So yes, 2020 was a disaster for a lot of people. But it did make for some genius PR stunts that we want to celebrate.

Here are some of our favourites!

Madame Tussauds moved Harry and Meghan

Back in January, back when Harry & Meghan announced their departure from the Royal Family. Quick to pounce on the opportunity with effective newsjacking for which the brand is rightly known.  Madame Tussauds simply moved their wax works.

Thai Airlines’ Home Miles

It was surprising that one of the worst hit industries had one of the best campaigns. Whilst many airlines were panicking (rightly so) Thai airlines encouraged their customers to stay at home by re-working its loyalty app to reward people with Air Miles when they stayed at home.  Customers popped their home address into the app and agreed it could track their location.  They were then rewarded with Miles the longer they stayed home.
#ratemyKFC

In our opinion its already the best fastfood restaurant. But this campaign was much appreciated back when we could not visit. They invited customers to attempt to make their own KFC at home with prizes for the winners.

Brewdog F*ck You C02

One brand that has really burst onto the scene and quite possibly been the biggest success stories of the last 5 years is of course Brewdog.  The Scottish brand is never shy of a bit of controversy, the Scottish craft beer brand emblazoned the slightly obscured words ‘F*ck You C02’ on billboards in cities across the UK.  It was to inform audiences efforts to tackle climate change and become a carbon-negative operation.

Borat floating down Thames

GREAT SUCCESS – We were “very excited” to see a 100m long inflatable blow-up Borat appear down the Thames. The public loved it. PRs gasped at it. But it was so worth it. The cliché was perfect for everything Borat stands for. Even down to the facemask turned mankini.

Are you looking to hire a crowd for your own PR stunt?

All you need to do is talk through your requirements with our experienced and professional events team. They will discuss your exact needs for your crowd including numbers, demographic and personalities.

Call the rent a crowd team on 0844 800 0071 or pop us an email for a free and fast quotation.

Here at Rent-a-Crowd we are experts in finding the right crowd members to create the right background look and therefore All Town Music wanted to hire our staff for their roaming acoustic band called ‘The Rock n Strollers’. The video was to be used for promotional purposes on their website and other social platforms.

What they required was a crowd of 20 people who were aged between 20 and 35 with a mix of genders to create a scene like you would in a open mic night. They were asked to perform as if they were having an entertaining time, dancing, and singing along, which would not have been an issue for our fun and outgoing staff.

How did we pick our gig-going crowd extras?

This event was in Battersea, so we wanted to use local staff who would be able to commute easily to the venue and knew music scene in that area. We opened castings to search for people available for the role and who fitted the profile our client was looking for such as :-

• Are they the right age?
• Are they cool and suave looking?
• Do they have the correct clothing?

We hand picked the staff to create the perfect blend of people from different demographics and backgrounds. Once picked, we booked and personally briefed them ahead of the event, such as how to perform and what to wear.

Chart-topping audience and performances

The video was a great success, with a fantastic promotional video produced. The crowd created the ideal atmosphere to portray what the band was about and their target audience. Meanwhile, the client also said they had a great time and that working with the crowd was easy making the whole shoot a pleasure. You watch the video below and see for yourself the crowd in action!

When you are the first to reach a pinnacle of success, you may well end up holding a Guinness World Record. Who or what reached these lofty heights in 2019? We take a look…

#1 Jennifer Aniston joins Instagram

“So what?”, you may think, but Aniston now holds the record for the fastest time to amass 1 million followers on the photo-rich platforms. Before that, it was held by our own Prince Harry and Megan Markle with their Duck & Duchess of Sussex of Instagram account.

#2 The longest cheese board

Love cheese? Then you will have been in heaven with the longest cheese board, a record set at the Foodscape conference in Chicago in October. Stretching over 150 feet, as well as lots and lots of cheese, there was also cured meats to enjoy too.

#3 Sub-two hour marathon

Whilst some of us are still tying our laces, Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge was crossing the finish line. Running 26.2 miles on 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds at the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria, he kept an average pace of 13.1 miles per hour. A truly spectacular record!

