The battle for the consumer’s attention has often been equated to modern warfare. That is why such a style of action served as an inspiration in the naming of one unique marketing strategy — guerrilla marketing.
Whether you want to implement this marketing tactic or learn more about the term, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will define guerrilla marketing, why we feel it’s a vital tactic, and how you can implement its strategies in your marketing campaign.
What Is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla marketing refers to an unconventional approach to marketing that utilizes unorthodox methods to surprise the audience and leave an impression.
Guerrilla marketing owes its name to guerrilla warfare – irregular military tactics that include ambushes, raids, hit-and-run attacks, and other methods that utilize the element of surprise.
Much like guerrilla warfare, guerrilla marketing aims to catch the customer by surprise. In this way, eliciting an emotional response from the target audience is more manageable. Guerrilla marketing tactics are very memorable when executed effectively.
It is somewhat expected that with such unconventional methods, guerrilla marketing doesn’t land a home run every time it is attempted. However, the payoff frequently justifies the risks involved.
Key Takeaways
Guerrilla marketing refers to less frequently implemented tactics and marketing strategies that can help to differentiate a brand and gain the attention of the target audience;
A popular type of guerrilla marketing is ambient marketing – the practice of placing advertisements in unexpected places;
Guerrilla marketing is a creative marketing approach which is why it is often adopted by startups and small businesses that don’t have the luxury of investing in ‘safe’ marketing methods.
How to Define Guerrilla Marketing?
We can define guerrilla marketing as an advertising strategy that emphasizes creative and risky ways to promote goods or services. Companies with limited resources find it useful since it is a very affordable way to reach a vast audience.
Guerrilla marketing can be carried out in many different ways. Still, some of the more well-known ones are street marketing (distribution of flyers or samples), ambient marketing (placing advertisements in unexpected places), and viral marketing. Those techniques entail the creation of distinctive social media content that is quickly shared and highly memorable.
A memorable guerrilla marketing campaign was executed by IKEA in 2018 when they transformed a Parisian metro station into a makeshift IKEA showroom. Commuters were surprised to find fully furnished living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens displayed on the platforms and in the trains, complete with IKEA products.
This unexpected and immersive experience generated significant buzz on social media and in traditional news outlets, showcasing IKEA’s innovative approach to advertising and garnering widespread attention from potential customers. Learn more about IKEA’s Paris metro station takeover.
Why Is Guerrilla Marketing Important?
Guerrilla marketing is an effective way to reach consumers who are bombarded with traditional advertising messages daily.
By using unconventional tactics, guerrilla marketers can break through the clutter and get their message noticed.
1. Enhances an existing campaign
Guerrilla marketing can complement and enhance an existing marketing campaign by adding a layer of creativity and surprise.
When integrated strategically, guerrilla tactics can amplify the impact of traditional advertising efforts, creating a more memorable and engaging experience for consumers.
2. Cost-effective outreach
Guerrilla marketing is a crucial marketing tactic since it allows you to reach a large audience with little financial outlay.
By leveraging unconventional methods and approaches, businesses can maximize their marketing impact without hefty advertising budgets.
This cost-effectiveness makes guerrilla marketing particularly attractive for startups and small businesses looking to maximize their marketing ROI.
3. Reaches untapped audiences
Utilizing unconventional methods typical for guerrilla marketing combined with standard marketing practices can yield greater engagement and enhance campaign efficacy.
This approach enables businesses to connect with customers who may be overlooked by traditional marketing strategies, thereby expanding their reach and fostering deeper connections with their target audience.
Guerrilla Marketing vs Viral Marketing
Both of these approaches can get customers in ways that connect with them in more meaningful and memorable ways while being more cost-effective than conventional methods. However, there are some differences to keep in mind.
Guerrilla marketing is the art and science of employing unconventional strategies to spread advertising messages, while digital word-of-mouth is a broad definition of viral marketing.
