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Top 100 Publicity Stunts in 2018

From Left Handed Cookie Packs to Coffee-Powered Homes

— January 26, 2019 — Marketing
Publicity stunts can be some of the most powerful marketing campaigns for a brand and this list of 2018 publicity stunt trends showcase how innovative some organizations are, in terms of marketing.

Elon Musk is one of the most enigmatic figures in the modern world, and this year he fulfilled a promise made on Twitter and released a flamethrower to draw attention to his company, The Boring Company. The flamethrower launched to amazing fanfare, which is quite incredible seeing at the item was locked behind a password for most of its release. Ultimately, Musk used the attention from this release to gather support for The Boring Company, which aims to build a series of hyperloop tunnels to help better connect the world.

Also included on this list is a female-focused installation opened by Bumble. Focused solely on empowering and supporting women, the installation gave visitors a chance to experience real-life versions of the app's three platforms: Bumble Bizz, Bumble BFF, and Bumble Date. The Bumble empowerment activation appeared at SXSW 2018.

For more publicity stunt innovations for the year ahead check out Trend Hunter's 2019 Trend Report.
6.6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
99
Pepperoni-Flavored Lipsticks
Pepperoni-Flavored Lipsticks
Villa Italian Kitchen's 'Pepperoni Pucker' Marks National Kissing Day
<
98
Complimentary Vacuum Campaigns
Complimentary Vacuum Campaigns
The Samsung Adoption Package Gifts New Adoptive Pet Owners
<
97
AI Icebreaker Emails
AI Icebreaker Emails
Bed Bath & Beyond's 'A.I.CEBREAKER' Introduces New Roommates
<
96
Company-Driven Political Protests
Company-Driven Political Protests
Sonos is Supporting Net Neutrality by Closing Its New York Store
<
95
Dutch-Focused Olympic Bars
Dutch-Focused Olympic Bars
The Holland Heineken House Celebrated Dutch Athletes in Pyeongchang
<
94
Delay-Inspired Drink Promotions
Delay-Inspired Drink Promotions
Gordon's Gin Offers Free Gin and Tonic to Delayed Train Passengers
<
93
Pizza-Funded Road Paving
Pizza-Funded Road Paving
The Domino's Paving for Pizza Initiative Aims to Fix Pothole-Ridden Roads
<
92
Garlic Sauce Publicity Stunts
Garlic Sauce Publicity Stunts
Papa John's is Offering Gallon Garlic Sauce Jugs to Customers
<
91
Personalized Valentine's Pizzas
Personalized Valentine's Pizzas
Pizza Pizza Offered a Heart-Shaped Pizza in a Customizable Box
<
90
Beer-Tweeting Soccer Campaigns
Beer-Tweeting Soccer Campaigns
Norrlands Guld Honors FIFA with a Playful Social Marketing Stunt
<
89
Branded YouTube Game Shows
Branded YouTube Game Shows
The Two-Day Old Spice Foam Zone Competition is Controlled By Viewers
<
88
Cross-Country Pizza Deliveries
Cross-Country Pizza Deliveries
JetBlue's 'Pie in the Sky' Delivers Authentic NYC Pizza to LA
<
87
Sparkling Wine Color Swatches
Sparkling Wine Color Swatches
Pantone and Laithwaite’s Wine Collaborated on 'English Sparkling'
<
86
Mysterious Sparkling Beverages
Mysterious Sparkling Beverages
Sparkling Ice Launched a Limited-Edition Mystery Fruit Flavor
<
85
Scented Paper Blazers
Scented Paper Blazers
Old Spice Paired Its Newest Print Ad with a Full-Size Paper Garment
<
84
Pizza Publicity Stunts
Pizza Publicity Stunts
HBO and Fooji Teamed Up To Celebrate The Release of Silicon Valley
<
83
Collaborative Cereal Meals
Collaborative Cereal Meals
