Some say that you can buy advertising, but good public relations is priceless. These are also the same people who say that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
You be the judge of that, however, as Milwaukee has seen its share of great (and less than great) PR stunts over the years. Here are some of the most memorable, listed in approximate chronological order. Feel free to add your own using the Talkback feature below:
1970: The real Bernie Brewer
The Brewers mustachioed mascot comes from a very real person -- 69-year-old (at the time) Milt Mason. When the team relocated to Milwaukee from Seattle in 1970, attendance was low. Superfan Mason, in attempt to draw attention to the new club, camped out in a trailer atop the scoreboard in late June, vowing not to come down until a crowd of at least 40,000 attended a game. On August 16, a Bat Day crowd of 44,387 showed up to bring their adopted hero down from his perch.
In 1973, the mascot version of Bernie emerged as a character who cheered on the Crew from a beer-barreled chalet. He would slide down from his perch into a beer stein following each Brewers home run and victory. Bernie Brewer became a fixture at Brewers home games through the club's powerful years when home runs came with regularity for teams known as Bambi's Bombers and Harvey's Wallbangers.
In 1984, the Brewers rebuilt the bleachers, replacing Bernie's Chalet with a sound tower and sending the mascot into retirement. (We can't blame this on Sal Bando, because it was too early.)
In 1993, Bernie made a triumphant return. By popular demand, Brewers fans voted for his reinstatement. Bernie Brewers' housewarming party was a smash and he has been a permanent fixture at every game, and still slides down from his chalet after every homer -- unfortunately, no longer into a mug of beer (not Bando's fault, but perhaps Wendy Selig-Prieb made that decision -- same difference).
1982: “On the ledge with Tim the Rock ‘N Roll Animal"
This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest stunts in the history of Milwaukee radio.
WQFM, which was competing with rival station WLPX in a death struggle for the attention of rock fans with feathered hair and black t-shirts, had a night-time DJ named Tim “The Rock 'n' Roll Animal” Smith. (He got the nickname from college friends because he used to play Lou Reed’s album of that name virtually every morning.” The Rock and Roll Animal, who began his stint as the overnight DJ at WQFM before taking the coveted 6 p.m. -- 10 p.m. slot, was a bit quiet off the air but charismatic on it. He was known for his rhyming catchphrases like “Yankin’ and Crankin on a Friday High Day,” “Nothin’ to it but to do it,” etc.
It was during 1982 that The Who released what was to be its final studio album, “It’s Hard,” and announced a farewell tour of North America. (Yes, they’re the same band that has only toured the US about 50 times since).
The Who had never played a date in Milwaukee and none was announced on the slate for the farewell tour. During his show on Sept. 16, 1982, Tim the Animal decided that he would climb out on the 21st floor ledge of the WQFM studio, which was located at 606 W. Wisconsin Ave., and would not come inside until the Who announced that it was playing in Milwaukee.
WQFM milked the bit for all it was worth. TV stations and national magazines covered the “camp out,” restaurants got publicity by sending food and listeners were encouraged to “Honk for The Who” while driving down Wisconsin Ave.
On Oct. 1, Tim the Animal took a call on the air from Roger Daltrey, the Who’s lead singer, saying that the band would visit the Milwaukee Arena on Dec. 7. A lottery was held for tickets and roughly 12,000 lucky fans got to see one of the more incredible shows in Milwaukee rock history and the culmination of one of the great radio promotions of all-time.
1983: Cabbage Patch Kid Drop over County Stadium
Remember when Cabbage Patch Kids were the Tickle Me Elmo's of the '80s? Astute Milwaukee FM radio listeners sure do. WKTI's moring DJ's, Bob Reitman and Gene Mueller told their fans that they had arranged for a B-29 to drop 2,000 of the nearly unattainable Christmas toys over old Milwaukee County Stadium. According to Reitman, he told shoppers to show up in the parking lot with a catcher's mitt on one hand and a Master Card in the other.
Apparently, not too many bought into the gag (these are the same guys who invented the "Heinie Winery in Waldo, Wis." in the '80s). Only about 20 people actually came out, glove in hand, but it made for enough PR fodder to turn a small joke into a big fiasco.
