Due to obvious recent events, the summer holidays of millions have been put on hold. While many have happily plugged this gap by opting for a UK-based “staycation” instead, others are understandably a little dismayed with the prospect of swapping an all-inclusive week in Spain for a long weekend in Scarborough.
Skincare brand Nivea has expertly tapped into this consumer trend by bringing the sunshine into our homes, launching a new Nivea SUN line of novelty products which include an eau de toilette spray, a diffuser and even a scented candle.
The products, which, according to the brand itself, “smell of holiday”, combine fresh citrus, sunny floral notes and invigorating wood tones to transport us straight to the Mediterranean beach we unfortunately won’t be visiting until next year.
The SUN product launch has so far been received warmly over both traditional and social media. Journalists and customers alike have been quick to praise both the brand’s creativity and the quality of the products themselves, with the perfume in particular quickly becoming a bestseller on Amazon.
Why is this a good example?
This stunt both takes advantage of a time where many of us are naturally looking for ways to fill the holiday-shaped hole in our lives, while creating an additional revenue stream for Nivea at a time when sales for sunscreen may be affected by more of us having to both stay indoors and stick to the UK’s less-hospitable climate.
For an example of how not to address this, see Boots’ claim that wearing sunscreen indoor still has health benefits, which has been widely panned by dermatologists and consumers alike as a poorly thought out cash grab.
Experiential PR stunts, when done properly, can be a fantastic tool in any creative brand’s arsenal, with the initial investment to create the stunt often far outweighed by the incredible traditional and digital PR results and buzz they can generate.
A great example of this is our own fragrance-based stunt with our friends at Auto Trader from earlier this year where we managed to, quite literally, bottle the smell of a new car. The stunt and wider campaign generated over 200 pieces of media coverage worldwide in just over a week, hundreds of targeted backlinks and almost three million impressions across social media. For a full rundown of that campaign and the measurable results we drove, check out our full Eau de New Car case study.
If this stunt shows us anything, it’s that the past few months have not dampened the appetite for well-reasoned, creative PR stunts that remain true to the values of the brand and its audience. Businesses that are willing to take a chance and work with their PR partners to create truly memorable stories, that are closely aligned to brand and commercial values, are likely to reap the rewards in media coverage, brand visibility and overall stakeholder reputation.
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