Median Sale Price in Rittenhouse Square: $392,500

Pitching phenom Cliff Lee has found a home in Philadelphia, both figuratively and literally.   During the baseball season, Cliff Lee will rest his pitching at the luxurious 1706 Rittenhouse Square condominium complex, which is located in Center City Philadelphia’s swankiest and most expensive neighborhood. Condos in the building average $5M per unit.

With his 2011 salary of $11M, Cliff could buy 28 median-priced homes in Rittenhouse Square.

——————————

Player: Chase Utley

Home Field: Washington Square, Center City, Philadelphia

2010 Median Sale Price in Washington Square: $408,000

Second baseman, Chase Utley, was born in Pasadena, California, but Philadelphia loves him. As a fixture of the Philly social scene, Chase Utley and wife Jennifer live in Center City in one of the city’s most prestigious and trendy buildings, The Ayer in Washington Square.

With a projected salary of $15M this year, Chase could buy 36 homes in Washington Square.

——————————

Player: Ryan Howard

Home Field: Blue Bell, Montgomery, PA

2010 Median Sale Price in Blue Bell: $259,000

This Ryan Howard first baseman joined the Philadelphia Phillies after being called up from the minors in 2004. Since then, he has the Major League life style, including his gorgeous home in Blue Bell, a borough of Montgomergy County, PA

Ryan Howard’s salary for the 2011 season is $20M, meaning this lucky lefty could purchase 77 houses in Montgomery County this year.

——————————

Player: Jimmy Rollins

Home Field: Swedesboro, Gloucester County, NJ

2010 Median Sale Price in Gloucester County: $188,000

“J-Roll” is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2001, he was a rookie and the only Phillie to roll into the All Star Game. When not raising funds from his charity, the Jimmy Rollins Foundation, Jimmy hangs out in his Swedesboro mansion. Would you like a tour of J-Roll’s home from the man himself? If so, take the grand tour by clicking the video below, presented by Red Bull.

With a salary of $8.5M, Jimmy can buy 45 homes in Gloucester County.

*Data based on the Prudential Fox & Roach HomExpert Market Report for 2010. Data is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

At first read I got all fired up, as many folks in the PR industry did. Who does he think he is anyway? What a jerk (which might still be true). But after a second read I started to not blame the client, but the agencies. It appears that both firms made the same mistake: “Success” was never defined. The client didn’t get what he expected because those expectations were never laid out and agreed upon, and the onus is on the agencies for that.

The client/agency relationship is a partnership. At the beginning of a partnership it’s essential that goals are established and agreed upon; and not just goals, but also the method by which they will be measured. It’s amazing how many different definitions of “success” there are.

This blog post also demonstrates that agencies need to be just as picky when it comes to choosing clients, as clients are when choosing agencies.

At one point the author says this about PR people:
“It would be crazy to categorize all public relations people as crazy, so let’s just say that P.R. people drive me crazy. All of them…. What I have finally come to understand is that P.R. people are paid to twist reality into pretzels and convince you that they are fine croissants. At some point, they actually believe their own concoctions.”

If this is his feeling about folks in the PR industry, and it is, then there will NEVER be a firm that he is happy with. As a PR practitioner, it’s not my job to change your mind about PR. It’s my job to deliver results. Measurable, agreed-upon results. If I need to continually “prove” to a client the value that I am providing, it is not a beneficial relationship for anyone.

At another point the author writes about his restaurant: “we would appeal to locals and tourists and transplants and day-trippers and pescadores, locavores and flexitarians. We wanted boomers and Wall Streeters and Gen X, Y and Z’ers. If I had known what Millennials were, I would have wanted them, too.” From this statement, it’s clear that adequate market research hadn’t been done, setting up not only the restaurant, but also their PR agency for failure.

It’s unfortunate that this blog entry is not unique. It’s also unfortunate that some (not all) of the negative perceptions of PR people is deserved. PR practitioners need step up to the plate and take the time to work with clients to determine objectives, define success and develop a measurement plan. We also need to be wary of the client who has the best product/most amazing solution/business that absolutely can’t fail, because at the end of the day, no one will succeed, no matter your definition.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement with much fanfare last week, prompting an onslaught of social media buzz from across the pond. The widespread interest in the royal nuptials is good news for the Monarchy, which has fought to maintain relevancy in an increasingly social and political world.

The tremendous public response on sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube confirms the importance of social media as a communications tool for the Royal Family. Hours after the news was released, #royalwedding was the #1 trending topic on Twitter, followed by Kate Middleton, Prince William and Royal Engagement.

According to Mashable, response to the engagement bodes well for the Royal Family, with 43% of users on Twitter and 32% of bloggers reacting positively to the news. Not surprisingly, those who discussed the engagement tended to be female (61%) and live in the UK. Most of the buzz on Twitter was generated by users from London (greater London alone accounted for 10% of all tweets), followed by Manchester, Glasgow (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales) and New York City.

