Anyone who regularly reads this blog will know only too well that here at Smoking Gun PR, one of Manchester’s finest public relations agencies, we keep abreast with news, current affairs and trends on a daily basis. Thankfully for you only the very best stuff ever makes its way here.
Yesterday once such stunt took place, which certainly deserved reference on this page (as with The Drum, and a few other trade digests). Gigs in train stations have been happening for some time in the music world, and with ever more competition for exposure it’s really no wonder- the public relations boost from performing to inner-London commuters probably equates to a few column inches in a decent regional paper. But this has always been the sole reserve of those capable of instrumentation, until artist Rosie Emerson headed down to St Pancras for a spot of busking, the likes of which have probably never been seen before.
Along with her easel and still life model the lady in question drew in front of the public in transit, some 100,000 of them no less, and simultaneously raised money for a worthwhile cause. The idea was to promote the Affordable Art Fair, and generate funds for the event’s chosen charities- Caring for Courage and Keats Community Library. And it did the job, although the fact numerous passers by (apparently) looked rather bemused speaks volumes about the hidden value here.
There’s no denying that when people are taken aback something has made an impression, and it’s highly probable they will go away and talk about it with friends or family. Ultimately that defines the goal of public relations, proving that this was a particularly clever flex of PR muscle, albeit one that’s a merge of true art and advertising, with three clear beneficiaries; the fair, the charities, and, of course, the lady drawing her subject. Proof, as if any were needed, that thinking laterally and creatively can be just as effective as thinking big.