Staged company leaks are the most effective PR stunt to generate coverage, according to research by agency Wildfire.

Wildfire’s ‘labs’ team carried out an experiment to work out the types of stunts that deliver the best bang for a brand’s buck. Using an independent list of the best PR stunts from 2015 and 2016, the labs team analysed each stunt for total global coverage, social mentions and social likes. This data was then used to give each category of stunt an overall effectiveness score.

The team has found that staged leaks, on average, achieve more than 600 coverage hits and around 10,000 social media mentions.  That’s three times the coverage and five times the social traction compared to the average results of all the stunts analysed.

Launching ‘fake’ products and viral videos came second and third respectively in the analysis of successful PR stunts. 

Debby Penton, managing director of Wildfire, said: “In the age of fake news it seems fitting that the best stunts also involve some sort of fakery. More interestingly, the data also highlights that while ‘established’ stunts, such as experiential events or pop-up shops, can still deliver solid results, the best cut-through was more often than not achieved with exceptionally basic ideas.”