Stunt Watch: Aldi’s Gallagher gag, Ronnie Pickering's sushi rant and Superman soars

Aldi’s Mancunian moment

The Oasis reunion rumours hit the world like a meteorite at the end of last year, and in the blink of an eye, we’re at the stage where the gigs are actually happening. So, cue all the PR stunts happening around it, and Aldi wasted no time getting in on the moment. 

A rebranded store sign in Manchester leaned fully into the Oasis buzz, landing somewhere between hyper-local pride and gentle national mockery of accents. While other brands tried to shoehorn in lyrical references and Liam's infamous parkers, Aldi just did the northern thing right. It’s the kind of ownable, local execution that doesn’t need a PR explainer. You get it, or you’re from Surrey. 

Itsu revives Ronnie Pickering (he never died)

Remember Ronnie Pickering? Internet’s angriest man? Well, he finally got the comeback he didn’t ask for, starring (kind of) as the face of Itsu’s new awareness play. 

The premise: 60% of Brits still don’t know what Itsu is or how to say it. The solution: a deep-cut internet meme yelling “It’s who? Itsu!” at strangers over some dumplings. 

It’s low-budget, low-fi, and somehow perfect. 

Brands reviving internet folklore is always a win in my books, but this one worked because it didn’t try to over-explain the joke. If you know, you know. If you don’t, Ronnie will probably shout at you.

Social first PR works harmoniously, the lo-fi video was all it needed, and the internet, and those who remembered were quick to share and like, giving it the moment it needed.

I’m going to start pitching early 2000s funnyjunk-esque nostalgia campaigns from here on out.

Superman’s flyby

Superman ditched Metropolis for London, turning The Shard into his own personal perch. Suspended at the top of the shard, an 11ft (I wonder what his Tinder profile says?) statue of the Man of Steel dangled from the spire, staring moodily over the capital.

We love a record in PR, and it’s officially the highest public sculpture ever displayed in the UK. The film’s tagline, 'Look Up', now feels more like an instruction than a metaphor.

Crafted over 2,000 hours by 20 people and weighing in at 120kg, getting up there, I can only assume, was a nightmare for health and safety and risk assessment. I hope the producer is coping.

Film PR can be a bit gimmicky. No painted murals, no crashed into the earth. Just a massive geezer looming over Zone 1. It’s bold, cinematic, and genuinely attention-grabbing. It's rare to see a movie PR stunt that actually feels like the film it’s selling.

Also: big respect to the team that signed off on a superhero dangling off a skyscraper in a city famously terrified of weather.

Evita gives the people what they want

Finally, a non-stunt that’s more of a stunt than most stunts. The new revival of Evita has stormed into the West End with a rogue move: dragging musical theatre out of the 4 walls and performing it directly onto the streets of London.

Midway through the show, cast members flood out of the venue and into the crowds, belting “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”. Phones come out. Tourists stop in their tracks. Theatregoers crane out of the windows of their pre-theatre dinners. It’s part immersive performance, part flash mob revolution.

In a change from the world of PR, this isn’t a one-off promo stunt.

It’s baked into the bones of the show, a deliberate breaking of the fourth wall that lets the drama bleed into real life. It’s also, crucially, gold dust for social media people aren’t just sharing reviews, they’re sharing clips, chaos, and the sudden terror of being serenaded whilst in the queue for a Pret.

Marina Hyde said it might have saved Rachel Zegler’s career in The Guardian, and the stunt watch team loved it, which I would argue is a better accolade.

Article written by Lee Sanders, associate director at Frank