Odd/Funny/Cool Public Relations Campaigns

I’m looking for an example of an interesting Public Relations campaign that I can research and present for a graduate seminar. I’m thinking the edgier, stranger or more hilarious, the better. No preference given to older vs contemporary campaigns. Crisis communications campaigns (like the Exxon Valdez spill or Apple iPhone 4G leak) would also be viable.

I hope this post doesn’t violate the ‘no homework’ rule on the board. My thinking is that I will be doing all the research and analysis, I’m just looking for some inspiration for a fun topic to tackle. So any suggestions whatsoever would be most appreciated indeed.

There are a few examples I can think of - the one I liked the most was Speights Beer (a NZ company) which took a pub to London from NZ via boat when a London-based customer wrote to them to ask why they didn’t sell beer there.

Another very successful one was a Queensland Tourism promotion which ran a Best Job in the World competition.

And for one which went wrong - the public renaming of Vegemite - the abysmal iSnack 2.0.

What about New Coke? As I recall, Coke introduced it with much fanfare, but as we know, had to do some intense damage control before giving in and launching Coke Classic.

If you want to go old school, try:

The Crying Indian

Buy the World a Coke

Or the “Brain on Drugs” one that I can’t be arsed to link because I’m still oggling the hippie chicks in the Coke add.

The Dante’s Inferno video game.

Fake protesters, bribery, killing the spirits of aborted babies for fun and profit and offering a night with a hooker as a “contest prize”.

Adult Swim launches Aqua Teen Hunger Force, triggers bomb scare panic.

Learn English Commercial. I liked the car.

Learn English

thanks everyone, keep them coming!

Radio station KFI in Los Angeles placed 400 hundred bulletin boards all over LA during the OJ trial. 200 said “Guilty” the other 200 said, “Not guilty”

One story

I think the ad message was something about how KFI is “Guilty” of being the #1 talk station.