If you’re planning your next PR stunt and want a bit of inspiration about how to showcase your products’ best attributes, why not take a leaf out of Gihan Amarasiriwardena’s book.
Mr Amarasiriwardena runs apparel company Ministry of Supply, which produces dress clothing that comes with a performance aspect, so suits look formal but boast various qualities that sportswear have as well.
So he decided to market his latest suit, the Aviator II, by running a half marathon in it. According to Fast Company, he even ended up setting a Guinness World Record for his time at the Half MerryThon that took place in Gloucester in Massachusetts last December.
“This suit isn’t designed for running in but the fact that it can be done is great. You should figure out the edge cases, the extreme cases that put a product to the test,” Mr Amarasiriwardena said, urging other brands to consider more extreme testing of the products they make and sell.
Tying in product testing with marketing isn’t a new idea. You could also find inspiration in the videos from Blendtec, which even has a dedicated website for its product testing called Will It Blend? The company spends time blending all sorts of weird and wonderful items to showcase just how good their blenders are. Thus far, they’ve destroyed an Apple Watch, skis, Silly Putty, a rake handle and an iPhone.
The videos are incredibly popular online and really serve as an excellent marketing tool, so why not see what you can come up with that could have similar impact?