These days, however, even stunts are becoming more “predictable,” making it more difficult to stand out, Carroll said.
Beyond CeraVe and Raisin Bran, there was Liquid Death hiring a witch to throw hexes from the stands in 2022; Tubi faking a streaming outage in 2023; Kendall Jenner bantering with her ex Devin Booker this year ahead of a Fanatics Sportsbook ad; and many more.
The question for brands now is whether audiences will tire of being pranked—or worse, feel manipulated.
Stunts that work best lean into “world building and conversation starting,” said Graham Douglas, co-founder and creative director of Gus. They also move beyond explicitly selling and start a bigger conversation, such as when Rocket Mortgage started an in-stadium singalong to John Denver’s “Country Roads” during Super Bowl 59, tapping into the universal desire for home, Douglas added.
“The bar will keep rising as more brands attempt public stunts,” Diedering warned. “A stunt cannot survive on shock value alone. Audiences—especially Gen Z—can always sense when something is trying to look rebellious while playing it too safe.”
Kohnen predicted the next phase of successful pranks and stunts will bring audiences in on the joke.
“Future stunts won’t just be watched; they’ll be co-created. Think real-world moments designed to be discovered and debated across platforms, powered by creators, AI, and live data,” he said. “The smartest brands will move from ‘Look what we did’ to ‘Look what you helped uncover.’”
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