Defying accepted marketing norms, avoiding conventional channels, and seeking to surprise can be elements of both guerrilla and viral marketing. However, guerrilla marketing can give birth to viral marketing, while the opposite is not necessarily true.
What Are The Best Guerrilla Marketing Strategies?
Guerrilla marketing is a marketing technique that uses time, effort, and creativity rather than a sizable sum of money.
Making a significant impact on a tight budget is the goal, but picking the right way to do it is sometimes challenging. The following are some of the best guerrilla marketing strategies to consider.
1. Street marketing
Street marketing is a terrific method to draw attention to your business.
One popular form of street marketing is street art. By engaging a street artist to create a mural or graffiti featuring your company’s name or emblem, you can potentially gain a great ROI.
2. Free samples
Sampling is a fantastic strategy for enticing customers to sample your goods or services. You can install a booth in a busy place and offer free samples. Whatever the characteristics of your target audience are, they are likely to appreciate a complimentary piece.
3. Guerrilla PR
Guerrilla PR, a subset of guerrilla marketing, offers a powerful method to promote your brand and secure favorable press coverage.
This unconventional approach often involves staging attention-grabbing events to generate media attention and public interest. Tactics such as organizing fake protests or executing ambush marketing campaigns create unexpected moments that captivate audiences and drive publicity for your brand.
4. Flash mobs
Organizing a flash mob in a public place can create buzz and generate attention for your brand or product.
Flash mobs involve a group of people gathering suddenly in a public location to perform a choreographed dance, song, or other attention-grabbing activity.
This unexpected and entertaining spectacle captures the interest of bystanders and can quickly spread on social media, amplifying brand visibility and engagement.
5. Guerilla experiential marketing
Guerilla experiential marketing involves creating immersive and memorable experiences for consumers that leave a lasting impression.
This approach goes beyond traditional advertising methods by engaging directly with audiences in unexpected and interactive ways.
From pop-up installations to live demonstrations, guerilla experiential marketing captivates consumers and fosters meaningful connections with your brand.
Additional Tips & Tricks
- Different guerrilla marketing campaigns will have other effects depending on your target audience. It’s always wise to ensure that the campaign you are opting for does not go against your brand image;
- Unconventional marketing carries more risks but also the potential for greater benefits. Some potential customers will react more positively to a guerrilla marketing tactic than traditional ones;
- Experimental marketing only sometimes yields the results that it should on paper. Analyzing what went wrong and what went right through data collection and campaign tracking is a valuable practice, especially for guerrilla marketing campaigns.
The Bottom Line
Guerrilla marketing refers to a product or service’s creative and unconventional marketing tactics. Guerilla marketing can be highly successful in gaining the attention of a broader target audience, which is why it is a frequent addition to the overall marketing strategy of startups and small businesses that don’t have a large budget.
You’ve learned what guerrilla marketing is, why it is necessary, and strategies for your future guerrilla marketing campaigns. With all these tips, you can decide if guerrilla marketing is the approach you must take for your company or organization.
Guerrilla Marketing FAQs
Simply put, yes. A brand can benefit greatly from a successful guerrilla marketing campaign. The buzz around the campaign can reflect positively on the brand, making it seem much more well-known than it might be. However, if your brand aims to appear more professional, some guerrilla marketing campaigns could hurt its image.
Ambush marketing is a unique type of marketing campaign. It’s a technique of using another advertiser’s campaign as one’s own to promote a different business or brand, frequently in the context of event sponsorships. The ethics behind ambush marketing are questionable, but it has undoubtedly worked for many companies in the past.
A guerrilla marketing campaign on social media often boils down to posting controversial or entertaining content that is easily shareable. The exact type of content necessary to elicit the desired reaction will depend on the unique goals of the campaign and the social media platform in question.
More often than not, guerrilla marketing methods are perfectly legal. However, it’s important not to create misleading or malicious messages and respect all parties involved when designing your guerrilla marketing campaign. This is the right thing to do, and it will save you from getting your content removed from social media and other platforms.