Speculation about the couple’s wedding date (which has not been announced yet) have kept the Royal Couple top of mind. And of course, a little controversy doesn’t hurt either. Today a British Bishop was forced to apologize to the couple following a public backlash for his comments on Facebook and Twitter that marriage would only last about seven years.

This morning – nearly a week after the announcement – over 18,000 stories have been indexed on Google News for the terms “Kate Middleton.”

Over the last few years, the Royal Family has made a number of efforts to engage its constituents using social media. Today, the Royal family tweets @BritishMonarchy, posts videos on YouTube and keeps an updated photo stream its new Flickr account. Earlier this month, the Royal Monarchy launched its own Facebook page, which has attracted more than 279,943 “likes” in just a few weeks.

The overwhelming public interest in the comings and goings on the Royal Family indicates that interest in the Monarch is alive and well. Kudos to them for embracing today’s new media, and a toast to the Royal Couple.

So, where to begin? The first step is to identify the amount of money you want to spend on marketing activities over the year. For most companies, the marketing budget usually lies somewhere in the 2 to 10 percent range of your overall gross sales or revenue, though some companies spend as much as 20-30 percent. Although this may be good to use as a guide, the marketing budget for your business is not something determined by a formula. Since every business’s marketing needs and costs vary widely, there are no simple rules for determining what you should spend on marketing your business. If your business is new, it’s important to dedicate a larger dollar amount on marketing – we’re talking up to 30% here. Once the company, product or service begins to build traction, you can re-evaluate and begin to prioritize based on which channels provided the most return on investment.

Okay, now that you’ve got a number in your mind, where will it be allocated? Consider your target audiences carefully: Who are they and where do they go to consume information? How do they prefer to receive information? Who do they trust to receive key industry updates and information? What channels (print, web, direct mail) will be most effective to deliver your message within your budget?

As you allocate resources, consider what channels will allow you to maximize your reach while stretching your marketing dollar. While traditional marketing tools such as sales collateral, events, direct mail, sponsorships and advertising continue to be mainstays of the marketing mix, more and more companies are investing heavily in online marketing, public relations and social media strategies to engage target audiences and create a conversation about their company, product or service. According to Borrell Associates, total online ad spending will grow almost 14%, from $45.6 billion in 2010, to $51.9 billion, in 2011. To further demonstrate that the fastest-growing segments of online advertising will be everything involving social media, Econsultancy’s 2010 Social Media and Online PR report reveals that 83% of marketers have indicated that they will specifically increase their social media spend in 2011.

As you develop your own marketing strategy, here are some key trends we see on the horizon for the upcoming year:
Don’t underestimate the value of your website. For most companies, their website is the most useful marketing tool they have. Ask yourself ‘once people get to my site, do they have a reason to stay?’ In 2011, make it a priority to focus on producing useful and relevant content, be it a frequently updated home page or interesting blog. If your company has a Facebook page or Twitter feed, make sure those channels are posted prominently on your website. Adding an RSS feed that pushes company information to your customers and clients will help keep clients abreast of company news. In addition, a company “News” page with recent updates and a “Resource Center” with relevant industry articles, white papers and informative videos, will help create a “sticky” environment that keeps visitors coming back. Static websites are a thing of the past. To get attention today websites must engage and compel.

Video is where it’s at. We’re predicting that companies will be spending more of their marketing budget on video in 2011. It’s a proven way to increase SEO, not to mention a great way to communicate a message in a succinct and personal manner and encourages a high level of engagement. Research firm eMarketer estimates that by 2011 advertisers will spend $2.3 billion on online video marketing efforts.

Having a Facebook page is not a social media strategy. Creating a Facebook page and actually having it work for you are two entirely different things. While most companies have tested the waters with social media, very few have developed robust strategies that will help them maximize the benefits. In 2011 more companies will be looking for ROI on their social media efforts. That begins with setting clear, measureable goals for your social media strategy. The most common goals are to increase awareness, change behavior, or communicate company news. If your Facebook page or Twitter feed is not engaging customers or clients, then it’s probably worth taking another look to ensure your resources are well spent.

Once you decide where your marketing budget will be allocated, remember, it’s not set in stone. Evaluate your campaign throughout the year, and if an element isn’t working, make a change. Track where your customers are coming from and invest more in those channels. And if you need direction from seasoned experts, give Maven a call.

In case you have been living under a rock:

Google Alerts: Email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Facebook: A social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them.

Twitter: A real-time information network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover what’s happening now.

HARO: A social media service that brings reporters and bloggers, news sources and small businesses together to tell their stories, promote their brands and sell their products and services.

Others I like (in alphabetical order because I can’t pick favorites):

Addict-o-matic: A search tool that uncovers the best live sites on the web for the latest news, blog posts, videos and images.

