Big Cat Week

24 April 2017

Following the success of last year’s The Clockwork Lion, Premier was briefed to create a bold and newsworthy PR stunt for Big Cat Week 2017, a week of programming on Nat Geo Wild showcasing extraordinary felines and highlighting key conservation issues.

Premier took inspiration from the episode Mission Critical: Leopards at the Door, highlighting the plight of leopards in places like Mumbai, where habitat destruction results in leopards having to roam the street with man. Working with John Nolan, one of the UK’s leading animatronic designers known for Harry Potter and BBC Spy in the Wild, the stunt team oversaw the design and build of the world’s first realistic animatronic leopard, with over forty moving parts. The breathing, roaring leopard, named Lily, was filmed and photographed in various scenarios as it was unleashed to unsuspecting Brits creating a stunt that was in equal measures funny, shocking and thought provoking.

Coverage for the stunt included a double page spread in The i and further leading print coverage in the Metro and The Times. TV coverage included Sky News, Channel 5 News and ITV Meridian. Online highlights included Mail Online, The Sun, Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Reuters, Mashable, Wired, AOL and Yahoo. Meanwhile a partnership with influencers Wall of Comedy resulted in a branded prank video that generated 8 million viewers and over 70,000 shares.