"That was lightning in a jar," Reitman told the Journal Sentinel in 2006. "That was something we did on the air. We made it up. We did it and we were done with it -- went on and did the rest of the show and forgot about it. The phones started ringing around noon, and it ended up being on two of the network news programs, over 100 newspapers all over the world, Sports Illustrated. It was ridiculous, but it was the antidote for the poison that was going around."
Circa 1984: WKTI’s green bagels
Speaking of WKTI, in the early-80s, the station handed out free green bagels on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day to their (seven) listeners. The deal was you had to drive up to the curb of the station on Capitol Drive, and some wacky WKTI rep tossed a festively dyed green bagel -- or a few bagels -– through your car window. This stunt was short-lived, but remains fondly remembered by many Milwaukeeans.
1987: George Webb’s free burgers
For more than 50 years, the George Webb Restaurant chain has boldly promised a payoff to its patrons if the local professional baseball team could sustain an unblemished string of success for 12 consecutive games. History has proven it to be a greater feat than most could imagine. Nonetheless, each time the club gets within striking distance; people's mouths begin to water.
As a restaurateur dating to the 1930s, Webb had a passion for baseball and followed the old Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. Each year, he would predict the Brewers would win 17 consecutive games. Even though the minor league team couldn't live up to the lofty goal, Webb realized the value in this type of publicity.
When the National League Braves left Boston for Milwaukee in 1953, Webb was at it again. This time he put his prediction in print, taking out newspaper advertisements and creating billboards for his restaurants. He printed napkins that read: "George Webb's predicts the Braves will win 12 straight games."
The Braves, of course, left town, but when the Brewers arrived, the pledge was renewed. And it finally happened in April of 1987, when the Brewers led off the season with 13 straight wins.
Three days after the record performance, Webb's distributed free hamburgers throughout its 42 restaurant-chain in Southeastern Wisconsin. In an eight-hour period, Webb's served more than 168,194 free hamburgers to celebratory fans, who stood in long lines on a rainy day in April.
1988: Tarzana crushing cans with her breasts
When you mention “Da Crusher” to most Milwaukeeans, they instantly think of the iconic professional wrestler, whose real name was Reggie Lisowski.
For some, however, the idea of “crushing” conjures a different image: Tarzana.
During the 1980s, Tarzana was a busty, featured dancer at Hoops, a giant gentleman’s clubs that occupied the same space as the former Palms nightclub, 2616 W. State St.
In addition to her, ahem, most obvious assets, Tarzana had two great marketing gimmicks working simultaneously. First, she was billed in print ads as “a former Dallas Cowgirl.” That sounded impressive and it made people think of the gorgeous dancers who prance around the sideline at Texas Stadium in spangled outfits and white go-go boots. But, those girls are officially the “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.” We don’t know if Tarzana ever worked on a ranch in the Lone Star State, but it brought people to her shows.
Once inside Hoops, which was located across the street from still-standing Rickey’s on State (Hey! Hey!), customers lined up to watch Tarzana’s trademark move, which consisted of taking a beer can from a customer and crushing it with her cleavage.
All this might sound a bit tame in an era when you can watch all kinds of unnatural acts on the internet, but this was cutting edge, risqué entertainment at the time. Men from far and wide paid for the privilege of getting their beer can crushed, and often autographed, by the famous Tarzana.
We’re not sure what happened to Tarzana and her can-crushing. If you’ve spoken to her lately, let us know and we’ll track her down for a story.
For almost 20 years, Miller Brewing Co. has teamed up with Milwaukee County Transit System and Waukesha Metro Transit to offer free bus rides for those out celebrating the new year, helping to ensure the safety of revelers and others on New Year's Eve. The started the program in 1988, and more recently in 1994, they added St. Patrick's Day to the free ride program. Milwaukee may not be a multi-brewery town anymore, but it's still Brew City: and it's good to see that Miller cares to keep drunk drivers off the streets on two of the most dangerous nights of revelry.