Duff Goldman and Kellogg's are Offering an Exclusive Dining Experience
<
82
Pizza Superfan Tattoos
Pizza Superfan Tattoos
Domino's and Alice Perrin Created a Range of Temporary Pizza Tattoos
<
81
Haunting Suicide Prevention Sculptures
Haunting Suicide Prevention Sculptures
Project 84 Aims to Combat Male Suicide in the UK
<
80
Exclusive City Candles
Exclusive City Candles
Diptyque's City Candles Sold Online for a Limited Time
<
79
Fast Food Rivalry Mixtapes
Fast Food Rivalry Mixtapes
Wendy's Released Songs About Competitors McDonald's and Burger King
<
78
Vegan Tattoo Parlors
Vegan Tattoo Parlors
Sea Shepherd Set Up an Awareness-Raising Tattoo Shop in Amsterdam
<
77
Mysterious Pancake Chain Rebrands
Mysterious Pancake Chain Rebrands
IHOP Changed Its Name to IHOb to Promote Its New Burgers
<
76
Spooky Soda Carnivals
Spooky Soda Carnivals
Fanta's Traveling 'Twisted Carnival' Shares Immersive Halloween Experiences
<
75
Valentine's Restaurant Pop-Ups
Valentine's Restaurant Pop-Ups
Snickers' 'Oublié' Venue Catered to Couples Without Reservations
<
74
Strategic LEGO Kit Mailers
Strategic LEGO Kit Mailers
Photographer Clint Davis Has a Unique Client Reach-Out Strategy
<
73
Fruity Cider Tattoo Stunts
Fruity Cider Tattoo Stunts
Strongbow Dark Fruit's Tattoo Studio Offers Free Ink to Die-Hard Fans
<
72
Oversized Tortilla Chips
Oversized Tortilla Chips
Doritos Created Giant Chips to Celebrate Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
<
71
Home-Style Public Gyms
Home-Style Public Gyms
Argos' 'House of Fitness' is a Mirror-Free Gym with Pet-Friendly Classes
<
70
Social Media Sushi Payments
Social Media Sushi Payments
Milan's ThisIsNotaSushibar Offers Discounts Based on Follower Counts
<
69
Century-Long Marketing Campaigns
Century-Long Marketing Campaigns
Louis XIII's '100 Years' is Essentially a Musical Time Capsule
<
68
Scent-Diffusing Holiday Trees
Scent-Diffusing Holiday Trees
Tiffany & Co. and Coty Set Up a Towering Scented Christmas Tree
<
67
Avocado-Centric Exhibits
Avocado-Centric Exhibits
'Guaclandia' Promises an "Instagrammable Avocado Experience"
<
66
High-Flying Makeup Brushes
High-Flying Makeup Brushes
Real Techniques & 'Sent Into Space' Launched Makeup Brushes into Space
<
65
Rock-Themed Holiday Shops
Rock-Themed Holiday Shops
Selfridges Launched a Retail Christmas Shop 145 Days Before the Holiday
<
64
Ridesharing Brand Beers
Ridesharing Brand Beers
Lyft and Baderbrau Brewing Collaborated on a Craft Lager
<
63
Astronomical Mascara Campaigns
Astronomical Mascara Campaigns
Benefit Cosmetics is Launching Its New Mascara with Pink Astronauts
<
62
Mobile S'mores Vehicles
Mobile S'mores Vehicles
SmashMallow is Giving Away Free S'mores Nationwide for the Summer
<
61
Branded Christmas Manicures
Branded Christmas Manicures
Costa Designed Festive Manicures to Match Its Colorful Seasonal Cups
<
60
Left-Handed Cookie Packaging
Left-Handed Cookie Packaging
Left-Handed Oreos are Being Sold in Celebration of Left Handers Day
<
59
Monster-Hunting Contests
Monster-Hunting Contests
Capcom is Offering a Reward to Any Real-Life Monsters
<
58
Cryptocurrency-Inspired Musicians
Cryptocurrency-Inspired Musicians
J-Pop Group Kasotsuka Shojo uses Pop Music to Educate on Crypto
<
57
Bunless Lobster Burgers
Bunless Lobster Burgers
Burger & Lobster's 'Double Drown' Plays Off of KFC's 'Double Down'
<
56
Sniffling Allergenic Emojis
Sniffling Allergenic Emojis
Reactine Has Submitted an Allergy Emoji to the Unicode Consortium
<
55
