In today’s positively competitive world of digital marketing, standing out and surprising your target demographic may work wonders for your brand’s visibility. Guerrilla marketing strategies might be helpful here.
The word “guerrilla marketing,” which first appeared in the early 1980s, conjures images of a mighty presence invading people’s lives without warning. It’s true that it comes out of nowhere and grabs your target audience’s attention, but these strategies serve more as a lighthearted tool for promoting your business than as an assault on their senses.
Using successful guerilla marketing techniques, an exciting method to reach your target audience where they are, introduce your business in unexpected and surprising ways, and make an impression.
What is guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is a style of advertising that uses unconventional strategies to pique interest and draw customers. It is a vital substitute for conventional advertising strategies, including print, television, billboards, and direct mail. Instead, it aims to disrupt events and public spaces with distinctive, memorable sights or behaviors that can prompt brand connection or a purchase. Guerrilla marketing frequently relies on community involvement in urban areas to significantly impact a small budget and spread via social media and word-of-mouth.
In the early 2000s, guerilla marketing gained popularity, and many ideas have since been recycled. Modern techniques must be incredibly novel to compete for attention. Because it reaches customers where they are today—on the internet—digital marketing offers a higher return on investment (ROI). Ninety percent of Americans already use the internet, and daily time spent online has grown by more than four times in the last ten years to six hours. When done successfully, the ultimate goal of guerrilla marketing is to boost brand visibility across digital platforms.
Types of Guerrilla Marketing
It is helpful to break down Guerrilla Marketing into several areas and comprehend the concept as its whole. These are a few instances.
Ambient Guerrilla Marketing
The distinctive feature of ambient guerilla marketing is to obstruct normalcy with some advertising, especially in a targeted audience’s public settings, such as crosswalks.
This marketing plan makes use of indoor and outdoor tactics.
- Indoor tactics: Include everything in indoor environments, such as college dormitories or train stations.
- External Tactics: Enhance already-existing outside settings, for example, by placing transient artwork on a sidewalk.
Ambush Guerrilla Marketing
Ambush marketing refers to using a previously scheduled event and its attendees to further a promotional activity or claim. These include things like a concert, festivals, or athletic events.
Experiential Guerrilla Marketing
Audience engagement is necessary for experiential or interactive guerrilla marketing. Pop-up events, for instance, might engross your audience and motivate them to discuss your business.
Pros and cons of guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla marketing stands out for connecting with customers in novel and engaging ways, but the tactic is not without risks. The advantages and disadvantages of guerrilla marketing for your business should be considered.
Pros
- On a tight budget, guerilla marketing can be carried out.
- The potential for a broad impact and reach.
- Being imaginative and coming up with original concepts to build a brand is a lot of fun.
- You may learn more about how people feel about a brand by observing their reactions.
- Your campaign may be shared on social media for maximum exposure (either by the brand or by participants). Media outlets may also be used to attract attention.
- You might be able to join forces with a location, park, occasion, or other company to your benefit.
Cons
- If a poorly thought-out campaign fails, the brand will be exposed to the public, which might have unintended consequences. Unexpected events like bad weather or political unrest may result in you losing money or profits.
- Possibly unsettling or terrifying Guerrilla marketing strategies that may embarrass, anger, or intimidate people include ambushes, videography, and scare tactics.
- Depending on how the campaign turns out, you can encounter legal issues or unfavorable news. For instance, Cartoon Network installed LED signs all over Boston in 2007 to promote a TV programme that caused a bomb scare and led to a $2 million fine.
- Executives who would instead use marketing expenditures on more dependable strategies may not approve a campaign if it is too risky or unconventional.
Examples of guerrilla marketing
Red Bull Stratos
Nothing has ever better demonstrated how Red Bull has always been associated with significant risks and even bigger rewards than jumping out of a balloon at 128.100 feet and reaching 833.9 mph.
In 2012, professional skydiver Felix Baumgartner from Austria shattered several records by doing just that.
Way to establish your organization as the most fearless, adrenaline-fueled entity to ever walk the face of the world. Over 23 million people have seen Felix’s leap video, recognised as one of the most incredible freefall feats ever.
This Red Bull event demonstrates the height of innovative and immersive marketing. There are no restrictions on what a business may do to broaden its influence and reach on social media and attract attention to its brand.
Volkswagen’s Piano Staircase
Volkswagen is renowned for expanding the reach of its brand well beyond the motor industry.
In this guerrilla marketing example, they devised a concept known as “the fun hypothesis.” This idea was motivated by the idea of upsetting people’s common behavior patterns and encouraging them to take uncommon action.
To do this, the Volkswagen team created a piano staircase that enters and exits a subway station. The stairway was next to an escalator and was built to upset commuters’ plans to use the escalator by playing music as they ascended or descended the steps.
Coca-Cola coming together campaign.
The most well-known instance of guerrilla marketing is Coca-Cola. They have worked with FIFA, the Soccer World Cup, and the Olympic Games to increase sales. To ensure the success of their marketing campaigns, they have even created appealing tunes like their song “Hilltop.”
But maybe nothing is more distressing than their frank admission that their products have contributed to the deteriorating health of many Americans.
Wrapping Up
Companies must figure out how to stand out and make a solid first impression. Guerrilla marketing techniques, which may be used in the digital world and are successful in reaching individuals in unexpected ways, are one unique strategy.
You must have a firm understanding of your consumer demographics and establish specific marketing goals before moving further.
With guerilla marketing, your business may profit from unexpected outside events and astute online marketing strategies. Surprisingly, guerilla marketing methods won’t break the cash because they are frequently inexpensive and have a high potential for success.
