PR Stunt Watch: John Lewis scores, Paddy Power's health warning on Arsenal, THIS steak and Carling Black Label is back

Here is your weekly round up of the very best PR stunts our lauded committee of PR creatives has spotted. This week's PR stunt chief correspondent is Frank's Lee Sanders.

John Lewis signs footballer John-Lewis for its campaign during a World Cup summer

With an unmissable summer of sport fast approaching, a colossal season of international football on the horizon, and what some are already calling the biggest sporting spectacle of the year almost upon us (I know the rules), John Lewis needed to make some noise about televisions.

So, they signed a footballer.

Here’s where I love it – they didn’t splash the cash on big superstars, no Premier League golden boys. They went for 5th tier national football team, Boston United’s very own striker, Lenell John-Lewis, a man who has spent his career in the National League soundtracked by one of the greatest crowd chants in non-league history: "His name is a shop".

It’s a story that kind of does it for you, and they didn't overthink it. With ticket prices for this particular, very large, extremely unmissable international tournament reaching levels that have made their own headlines, the case for a serious home setup has never been stronger. Big screen. Good sound. Your sofa. Funny enough, John Lewis sells all of those things.

The tone is spot on, and the content is good fun. I’ve also been singing: “His name is a shop. His name is a shop,” ever since I saw it.

Campaign: John Lewis signs footballer John-Lewis

Client: John Lewis
Agency: Earnies

Paddy Power’s public health warning to all non-Arsenal supporters

A certain North London football club won a certain top flight domestic title for the first time in a very long time. You may have heard about it. Mainly because their fans haven't stopped talking about it.

Paddy Power saw this coming, and did what Paddy Power usually does – quick, reactive, on the money commentary through content.

They issued a public service health warning. The advice was to avoid Arsenal supporters at all costs (something that is really hard to do in the world of PR). Symptoms of exposure are said to include being told an unsolicited statistic, being shown goal involvements on someone's phone, and being subjected to a retro kit that clearly has not fit correctly since 2009.

And, if you saw the scenes outside the Emirates on Tuesday night, it is, of course, completely accurate.

It is also worth noting, for the record, (for those of us who watch football with our eyes), that the actual football community has reached a broad consensus that this particular title race was significantly assisted by some truly remarkable refereeing decisions. But that's probably a conversation for another day. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) could not be reached for comment.

It’s not a stunt that set the world on fire, but it’s Paddy Power, working exactly as Paddy Power does – and that consistency is key in today's world.

Campaign: Paddy Power’s Arsenal warning
Brand: Paddy Power (in-house creative)

Plant food producer THIS make a delicious MisSTEAK

THIS, the plant-based food company, launched a new product, and made a load of noise about it. They released a 100% plant-based STEAK. To do so, they tapped into steak culture perfectly to get the attention that such an insane launch needed.

To launch their 100% plant-based fillet steak, they leaned so hard into steak culture that it looped back around to brilliant. Rather than tiptoeing around the meat-eater audience, they went straight for them. Country music, cowboys, the Deep South – the whole thing.

The hero piece is a parody country music video called A Delicious Misteak by Flint Flatiron (brilliant). A song about A lone cowboy by the fire, a suspiciously good-looking fillet, a moment of doubt, and then full heartbreak. It ticked all the tropes of a country music video, which is what made it great. I really hope this is the resurgence of parody songs, because we take ourselves a bit too seriously at the moment, don’t we?

Then, they created a pop-up tattoo shop takeover at Flamin' Eight, a vegan tattoo shop in Kentish Town, where visitors got free cowboy-themed tattoos, and left with a plant-based steak sandwich.

Trashy tattoos and parody videos make me feel like the early 00’s are coming back, and in PR land that’s a big win (the glory days some called it). But, this is just a fun campaign, in a serious world – lovely stuff.

Campaign: A Delicious Missteak

Client: THIS
Agency: Insiders, ivor henry

Carling Black Label is back

If you know, you know. And if you don't know, ask your dad.

Carling Black Label is the lager of fellas that remember when a pint had change from a quid. Think of the internet of circa 2007. Men from this era will also tell you, unprompted, that they don't make adverts like they used to! And on that last point, for once, they are absolutely right.

The adverts they made were genuinely brilliant. The "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label" campaign produced some of the most iconic spots that made kids say “I want to be in advertising”. The most iconic of the lot was a small daredevil rodent navigating an obstacle course for a nut feeder.

So, to relaunch the brand, Carling brought the squirrel back, but a new squirrel (of course), trained by Trevor Smith, the very same handler who worked on the original.

The voiceover is once again provided by actor and comedian Stephen Frost, who was reportedly delighted to return. Over 100 hours to build the course, and three weeks of squirrel training, which I would have loved to see. Completely glorious.

This is nostalgia done properly. An actual remake, with the same energy as before, because the audience already exists, and all you have to do is not screw it up – and Skige the Squirrel did not screw it up.

Campaign: Carling Black Label's Squirrel relaunch
Client: Carling Black Label
Agency: Ready 10