Best P.R. Stunt

Program Name: Snickers Bar Hunger
Client: Mars
Agency: Weber Shandwick, Synergy Events

In New York City, it’s pretty difficult to do something that hasn’t been done before. Even more challenging is getting the attention of busy New Yorkers who are bombarded daily by samplers, street teams and marketers hawking offers for the world’s biggest brands. In this sometimes hostile and overwhelming environment, Snickers executed a publicity stunt that did the near impossible—something new—while delivering on all its media objectives and making connections in relevant and personal ways.

The Snickers Bar Hunger campaign kicked off on July 14 on the roof of Madison Square Garden where the brand erected a lounge on the arena’s marquee and actor David Arquette spent two days living inside its four Plexiglas walls. Arquette is the chairman of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council, which supports the nation’s leading domestic hunger relief charity, Feeding America. In addition to hosting interviews by major media outlets like the “Today” show and the “Howard Stern Show,” Arquette also frequently stepped out of the lounge onto the marquee to engage consumers and his fans, using a large, Snickers-branded bullhorn to encourage them to donate to the cause. Consumers could text “Bar” to 90999 and $5 would be added to their mobile bill or they could donate through Snickers’ Facebook page.

On street level, brand ambassadors helped collect money from commuters, students, sports fans and tourists passing through the area. A Snickers-wrapped van also traveled throughout the city during the two-day event, generating additional impressions for the campaign. To generate buzz on social media sites, the brand leveraged its Facebook page, event website and Twitter page. Arquette also blogged, tweeted and uploaded videos to keep his followers informed during his two-day experience.

Every “first” has its challenges, and erecting a lounge on the Madison Square Garden marquee was this campaign’s biggest one. To address concerns over weight distribution and to meet engineering standards, the lounge was built using a unique rectangular design. Inside, Arquette enjoyed a cool (literally… air conditioning was critical in July) and stylish space fit for a celebrity.

Arquette’s “snacktivism” garnered 110 million impressions for the campaign. Snickers also pledged to match up to $25,000 of consumers’ donations through the Bar Hunger Facebook page–the number was surpassed before the two-day event ended.

From the visual impact of the lounge atop the marquee and the street-level interactions to the social media-savvy celebrity and philanthropic purpose, Snickers’ strategic twist on a hunger strike was a local stunt with far-reaching impact. Eating ooey-gooey caramel, nougat and peanuts drenched in chocolate has never felt so good.

Program Name: Mark on AirTran
Client: AirTran Airways
Agency: Aspen Marketing Services

Discount airline company AirTran Airways wanted to raise awareness for its low-cost, high-quality product that in addition to in-flight WiFi (via Gogo Wireless) also offers free XM Satellite Radio. Targeting price-conscience and socially savvy business and leisure travelers, the company allowed one person to live on one of its planes for one month and stay connected to friends and family through AirTran’s WiFi.

The lucky fellow was comedian and filmmaker Mark Malkoff who averaged 12- to 14-hour flying days and documented his experiences in real-time on markonairtran.com while flying at 35,000 feet. He uploaded videos on YouTube, updated his Facebook fan page, tweeted and posted pictures on Flickr. In turn, the online community suggested ways in which Mark could pass the time. The p.r. stunt was a hit and the traditional media was all over it. On top of that, Mark became a Guinness World Record holder and AirTran became news for more than 45 straight days.

The campaign generated more than 85 million media impressions, 150,000 website clicks, 114,000 Flickr views, 11,000 Facebook fan page visits and 2,800 Twitter updates. Daily sales of Gogo WiFi exceeded all projections with usage at more than 75 percent of goal. AirTran posted record growth in the business sector in the June to August time period when the stunt took place.

Program Name: Red Bull Stumps, Clumps and Jumps
Client: Red Bull North America
Agency: H5 Events/Sauce Creative

Targeting both the West Coast mountain biking community as well as college-age enthusiasts, the Red Bull Stumps, Clumps and Jumps tour cycled along the Pacific coast last summer with some of the world’s best freeride mountain bikers. The tour began in Whistler B.C. at Crankworx and concluded in San Francisco, featuring Red Bull athletes Paul Basagoitia, Robbie Bourdon, Andreau and Luis Lacondeguy as well as members of the Kona Clump team, who attended the Red Bull Rampage the Evolution mountain biking competition.

The daring riders pushed the limits by riding on a dirt course built on top of a barge floating in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. The barge floated out to the San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies baseball game to entertain the fans outside AT&T Park. During the live broadcast of that game on Comcast Sports, footage of the barge aired twice. Clips from the tour were also captured for Freeride films’ 10th anniversary “New World Disorder” film premiere in Vegas that September.

The tour was also mentioned on a number of mainstream news outlets, including CNN Headline News, ESPN, Canada’s Sportsnet “Plays of the Week” and grindtv.com.