Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| coup publicitaire | masculine |
| coup de com' | masculine |
| coup de communication | masculine |
The phrase refers to a staged event created for the purpose of publicity.
Which one should you use?
While coup publicitaire is the standard term, coup de communication is more technical and often used in professional marketing contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the setting. Manœuvre publicitaire is a formal way to say publicity stunt. Coup publicitaire and coup de communication are standard. For casual settings, you can use coup de com', which is a shortened, colloquial version of coup de communication used frequently in casual conversation or media circles. In very informal speech, coup de pub can be used to mean an advertising move or promotion trick. For a slang way to say "big PR move", you can use gros coup de com'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is masculine, so it uses the indefinite article un rather than une.
Did you know?
- While coup publicitaire means a stunt, the word coup can also be used in coup d'état to describe the illegal seizure of government power.
- The word coup in coup publicitaire originally referred to a blow or a slap in the face. Today it is used for any sudden, decisive action or a clever trick.
- In France, a coup de pub can sometimes be used sarcastically to suggest that someone's 'altruistic' act is actually a calculated move for attention.
Examples in context
- C'est juste un coup publicitaire à peu de frais.That's just a cheap publicity stunt.This sentence demonstrates the use of coup publicitaire to describe a cheap publicity stunt.Tatoeba #6712349 by sacredceltic, translation #42190 by CK
- La nouvelle campagne publicitaire de cette entreprise est une véritable manœuvre publicitaire pour attirer l'attention sur son dernier produit.The new advertising campaign of this company is a real publicity stunt to draw attention to its latest product.
- Le coup de pub de cette célébrité a attiré beaucoup de spectateurs à l'événement.The publicity stunt by this celebrity attracted a lot of spectators to the event.
- L'entreprise a réalisé un gros coup de com' en faisant parachuter son produit depuis un avion en plein centre-ville.The company pulled off a big PR move by parachuting its product from an airplane right in the city center.
- Ce film est un pur coup publicitaire.This movie is a pure publicity stunt.
- Ils ont organisé un coup publicitaire grandiose.They organized a grandiose publicity stunt.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are discussing a celebrity's strange behavior.
- ManonTu as vu la vidéo de cette star ?Did you see that star's video?
- GabrielOui, je pense que c'est un coup publicitaire.Yes, I think it's a publicity stunt.
- ManonC'est possible, elle veut promouvoir son film.It's possible, she wants to promote her movie.
- GabrielExactement, Gabriel ne se laisse pas piéger.Exactly, Gabriel doesn't let himself be fooled.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “publicity stunt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries communication, coup, de, publicitaire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
