Is Streaking the Way to Raise Brand Awareness (And Early Retirement)?

When Kinsey Wolanski proceeded to invade the pitch at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium sporting a practically non-existent leotard, naturally the nation was pretty stunned. With a global audience of between 112 and 200 million viewers during live Champion League broadcasts, Kinsey’s bold statement was viral dynamite. 

What followed this exhibitionist manoeuvre - apart from her being arrested, of course - was a tidal wave of Instagram followers. Over 2 million, to be precise. The prank also cost over £3 million in publicity, might we add. Here’s the rest of us clawing at followers night and day, blood, sweat and tears going into our social media posts, and then little Wolanski waltzes out of nowhere and steals a million in seconds. 

Despite spending several hours locked up in a prison cell and being banned from the stadium, Kinsey has claimed that the stunt was the best decision of her life. Kinsey plans to do more streaking in the future to raise her profile and help her on her way to retirement by the age of 30.

The stunt was to promote her boyfriend’s company Vitaly. Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, proud owner of the x-rated video platform, is also a famed prankster with a history of streaking. A bit of raw courage clearly pays off. Following Kinsey’s show-stopping performance, the website’s registered users passed 32 million.

Is this the most successful sponsorship we’ve seen at the champions league? It no doubt outdid any of the billboards and placards paid for by Santander. 

Evidently, there’s still something to be said for daring, guerrilla marketing tactics. FIFA might want to take some extra measures if they want to avoid an over-crowded pitch in the future. Looks like streaking is the latest fast-track to raising brand awareness (and early retirement). 

Photo credit: EPA.