Sally Durcan from Hotcow writes … For this post, we thought we’d look at a hugely successful PR stunt by Sony Pictures, which demonstrates how powerful PR can be – not only to a brand, but to the wider economy.
In a region of Southern Spain where the villages are traditionally painted bright white, there is one exception – the settlement of Júzcar, which, in response to being chosen to host the premier of the Smurfs in 3D, was painted entirely in blue.
Locals from the traditional Andalucian village agreed to the colour change when approached by Sony Pictures in 2011, as part of a major PR stunt. The village attracted an unprecedented amount of attention as a result.
The villagers were so grateful for the unexpected boost in tourism that they voted to keep the blue exterior after the film’s premiere.