#4 The most expensive trainers

There were only 12 pairs of Nike Moon Shoes made for athletes at the 1972 Olympics with one pair breaking the record for being the most expensive pair of trainers sold at auction. Battered and well-worn, these trainers made just over £300,000 at Sotheby’s in the summer of 2019.

#5 A very, very long noodle

A Japanese chef made the longest homemade egg noodle and took a Guinness World Record in the process. Measuring 600 feet in length, this noodle is longer than the height of Blackpool Tower which is 519 feet.

#6 One ring, 7,777 diamonds

Whilst most of us are happy with one sparkler, there was a ring made that had 7,777 of the glitteriest, shiniest diamonds in it. In the process, it took a Guinness World Record for the ring with the most diamonds in it. Valued at $5 million, the diamonds were also ethically sourced.

#7 Lots of brides

1,347 women dressed as brides took this Guinness World Record when they took part in this Spanish event. Aged 18 to 92 years, these brides were single, married or divorced but as long as they were wearing a bride’s dress, they counted!

#8 A very big sandcastle

Dwarfing childhood sandcastles on the beach, this sandy sculpture in Germany stood at 57 feet tall and took over 24,000 pounds of sand to build. Eight technicians worked on the project, finally taking the world’s tallest sandcastle record.

#9 The world’s largest ocean clean up

633 divers in Florida took part in this Guinness World Record attempt in 2019, pulling off an amazing feat that helped to clean our oceans of all kinds of debris, most of it plastic.

#10 Holding their breath

Holding your breath for longer than 10 seconds can make most of us feel uncomfortably but imagining holding it for 2 and a half minutes whilst diving under the ice. This is exactly what New Zealand freediver Anthony Williams achieved and is now the proud record holder of the deepest dive under ice as a male (with breath held) while wearing fins and a diving suit.

As we stand on the precipice of 2018 and look forward to 2019, many of think of making a long list of New Year resolutions. From going to the gym to not eating cheese, we come up with ideas that we believe will make our lives better/nicer/easier/healthier, if we follow them.

The problem is that no matter how well-intentioned our resolutions for the new year are, they soon fall by the wayside. The change in routine and attitude is difficult to keep up and we ‘fail’, falling back into our old ways. 

Has the time come to ditch the New Year resolutions and make a bucket list instead? We think so…

What is a bucket list?

A bucket list is a list of experiences, achievements and challenges someone hopes to have or achieve in their lifetime. It isn’t necessarily time-limited (that is, must do in 2019 etc.) – you have the rest of your life to try paragliding – but it is a tool that can see us continually challenge ourselves to try new things.

Step outside your comfort zone and try the things you have always wanted to – doesn’t that sound better than denying yourself cheese for the rest of your life?

What can be on a bucket list?

There are literally thousands of things that you can add to your bucket list. Setting a theme for the coming year can help to refine and define what you hope to achieve in the coming 12 months.

So how about stepping outside your comfort zone with these ideas?

* Be part of a crowd – safety may lie in numbers but there is still something thrilling about being part of a hired crowd for a PR stunt, film project or corporate project. Why not make registering with us a bucket list activity and become involved in all kinds of projects and stunts near you?

* Travel – some bucket list additions take a bit of cash but you know what? Not every travel destination has been far-flung or tropical. Why not take in sights like the Tower of London or circumnavigate Scotland in a campervan? You could take a safari or enjoy the street food in Hong Kong if you have the budget too.

* Learn a new skill – if there is one thing that puts us right outside our comfort zone it is learning to do something new. Not everything has to be done to Olympic standard so when you sign up for your archery class or pot throwing, bear in mind this about challenging yourself to try something new and not competing with others. There are so many new skills you could pick up so tell us, what have always wanted to try? Maybe learn the tango or how to make up a wedding bouquet… there are so many!

* Milestones – there are things in life that we all want to achieve but for one reason or another, we just haven’t got round to doing it. Why not make 2019 the year you finally tick a milestone off your bucket list? Why not sit your GCSE Maths or enrol on that degree course…?

* Be spontaneous – but safe when you do something that is so off the wall, the thrill is exhilarating but also very scary. From bathing in a waterfall to a tandem skydive, feel the fear and so it anyway.

What’s on your bucket list?