Intense Movie Marathons
Intense Movie Marathons
The Ultimate Marvel Marathon is Set to Be a 38 Hour Affair
<
54
Chocolate Fan-Searching Billboards
Chocolate Fan-Searching Billboards
Reese's Pieces is on the Hunt for the Ultimate Reese's Fan
<
53
Pizza-Themed Wedding Bouquets
Pizza-Themed Wedding Bouquets
Villa Italian Kitchen Made a Pizza Bouquet & a Matching Boutonniere
<
52
Confrontational Bridal Booths
Confrontational Bridal Booths
Interval House's The Broken Bride Registry Confronts Domestic Abuse
<
51
Nostalgic Television-Themed Subway Cars
Nostalgic Television-Themed Subway Cars
This New York Subway is Promoting the Revival of Roseanne
<
50
Phone-Smashing Pop-ups
Phone-Smashing Pop-ups
Huawei's Pop-up Let Guests Smash Their Old Devices with an Axe
<
49
Water-Light Rainbow Installations
Water-Light Rainbow Installations
Ben & Jerry's Set Up an Unbreakable Pride-Celebrating Rainbow
<
48
In-Car Sampling Campaigns
In-Car Sampling Campaigns
'Cargo' is Teaming Up with Red Bull for the Super Bowl
<
47
Unexpected Branded Flower Arrangements
Unexpected Branded Flower Arrangements
Tiffany & Co.'s Floral Flash Aims to Beautify NYC's Streets
<
46
Fast Food Fascinators
Fast Food Fascinators
Chili's Created Custom Fascinator Hats to Celebrate the Royal Wedding
<
45
Free Beer Promises
Free Beer Promises
Bud Light Has Acknowledged Its Promise to Philadelphia and Hopes to Fulfill It
<
44
Bedspread-Matching Patterned Suits
Bedspread-Matching Patterned Suits
IKEA Made Fashion-Forward, Comfortable Styles with William Hunt
<
43
Hunger-Curbing Snack Bars
Hunger-Curbing Snack Bars
Oh Henry Created a Limited-Edition 4:25 Bar to Satisfy the Munchies
<
42
Cryptocurrency Chicken Buckets
Cryptocurrency Chicken Buckets
KFC's 'Bitcoin Bucket' Can Only Be Purchased with Bitcoin
<
41
Halloween Candy-Exchanging Machines
Halloween Candy-Exchanging Machines
A Reese's Vending Machine Lets You Trade Bad Candy for Reese's
<
40
Condiment-Flavored Ice Creams
Condiment-Flavored Ice Creams
Gelati Created a Ketchup Ice Cream in Honor of Ed Sheeran
<
39
Social-Issue Marketing Stunts
Social-Issue Marketing Stunts
The Handmaid’s Tale Marketing at SXSW Features Fire and Rebelion
<
38
Two-Tiered Snacking Sofas
Two-Tiered Snacking Sofas
Tostitos' Stadium Sofa Keeps Food and Drinks within Reach
<
37
Mobile Candy Houses
Mobile Candy Houses
The Skittles 'House that Trick or Treats You' Delivers Candy Across Toronto
<
36
Urban Micro-Vineyards
Urban Micro-Vineyards
Brancott Estate Wines Set Up a Small Vineyard in a London Train Station
<
35
Potato Chip-Branded Sneakers
Potato Chip-Branded Sneakers
Ruffles & Designer Dominic Chambrone Made a Limited-Edition Sneaker
<
34
Royal Wedding Chicken Buckets
Royal Wedding Chicken Buckets
The KFC Golden Bucket Will Celebrate the Upcoming Royal Marriage
<
33
Coffee-Powered Tiny Homes
Coffee-Powered Tiny Homes
The Home That Runs on Dunkin' is Fueled by Spent Coffee Grounds
<
32
Nostalgic VR Advertisments
Nostalgic VR Advertisments
Pepsi VR is a Pop-Up Marketing Booth at the Super Bowl LII
<
31
Zombie-Themed Drawing Classes
Zombie-Themed Drawing Classes
Fox Styled a Life Drawing Class as a Walking Dead Promotion
<
30
Life-Size Gummy Sneakers
Life-Size Gummy Sneakers
Trolli Recreated the adidas x James Harden Sneaker with Candy
<
29
Weight Loss Drive-Thrus
Weight Loss Drive-Thrus
The Weight Watchers Drive-Thru Serves "Healthy & Happy Meals"
<
28
Spoof LEGO Vacuum Cleaners
Spoof LEGO Vacuum Cleaners
The Vacusort Was Posted on April Fools Day