1996: The Klement's sausage race
The Brewers famous racing sausages are some of the city’s most well-known “celebrities.”
In what originated as a virtual race on the old-school County Stadium scoreboard in the early 1990s and through 1995, it was done live at the ballpark (beginning in 1996) on only Sundays to appease kids -- Since 2000, the sausage race is performed during every game. It is an institution and a huge PR hit for Milwaukee.
Even as some civic leaders try to downplay the brats and beer that helped build Milwaukee, there’s no denying that the sausage race has become a big part of Milwaukee baseball and the city as a whole.
A promotion for the Klement's Sausage Company, the race gets Milwaukee and the Brewers national visibility almost every week. It’s been copied by others (the Pittsburgh Racing Pierogies, to name just one), featured in national ESPN spots and even got one big leaguer, Randall Simon, arrested – who can forget Simon’s bat bashing of the Italian Sausage on July 9, 2003.
The success of the Sausages pretty much speaks for itself. Sausage bobble heads, t-shirts, dolls, pins, wagering, post-race smack talks and the annual 5K Sausage Race all extend its reach.
1998: Nacho Mamma's Steve Vento, the little person who wore a sombrero filled with nachos and salsa:
You may know Johnny Vassallo for his Milwaukee empire of restaurants (Mo's Irish Pub, Mo's: A Place For Steaks, Moceans, etc.). But one of his first ventures was the short-lived Nacho Mamma's, which replaced the Gas Light East (and was eventually razed and is now approximately where Yanni's Steakhouse is). The hook to this most politically incorrect of all Mexican restaurants? Inspired by a sight gag in a movie, Steve Vento (a great guy), who walked around wearing an oversized sombrero filled with salsa for dipping.
"People eat off my head," Vento said at the time. "I'm a walking buffet."
How did this concept not catch on?
2001: OnMilwaukee.com's early PR stunts
We got into the PR stunt game, too, when we first started OnMilwaukee.com. When it was cheaper to do our own PR than to buy our own advertising (it still is, considering the daily newspaper has refused to take our money since 1998), we took matters into our own hands.
Our biggest stunt was a two-year event called "Mustaches for Milwaukee," in which we recruited about 50 able-bodied men to grow ridiculous mustaches for charity. Like a pledge-driven bike ride, people (mostly our friends and families) donated to our cause, the Child Abuse Prevention Fund. In two years, we raised nearly $30,000 for the group, and in the meantime, got local and national press coverage for our hair-raising event.
Additionally, we've put on several other PR stunt events (usually organized by the very creative Molly Snyder Edler). These include a cheese-carving event called "Cutting the Cheese for Charity" at Gallery Night and an "Adult Spelling Bee" at Room 434.
Finally, in 2001, when a crack in the Hoan Bridge shut down a lane of traffic, we knew we needed to act fast. This was just weeks after we had unveiled our new Hoan-inspired logo. For months, OnMilwaukee.com's logo sported a band-aid, and that winter, the Brewers lent us their racing sausages. With the help of our friends at Brew City Beer Gear, we pranced around Downtown, handing out Hoan Bridge Survival kits. It got us on the front page of the newspaper, and it cost absolutely nothing (other than our pride).
2003: Ta Ta Tuesday
In July of 2003, OnMilwaukee.com told you about hair stylist Erica Grabczyk's public announcement that she was launching a promotion called "Ta Ta Tuesdays."
The controversial promotion allowed her clients at Groom salon, to contribute to her breast implant fund and in exchange, could cast a vote for her new cup size. Lucky for her, they only chose a C.
After two short months, Grabczyk reached her goal and raised almost $3,000. She underwent surgery on Sept. 22 and with all the publicity garnered from the promotion, she even went on the short-lived "The Sharon Osbourne Show" to talk about her experience.
2003: Elton John headlining the secret Harley 100th anniversary show
It was almost too weird to comprehend. So instead, just read this excerpt from the OMC review written that night:
"A deafening hush came over the enormous crowd as it realized the big secret was Elton John, hardly a rocking choice for a group that came to party. With the Harley folks clad in black, it looked more like a funeral as the stunned crowd stood motionless as John launched into his set of new, soft rock tunes and old favorites. Then, people started to leave. In droves.
