PR Stunt Watch: gym passes go Bananas, Ladbrokes flies, San Jose Sharks and Hertfordshire Police's criminal act

This week, Hope&Glory co-founder James Gordon-MacIntosh is intrigued by gym entry with a banana, Blackjack at 120mph, sharks at the ice rink and criminals on FIFA cards.

I have decided to refrain from commentary on the floating noodle pot and the bizarre sight of Lorraine Kelly with a printer on her kitchen worktop, which have been the talk of the creative industry this week.

Instead, I will focus my attention elsewhere.

Banana pass...

In one of the more preposterous stories that caught my eye this week, Australian Bananas, the official industry marketing body for bananas grown in Australia (yep, really), promoted its wares with a “Banana Pass”.

At a few hundred gyms across the nation, eager fitness fiends could take a banana to their local workout venue, and get free entry for the day.

The Australian Bananas website proclaimed: "On 7 October, for one day only, a banana becomes a gym pass, giving you access to hundreds of gyms across Australia. All you have to do? Buy it, bring it, gym it at one of the eligible gym locations."

I just love the fact that this made its way out of the brainstorm and into real life.

Ladbrokes took a flyer

In what felt like a throwback to the noughties, Ladbrokes got skydivers to play Blackjack at 120 mph (so says this press release, anyway), while free-falling from several thousand feet.

I really want to hate this, and gently point out that it gave me flashbacks to Paddy Power Pants and Ladbrokes' corgi naming rights race.

But, dear reader, that wave of nostalgia simply made me remember how much a good, old-fashioned betting company stunt that gets a decent show across the red tops, with not a buzz package in sight, warms my cold, old heart.

Sharks invade ice hockey arena

Doing the rounds on social this week, the SAP Center’s ice rink appeared to become an enormous aquarium, with sharks circling beneath the ice as the players emerged. Home to the San Jose Sharks, the stunt took the venue’s “Shark Tank” nickname, and made it a meme.

It was one of those “simple idea, beautifully executed” moments.

Hertfordshire Police play around

In 'so-bizarre-it’s-noteworthy news', Hertfordshire Police has turned its wanted list into five “cards” featuring criminals they are looking for.

As you watch the Instagram carousel unfold, they turn the suspected criminals into EAFC27 (FIFA to you and me) player cards, with an encouragement to call Crimestoppers UK if they’re spotted. The infringement of IP by a law enforcement agency should not be overlooked here (apparently it’s civil, not criminal, so that’s okay). That gripe aside, it made me realise that my scroll is too infrequently interrupted by creative content from the emergency services.

We need more of this, please.

Written by James Gordon-MacIntosh, co-founder of Hope & Glory. First published on PRmoment.com.