Publicity Stunts Throughout History that Backfired Miserably

Some people enjoy getting attention and sometimes go to great lengths to get it. In the world of business, a publicity stunt is a marketing strategy used to draw the public‘s attention to any event’s planner and their cause. Many companies look to take risks in order to attract attention from potential customers or clients. Some of these stunts are quite successful and meet their goal but some go terribly wrong. Here are five publicity stunts that have backfired.\r \r 1. Crash at Crush\r \r In 1896, William George Crash of Texas had a plan to encourage people to travel by train and to increase ticket sales. Over 40,000 people gathered at the site to observe two trains speed towards each other on the same track. This publicity stunt went all wrong when the trains, one green and the other red, each with six box cars behind them came down a slight incline at about fifty miles an hour and collided. The boilers on the train exploded, sending sharp objects into the crowd. Three people lost their lives and six sustained serious injuries. \r \r 2. Cleveland’s Balloonfest\r \r Balloonfest’s objectives were to raise funds for the United Way chapter in the area and to promote Cleveland as one of the country's most promising new cities. On September 27, 1986, about 1.5 million helium balloons were launched into the air in Cleveland. That was sure to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest simultaneous balloon launch which, at the time, was held by Disneyland. The balloons were expected to remain in the air until finally deflating and returning to Earth. Unfortunately, the balloons descended while inflated due to a cold front. Cars were destroyed while trying to avoid the balloon, the airport was shut down and two men on a Lake who needed help couldn't have been rescued in time by the Coast Guard because of the balloons on the lake.\r \r 3. Wee for a Wii\r \r Nintendo and Wii were competitors and many gamers went crazy over them. KDND radio in California wanted to use that to their advantage. In a publicity stunt, the radio station held a contest which was dubbed “Hold Your Wee for a Wii.” The contestant who drank the most water without going to the washroom would win a Wii video game valued at $250. Twenty-eight-year-old Jennifer Strange drank more than two gallons of water in about three hours before she fell sick. She went home and later passed away from water toxicity.\r \r 4. Harold Lloyd\r \r In 1919, Harold Lloyd’s career wasn’t as brilliant as he had hoped. He’s now known for being a stunt performer in silent comedy films. For publicity of the film, “Haunted Spooks,” Lloyd was taking some promotional photos. The studio had a box of props that were abandoned from an earlier film that was too dangerous. For a dramatic photo, Lloyd was given a bomb from that box, which turned out to be a real bomb. Lloyd lit the bomb with his cigarette and held it to take photos. The bomb exploded and Lloyd’s hand was badly injured.\r \r 5. Snapple\r \r Snapple wanted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records and had a plan to get there. Snapple wanted to be recognized for the World's Largest Ice Pop in the summer of 2005.They erected a popsicle twenty-five feet tall and 17.5 tons frozen in Union Square, New York. You guessed it, in the sweltering summer heat, the popsicle melted in no time. The fire department had to close nearby streets after strawberry-kiwi flavored liquids swamped Union Square.