PR Stunt Watch: The London Marathon edition
As I come down from the emotional high of watching my sister complete her first marathon, it got me thinking. Is marathon day actually the UK’s biggest stunt?
Every year, thousands of people sign up to put their bodies through absolute hell in the name of a good cause. This year’s event even set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of marathon finishers, with 59,830 people making it over the finish line.
Individuals dream up increasingly inventive ways to stand out for causes close to home, like Jordan Adams, who ran his fifth marathon in honour of his mum, carrying a 25kg fridge to represent the weight of frontotemporal dementia.
Brands, of course, get in on the action. Some genuinely enhance the experience, others… less so. It’s a fine line. Just ask Nike, which faced backlash at the Boston Marathon for its “Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.” messaging.
The London Marathon is thousands of little stunts inside a big one – and the best kind if you ask me.
Here are the brands that caught my eye:
Vaseline’s “Official Nipple Protector”
Vaseline took one of running’s most uncomfortable (and least glamorous) realities, and made it centre stage, positioning itself as the “Official Nipple Protector”.
The campaign showed up where it mattered – on the ground. It sampled “Nip Stops” for mid-race reapplication, and even a giant dancing Vaseline bottle made an appearance at mile 17, aka “the chafe zone”. My favourite line? “Because nips give up before legs do.”
Why does it work? It taps into a real, widely experienced problem that doesn’t get enough airtime, solving it in a way that feels both helpful and playful.
Daddy Pig x National Deaf Children’s Society
I couldn’t not mention Daddy Pig.
After Mummy Pig’s pregnancy announcement nearly broke the internet, it was Daddy Pig’s turn to step into the limelight. But are people over it? Judging by the crowd reaction when Daddy Pig and Joe Wicks ran past, absolutely not.
In case you missed it, Daddy Pig took on the marathon to raise money for the National Deaf Children’s Society, following the storyline reveal that Peppa’s brother George has moderate hearing loss.
You can’t argue with the level of coverage this pulled in. And the icing on the cake? The internet doing what it does best, with conspiracy theories spiralling that Harry Styles was secretly inside the suit.
Speedo’s Signs
One of my favourite things about marathon day is the creative crowd signage, and Speedo leaned right into it. Brand reps donning Speedo’s signature swimwear carried signs like “Swimmer’s knee? Never heard of it” and “You can keep your toenails”.
Love the audacity of promoting swimming during a running event while the weather is roasting – and they got the tone just right.
Nothing’s “We Run in Nothing”
And finally, from wearing Speedos to nearly nothing.
Nothing took its “nothing” positioning quite literally, with social media influencer René Wong and Matty Hill running the race near-nude. The only thing they were wearing? The brand’s new “Ear” earbuds have been designed to feel like you’re wearing nothing at all.
Simplicity at its finest, and they certainly turned some heads.
Written by Hannah Jackson, creative director at Pangolin, and first published on PRmoment.com.
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