Alexa: A Toolbar and web site provides information about websites including Top Sites, Internet Traffic Stats and Metrics, Related Links, Online Reviews Contact Information and more.

AllTop: A search tool that collects all the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic and groups these collections — “aggregations” — into individual web pages. It is a good place to start a research project.

BackTweets: A simple tool that shows your tweets linking back, shortened too, to a particular URL.

Bit.ly – A URL cruncher with metrics enabling measurement of number of clicks, countries clicked from, conversations around URL, etc.

BlogPulse: An automated trend discovery system for blogs. BlogPulse applies machine-learning and natural-language processing techniques to discover trends in the highly dynamic world of blogs.

BoardTracker: An innovative forum search engine, message tracking and instant alerts system designed to provide relevant information quickly and efficiently while ensuring you never miss an important forum thread no matter where or when posted.

Compete – Compares and reports competitor site traffic but estimates only of monthly visitor data. Best used on large high-traffic web sites but produces nice looking graphs.

Social Mention: A social media search and analysis platform that aggregates user generated content from across the universe into a single stream of information. You can set up alerts too.

Wordle: is a ‘toy’ for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. Plus, word clouds are pretty as you can see for yourself with the cloud of this post.

There are plenty more like Delicious, Pitch Rate, HowSociable?, TweetDeck, etc. These are just a few of my go-to free tools but they might not be the sharpest in the shed, so please comment with your favorites and why!

Most people associate publicity stunts with incidents like Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction, Speidi‘s (Heidi + Spencer = ridiculous nickname) countless exploits or other celebrity-centric controversies, but hardly anyone thinks of the icon that started it all. Edward Bernays is reputed, and self-proclaimed, as the ”father of public relations,“ but he is also the first publicity stuntman as well. In 1929, the New York City Easter Parade included a group of young women marching to liberate all women with their cigarettes held high billed as ”torches of freedom.“ The event caused a stir, as it was taboo for women to smoke in public at the time. These marchers were symbols of women’s rights and equality as stories appeared in newspapers across the nation.

Little did the public know, it was a well-crafted publicity stunt. Bernays hired the women, mostly young models, to light up Lucky Strike cigarettes at his command in front of the awaiting press. Bernays capitalized on the lingering spark of women’s suffrage to ignite a movement. His client, the American Tobacco Company’s Lucky Strike, had a new crop of impassioned consumers.

To learn more about Bernays and public relations’ beginnings, I recommend watching the BBC’s documentary, ‘Century of the Self.’

Public relations, marketing and advertising have certainly changed since Bernays’ heyday and the changes seem to only accelerate with time and technology. Unconventional stunts or marketing aim to break through the estimated daily 600 – 625 promotional messages Americans experience. They have to be creative, interactive and unexpected to have us talking, thinking and wanting more.

Below are a few infamous stunts that I particularly enjoy and I think, in keeping with their purpose, you will too.

A Publicity Wiener –

In 1936, Oscar Mayer drove into the history books and America’s heart with the debut of its legendary Wienermobile, which still travels around the country and rides out its almost-guaranteed media coverage.

Famous but a Fugitive –

Sprung from one United Press article on the FBI’ most wanted and the positive publicity that resulted, the bureau established its Most Wanted List in 1950 in conjunction with the nation’s news media. It has aided the apprehensions of 152 fugitives as a result of citizen recognition.

You Have to Hand it to Them –

More than seven million people joined hands for 15 minutes for Hands Across America raising $20 million to fight hunger and homelessness on May 25, 1986.

A few stunts closer to home…

¡Yo quiero Taco Liberty Bell! –

As a prank on April Fool’s Day in 1996, a full-page ad appeared in six major American newspapers announcing that Taco Bell had purchased Philadelphia’s historical Liberty Bell to help reduce the country’s debt and it would be renamed the Taco Liberty Bell. By noon, the company owned up to the hoax.

Pin Down a Hit –

In 2008 a Guinness World Record-breaking piñata, which was six-stories tall, filled with 8,000 pounds of candy and located in South Philly, generated a lot of media stories and excitement.  The creator, Carnival Cruise Lines, held an event that was full of giveaways, music and food.

Killer Publicity but no Love –

Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ put on a show in 2007 when the fountain in Love Park was turned a deep red. Many Philadelphians saw red after spotting the gruesome promotion.

Here are some great sites where you can check out more celebrated stunts and marketing…

PR Week’s ’10 PR Stunts that Would Make PT Barnum Proud’

WebUrbanist.com’s ‘15 Dramatic Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns’

Taylor Herring’s ‘Top 50 Publicity Stunts‘

CreativeGuerrillaMarketing.com’s ‘The Best 80 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas I’ve Ever Seen’

My Favorite: Nikon's billboard in subway station

Please share your favorite publicity or marketing stunts below in the comments!