ATHENS SHOW RUN PR STUNTS

Turning the city into the announcement.

 A series of locally rooted PR activations designed to build awareness, curiosity and momentum ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 Show Run in Athens.

The Formula 1 Show Run should not start on event day. It should start weeks earlier, inside the city itself.

The goal of these activations is to build awareness, curiosity and anticipation for the upcoming Athens Show Run through unexpected public moments that people naturally discover, photograph and share.

Each concept is designed specifically for the Greek market — inspired by local culture, history, media behaviour, transport systems and iconic public spaces.

This is not traditional advertising.

These are large-scale public PR stunts that organically enter people’s everyday lives and quickly become part of public conversation.

People encounter the story naturally:

The strongest part of this approach is that the audience becomes the distribution channel.

People do not just consume the campaign, they actively spread it.

An archaeological excavation suddenly appears in the heart of Athens.
Instead of uncovering ancient history, archaeologists gradually reveal a McLaren Formula 1 car buried beneath the city.

The concept creates a striking contrast between Greece’s ancient heritage and the pinnacle of modern engineering — turning the city itself into the announcement of the upcoming Show Run.

Over the course of several days, archaeologists gradually uncover a McLaren Formula 1 car buried beneath Syntagma Square, treating it like one of the city’s most important discoveries.

The installation is designed to feel completely real.

Passers-by first notice fenced-off excavation works appearing overnight in one of the busiest public spaces in Athens. At first, nothing is visible. Then small fragments begin emerging from the ground — carbon fiber details, suspension parts, pieces of orange bodywork.

Day by day, more of the car is revealed.

Crowds begin gathering naturally.
People stop on their way to work.
Tourists film the scene.
Local creators post theories and speculation online.
News outlets begin covering the “mysterious discovery.”

The city starts following the excavation in real time.

What makes the concept powerful is its simplicity:
Athens is globally associated with archaeological discoveries and ancient history. Formula 1 represents the exact opposite, cutting-edge engineering, speed and the future.

At the same time, the project strongly connects to the mechanics of scratch cards and discovery driven entertainment. Revealing layers, building anticipation and uncovering something valuable hidden beneath the surface.

The result is a large-scale public moment that feels less like advertising and more like a cultural event unfolding organically inside the city.

Not something people are invited to attend.
Something they accidentally discover themselves.

UNEARTHED is designed to generate layered attention.

First through direct public encounters, then through organic social sharing, influencer amplification, local news coverage and international PR pickup. Based on location, duration and media distribution, the activation has a realistic potential to generate 8–15 million impressions, with breakout potential beyond 20 million if the story is picked up internationally.

We understand that McLaren and the project partners will naturally be sensitive about the presentation and condition of the show car throughout the activations.

To fully protect the vehicle during all installations, transportation and public interactions, we propose covering the monopost with a transparent protective PPF wrap (Paint Protection Film).

This solution protects the surface from scratches, dust and minor handling damage while keeping the original finish, colors and branding visually untouched on camera and in real life.

A McLaren Formula 1 car suddenly appears on Hydra. One of the most iconic car free islands in the world.

What starts as an absurd sight quickly turns into a city spectacle as tourists and locals gather around the “illegal vehicle”, local police attempt to deal with the situation and social media fills with footage of the Formula moving through Hydra’s narrow streets pulled by donkeys and traditional transport methods.

The contrast between one of the world’s most advanced racing machines and Hydra’s timeless atmosphere creates an instantly understandable and highly shareable cultural moment that feels authentic, unexpected and uniquely Greek.

A McLaren Formula 1 truck starts mysteriously appearing in the background of live television broadcasts across Athens.

During morning traffic reports, weather forecasts and city live cams, viewers suddenly notice the McLaren team unexpectedly entering ordinary public life, parked in the middle of Syntagma Square, moving through traffic or surrounded by crowds.

The key to the concept is authenticity.
Nothing is officially announced. The presenters don’t react to it. The audience discovers it first.

The purpose of the activation is simple. Create the feeling that something unusual and something big is starting to happen in Athens.

Instead of announcing the Show Run directly, the campaign builds curiosity through unexpected appearances of the McLaren Formula 1 team across ordinary public life and live media environments.

The result is growing public anticipation driven by curiosity, speculation and organic social sharing, turning the arrival of the McLaren Formula 1 Team into a real city-wide moment before the event even officially begins.

What starts as a subtle background detail quickly turns into a viral city-wide conversation driven by screenshots, reposts and social media speculation.

I would also love to explore the possibility of recreating a similar activation to my Prague Red Bull project, where a Formula 1 car became part of everyday public transport and naturally entered people’s daily lives across the entire city.

The strength of the concept was its accessibility. People did not need to attend a dedicated event.

The Formula unexpectedly came to them through ordinary city movement, creating authentic surprise, massive organic reach and highly shareable public moments.

I believe there could be a strong opportunity to reinterpret this idea specifically for Athens using local transport culture, infrastructure and recognizable city movement patterns.

Thank you