<
27
Alcoholic Vending Machines
Alcoholic Vending Machines
The LoneWolf Vending Machine is a Publicity Stunt That Calls to History
<
26
High-Tech Flamethrowers
High-Tech Flamethrowers
Elon Musk Fufilled His Promise and Made The Boring Company Flamethrower
<
25
Romantic Donut Rings
Romantic Donut Rings
Doughnut Time and Deliveroo are Offering 'Dough-knots' for Valentine's Day
<
24
Branded Sleep-Inducing Concerts
Branded Sleep-Inducing Concerts
This Concert Hall Was Filled with 150 Beautyrest Beds
<
23
Taco-Inspired Wrapping Paper
Taco-Inspired Wrapping Paper
Taco Bell Releases a Line of Unconventional Wrapping Paper Prints
<
22
Vegan Beauty Pop-Ups
Vegan Beauty Pop-Ups
The 'Little Vegan Pop-Up' by Superdrug Spotlights Plant-Based Beauty Products
<
21
Single-Day Pop-Up Bakeries
Single-Day Pop-Up Bakeries
Strongbow Dark Fruit Honours Its Fans in Manchester with a Tasty Treat
<
20
Futuristic Fast-Food Installations
Futuristic Fast-Food Installations
The Futuristic Taco Bell From Demolition Man Was Seen at SDCC
<
19
Cocktail-Dispensing Fountains
Cocktail-Dispensing Fountains
Gin Brand Tanqueray is Launching a Negroni Cocktail Fountain
<
18
Boundary-Pushing Publicity Stunts
Boundary-Pushing Publicity Stunts
Björn Borg Shows Strong LGBTQ+ Support at the FIFA World Cup
<
17
Aromatic Bus Shelter Ads
Aromatic Bus Shelter Ads
HarperCollins' Scented Advertisement Teases a Vegan Cookbook
<
16
Edible Emoji Fragrance Promos
Edible Emoji Fragrance Promos
The KKW Emoji Fragrance Press Kits Came in a Giant Chocolate Heart
<
15
Coffee-Powered Tiny Homes
Coffee-Powered Tiny Homes
Dunkin's Tiny Home Installation Can Be Rented on AirBnB
<
14
Empowering Women-Focused Installations
Empowering Women-Focused Installations
Bumble's SXSW Activation Focuses on Real Life Connections
<
13
Dominant Monogram Rebranding Initiatives
Dominant Monogram Rebranding Initiatives
The Burberry Monogram is Featured All Over the Place
<
12
Video Game-Inspired Parkour Gyms
Video Game-Inspired Parkour Gyms
This Gym Transformed to Resemble a Level from Sonic Forces
<
11
Luxe Fast-Food Pop-Ups
Luxe Fast-Food Pop-Ups
The McDonald's Butler Experience Will Offer a Lavish Take on Fast-Food
<
10
Iconic Cartoon Convenience Stores
Iconic Cartoon Convenience Stores
A Real-Life Kwik-E-Mart Has Been Opened in Myrtle Beach
<
9
Viral Promotional Booths
Viral Promotional Booths
Netflix Appeared at CES to Market Its New Series Altered Carbon
<
8
Humorous Boomer-Headed Lookbooks
Humorous Boomer-Headed Lookbooks
Farmland Foods Pokes Fun at Supreme with a Fashion Stunt
<
7
Breakfast-Dispensing Slot Machines
Breakfast-Dispensing Slot Machines
The Nutella Morning Slot Dispenses Nutella Toast Variations
<
6
Humorous Miniature Patio Sets
Humorous Miniature Patio Sets
Boston Pizza & john st. Equip the Pizza Saver with Matching Stools
<
5
Recreated Iconic Marketing Campaigns
Recreated Iconic Marketing Campaigns
Kith Treats Enlists Celebrities for a New Got Milk? Campaign
<
4
Immersive Sneaker Hotel Activations
Immersive Sneaker Hotel Activations
The Converse One Star Hotel Features Celebrity-Curated Spaces
<
3
Humorous Fast Food Commercials
Humorous Fast Food Commercials
KFC Tags Apple in This Incredibly Relevant Video on Twitter
<
2
Story-Inspired Interactive Campaigns
Story-Inspired Interactive Campaigns
The Converse Campaign Encourages People to Claim Their Chucks
<
1
Cosmetic Cafe Pop-Ups
Cosmetic Cafe Pop-Ups
Glossier at Rhea’s Cafe Offers a Place to Shop, Socialize and Eat
<