Make like a “Flying Wallenda”

Talk about a publicity stunt. They run in this guy’s blood.

Nik Wallenda, a 7^th generation daredevil from the “Flying Wallendas” and native of Upstate New York, will walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope this Friday, June 15. This death-defying stunt has not been attempted in 116 years, and has never been completed successfully. 150,000 people are expected to gather to see the feat performed.

Stunts like these depend on substantial and effective promotion. Stunts are defined by people performing out-of-the-ordinary acts, which have had attention built up around them – positioned, in essence – as something that the average citizen absolutely cannot miss. People feel as if they “can’t miss” stunts like Wallenda’s, exactly because they are positioned as “once in a lifetime” events; new ground will be broken.

Many nonprofits feel like it’s an impossible feat to get word of their events out in mainstream media outlets. But the truth is events in the nonprofit world tend to garner media attention for the same reasons as stunts like Wallenda’s do. It’s important for nonprofit organizations to be aware that if they can position their event to seem appealing, unique, and as if history is being made, then it is worth it for local media, or even national media, to cover it.

Have you noticed that even though the tightrope walk hasn’t happened yet, there has been live coverage of Nik Wallenda practicing his walk for over a week? They didn’t have to put in the extra effort to set Wallenda up in a casino parking lot in Niagara Falls to practice, but they did it to gain more attention from the media; to get people talking about the event. This tactic is not reserved for publicity stunts – nonprofits can do it too!

Releasing exciting details over time leading up to your event is a way to pique the interest of people, especially the media. Maybe you announce the opportunity to meet the mayor at your event, or maybe you reveal an attractive silent auction item prior to the day of your event. Before last year’s Ad Council Golf Tournament & A-Games, staff filmed a funny video that let people know something new was coming to the golf tournament, but were careful not to reveal exactly what it was until the invitation went out in the mail. The objective of this video was to essentially impact the overall attendance at the event, but to first get people to start talking about how it was going to be different this year— encouraging a dialogue to occur that may not have without the video.

Nik knows what it takes to get the world’s attention. So make like a “Flying Wallenda” and start implementing some of your own hype-building techniques to boost attendance at your event, program or whatever it may be. But to see results, you’ve have to first be willing to: be creative, invest the time…and take a few risks.

-Annie Sullivan
Ad Council Stunt-woman