So, I was reading one of PRWeek’s last publications for the year 2008, when a certain Top 10 list caught my eye. It listed ten “PR stunts that would make PT Barnum proud”. Number one on the list? Pringles can coffin. Yes, that’s right – a Pringles can was used as a coffin this past year.
Who would want to be burried in a potato chip containter? Well, Dr. Frederic Baur of course! He’s the genius behind the Pringles tube. According to the blurb, he said the can was his ”most significant invention.” Hence, he was cremated and laid to rest in the signature tube.
Other stunts that received mention included a five-acre crop circle and an unemployed MIT grad looking for work.
The ad agency Swanson Russell Associates in Omaha, NE went all out to welcome American Idol auditions to town. Take a look at the crop circle with AI’s logo and a welcome message.
As for the unemployed MIT grad, the name Joshua Persky might ring a bell. He stood on a street corner in NYC with a sandwich board that read, “Experienced MIT Grad For Hire.” Numerous articles were written about the 48-year old family man. The stunt may have actually worked. According to his Linkedin page, he’s a Senior Manager of Valuation in corporate finance.
I wonder what will be the #1 PR stunt of 2009?
