Vodafone streaker stunt rings up priceless publicity Sarah Plaskitt
A SPOT on CNN, articles in UK newspapers including the front page of The Times in London, full coverage in daily tabloid The Sun, the front page of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, coverage in every newspaper around Australia and New Zealand—what more could global telecommunications company Vodafone ask for from its Wallabies sponsorship, right?
Wrong: In case you somehow managed to miss it, all that publicity was generated by Vodafone’s “accidental” publicity stunt featuring two streakers who took to the field at Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney with Vodafone symbols painted on their naked bodies.
Since the event, which generated a storm of criticism, Vodafone managing director Graham Maher has reportedly said he knew about the stunt several days prior and offered to pay any fines incurred.
Established in the UK in 1983, Vodafone operates in 28 countries on five continents.
It is currently positioning itself as a young, progressive, global company.
Director of Vodafone’s promotions agency Love, Monique Haylen, has been reported as saying the streakers generated an amazing amount of publicity and might spark a new trend in guerrilla marketing.
Haylen could not be reached for comment this week, but an opinion piece she has written about “Grab-your-attention” marketing will appear in B&T Weekly next week.
