Stunt Watch: M&S and Gillian Anderson, Farage and Reform plus Shell congrats Lewis Hamilton

The days are getting longer, but are the stunts getting stronger? As we march into March we have three stunts, from three very different sources and in a stuntwatch first for this author, we are even going to have a stunt gone wrong, but we will treat it with kindness, empathy and second hand embarrassment.

M&S and Gillian Anderson

Firstly, let’s start with some impeccable vibes. As a man who has both TK Maxx as a client and a 38th birthday not far away, I always keep an eye on M&S, and this week it announced Gillian Anderson as its new chief compliments officer.

As a creative director who has seen Molly-Mae Hague, Kate Moss and even Gemma Collins given creative director roles without ever having to do a sell-in, I am normally allergic to ‘made up job PR’, but for some reason this one hits a little differently.

Firstly, the execution was very good. The new role was skilfully teased on social, creating intrigue before the reveal and Gillian Anderson is now genuinely on LinkedIn — a criminally underrated channel for PR stunts — in her new position. However, the main strength of this campaign is that it feels like the world needs it.

As anyone who has seen the latest Louis Theroux documentary can attest, our algorithms are unduly influenced by people being appalling to each other. This campaign is all about the opposite — encouraging people to pay each other more compliments, because compliments feel great. Maybe it’s because creatives are naturally needy and maybe it’s because on top of that I’m British, but this feel-good campaign feels like one we need and deserve.

Farage and Reform

From X-Files to fuel miles and yet more proof that political parties and politicians have really got to grips with the attention economy.

While I suspect most readers of Stunt Watch will have the view that Nigel Farage and his Reform party are a word that rhymes with stunts, there is little to no doubt that the man is a professor of political publicity.

This week he staged a petrol station stunt to highlight his pledge to reverse the Government’s planned fuel duty hike by scrapping green levies.

The Reform UK leader announced the policy at a forecourt in Derbyshire where the price board was covered in the party’s turquoise branding with the lettering “Reform Refuel” and “25p off with Farage”, putting a litre of diesel at £1.43 and a litre of unleaded at £1.21.

It combined simplicity of message with sledgehammer creativity, clear policy with a clever picture. Perhaps most impressively of all, it got media to travel outside of Zone 1 to cover it, a feat most PR professionals would consider not worth considering.

The coverage was incredible, with even Farage’s harshest critics being forced to concede it was strong showmanship, but to keep Stuntwatch at Question Time levels of neutrality, it’s part of a growing trend of politics performing for the social age. Polanski’s poetry and Davey’s ragebaiting of Dubai’s tax exiles are two further examples of public affairs putting more into polarising algorithms in recent weeks, expect to see even more of it as council elections get closer.

Shell’s Shanghai message for Lewis Hamilton

Lastly, spare a thought for Shell’s sports marketing team in Shanghai whose well-meaning message for Lewis Hamilton somewhat stalled in a live event this week.

Hamilton is rarely as energetic as his musical namesake, but the legendary racer was left dumbfounded when a video clip was broadcast on the screen behind him.

The presenter introduced it by saying: “We have prepared a very special surprise and gift for you. Let’s take a look at the video…”

Enter Shell ambassador Richard Hammond, who delivered a slightly hammy but affectionate good luck message to Hamilton ahead of the Shanghai GP. While everyone in the audience anticipated an appreciative response, they instead got Hamilton at his awkward best.

When the clip ended, Hamilton looked baffled and began nervously laughing. Asked for a response, he then said: “I’ve never met him before. I don’t really know him. I’ve seen him on TV a couple of times.”

Watch the full clip for how this stunt ended up in the pits, but do so with kindness in your hearts and a key learning. The more surprise you bake into an idea, the less control you have.