Chessington selling rhino dung on eBay – sending boxes of it to journalists to promote

By Rick Guttridge on Thursday, April 17, 2014

Chessington World of Adventures continues to prove its mettle when it comes to simple and effective stunts. The theme park, which also includes a zoo, has made a few headlines today as the result of a new stunt.

This week it announced it was helping out UK gardeners by making the (I’m guessing) potent dung of rhino’s available to buy at the bargain price of £9.99 via E-bay (product page here).

The cheeky chaps at Frank PR behind the stunt also sent boxes of the dung to national journalists. As the commenter below states, it’s likely rhino poo particles have offended many a journalist’s nose this morning – which appears to be dividing reaction.

This stunt demonstrated great timing for two reasons. One, it’s Easter, so which family leisure attraction in the country isn’t seeking to drive footfall? Two, the UK media has been busily talking mainstream horticulture this week as BBC Two launched its high profile new reality show, The Big Allotment Challenge with 2.5 million viewers. These ingredients, added to the ‘quirky’ factor, made it great media fodder.

Read more via the media coverage achieved, which includes the Metro and Daily Star. Further influencer amplification included a tweet from the Telegraph’s PR cynic Harry Wallop:

Bit of a PR stunt, but a fun one. Chessington (@CWOA) selling rhino dung for gardeners. £10 a kg. http://t.co/939PgPSZmA

— Harry Wallop (@hwallop) April 15, 2014

I imagine Easter visitor numbers will be up leaving the PR and marketing folk of Chessington smelling of roses! (Sorry, it was hard not to sneak at least one pun in!) Just watch where you stand.

If you’ve not had your fill of dung just yet, watch this unrelated but nevertheless fun video: