🗓️ Idiom: A PR Stunt (n)
💬 Meaning
- An action designed to attract public attention and improve a company’s image.
- Something done mainly for publicity and attention, often to sell a product.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Launching a tree-planting campaign just before their new product release seemed more like a PR stunt than genuine care.
- The CEO’s visit to a local school was widely seen as a PR stunt to boost the company’s image.
- They donated a large sum to an environmental charity, but some critics called it a PR stunt to distract from recent bad press.
🏛️ Origin
“PR” stands for public relations. A “stunt” means an action done to get attention. This idiom became common in business and media when companies started using dramatic or emotional actions to improve their public image, especially during a crisis.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Many believed the free giveaways were just a ________ to distract from the product safety issue.
Answer
PR stunt
2. Multiple choice:
What is a “PR stunt”?
a) A real solution to a business problem
b) An action meant to get public attention
c) A new product launch with full market research
Answer
b) An action meant to get public attention
3. Change the sentence using “PR stunt”:
“The company gave money to a local school just to make themselves look good.”
Answer
The company’s donation to the school was just a PR stunt.