2016's Most Hyped Events: How Did It Work Out For The Stocks?

There's nothing better from a public relations standpoint than whipping the public into a frenzy over a new product or service. Several companies made a big splash this year with big announcements, events and launches.

Here's a look at how the stocks performed after the initial hype died down.

Model 3

After years of anticipation, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) finally unveiled its new mass-market, long-range electric car – the Model 3. Tesla shares jumped 19.7 percent in the month prior to the highly-publicized Model 3 event on March 31. Tesla hyped the launch as “the biggest one-week launch of any product ever.”

However, once the Model 3 hype died down, Tesla’s stock began to slump. Since March 31, Tesla shares are down 9.1 percent.

Oprah Ad Campaign

Almost a year ago, Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) launched a brand new ad campaign featuring celebrity shareholder and board member Oprah Winfrey. The campaign sparked a new wave of market enthusiasm for Weight Watchers stock, which soared 338.3 percent from October 1 to December 1, 2015.

Enthusiasm for the stock quickly waned. Despite a 16 percent Friday gain following the launch of a brand new ad campaign featuring Oprah, Weight Watchers stock remains down 54 percent since December 1, 2015.

Exondys 51 Approval

It’s been a rough year for biotech investors, but Sarepta Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: SRPT) shareholders were convinced their stock would be the exception to the trend. Back in September, Sarepta shares more than doubled from $27.99 to $63.73 in a matter of days when the FDA granted accelerated approval to Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Exondys 51.

However, reality soon set in that Sarepta still has several uphill battles when it comes to realizing the potential value of Exondys 51, including pricing issues, payer adoption and physician prescription concerns. Since October 1, Sarepta shares are down 52.2 percent and are trading roughly where they were prior to the FDA approval.

Pokemon Come and “Pokemon GO”

Perhaps the one trend that will define 2016 above all others is the “Pokemon GO” craze that swept the word during the summer. “Pokemon GO” mania sent shares of Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR) (OTC: NTDOY) surging from $16.77 to $38.25 within a month during the height of the market's “Pokemon GO” exuberance.

Unfortunately, investors attributed way too much market value to the fad. Not even a record-breaking “Super Mario Run” launch has been able to halt Nintendo’s slide. Nintendo’s stock is now down 31.1 percent since its July 18 peak.