Elton John. Elton John? He's not American, certainly not very manly, and far from hard rock. The last rocking song from John came at a time when H-D was still owned by AMF.
After a few new songs, John played his classics, like "Daniel," "Rocket Man,""The Bitch Is Back" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues." But the damage was already done. The once jam-packed crowd began to thin out. Perhaps, though this is just a guess, as many as 30 percent of the audience just went home. John didn't help his cause by announcing to the crowd, "I'd play you a song about motorcycles, but I don't have any."
Anticipation has been building for weeks about who would play the final night of the Harley party. An overweight and not very funny Dan Aykroyd served as emcee of the event, improvising between acts and stalling for time. Hearing his "Rubber Biscuit" routine was almost painful. He thanked everyone, including the guy who co-wrote "Coneheads" -- twice. Of course, in the litany of thank-you's Sunday night -- to riders, veterans, Willie G., etc. -- none of the presenters thought to thank Milwaukee itself for hosting the party. Oh well.
Eventually, Aykroyd introduced The Doobie Brothers, who played the kind of greatest hits set you'd expect to hear at State Fair. Solid, but sleepy.
Tim McGraw took the stage next. He played flawlessly, but this crowd came to rock. And that they did, when McGraw introduced Kid Rock. Clearly the highlight of the evening, he got the crowd going with a handful of anthems like "Cowboy."
After a long and uncomfortable wait, John emerged as the final act. As one woman in the generally disappointed crowd said, "It would be a good show, but not tonight."
John's best moment of the concert came when he brought McGraw out to join him in "Tiny Dancer" and Kid Rock for "Saturday Night's Alright." Tepid applause brought him out for a brief encore.
All the performers sounded great, but one has to wonder what Harley executives were thinking by bringing the guy who sang the "Lion King" theme to a party that was supposed to be completely bad-ass. Whichever intern at Harley who ran that focus group needs to be fired, since he completely missed the boat on his target demo. Maybe someone should have listened to the emcee before the show, who asked the crowd who they were hoping to see. They cheered for U2, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, KISS, you name it. But they booed for John. Granted, a few people did seem to enjoy John's act. The others stayed just because they waited three hours to hear some music (or hung out in line for nearly as long just to get a slice of pizza).
The one redeeming moment came after John left the stage, when organizers set off the biggest and loudest fireworks and confetti display Milwaukee has ever seen. Hopefully, the crowd went home with one positive memory of the most underwhelming show of the year.
It was clearly a lackluster finale to an otherwise spectacular week. Milwaukeeans took the giant crowds in stride. The police acted like champs, staying mellow and reacting only when emergencies arose. Even the bikers themselves remained well-behaved and orderly.
Unfortunately, they were also nearly lulled to sleep with the surprise dud that unfolded to the dismay of thousands.
Maybe Harley can coax Cher out of retirement for the 105th anniversary."
2005: Marquette Gold
A lot of Marquette fans and alums got steamed when, in October 1993, the University decided to dump the nickname Warriors because it was offensive to Native Americans.
Six months later students voted on a new nickname, choosing Golden Eagles after Lightning.
For a decade, many fans complained about the switch. Some of the heavy donors threatened to withhold checks unless the nickname went back to Warriors. Wane Sanders, vice chair of the board of trustees, offered a $1 million donation if “Warriors” was reinstated. The administration held firm on that front, but decided to spice things up by changing away from Golden Eagles.
In May, 2005, a press conference was held and school officials unveiled their new selection: Gold.
The uproar was instantaneous. Fans loathed the nickname and the fact that they had no input in the decision. In some circles, the snafu was lumped with New Coke in the pantheon of marketing blunders.
The name “Gold” was dumped. A two-phase online voting process was implemented, but fans weren’t allowed to vote for “Warriors.”
Although selections like “Avalanche” and “Hilltoppers” gathered steam in some circles, the voters decided to retain “Golden Eagles” as the name. It stands today. And, it’s not likely to change any time soon.
