Guerilla Marketing: a brief definition

Guerilla Marketing is an innovative communication strategy whose principle of action is based on the effect of surprise. The tactics used often use particularly appealing creative ideas; At the same time, advertisers are trying to communicate their messages via unconventional marketing tools. As a result, Guerilla Marketing usually requires only a modest budget to achieve maximum impact.

What is Guerilla Marketing? Detailed definition

The term "Guerilla Marketing" was coined by American marketer Jay Conrad Levinson in the 1980s. It is a borrowing from military vocabulary. "Guerrilla" strategies refer to a kind of warfare designed to weaken a targeted enemy by deploying unconventional techniques. Guerilla Marketing, therefore, aims to gain a competitive advantage, through the use of atypical marketing strategies.

Guerrilla Marketing is considered unconventional because it abandons traditional advertising strategies in favor of unorthodox approaches, the latter being associated with direct and personal contacts obtained via non-media communications.

During a Guerilla Marketing campaign, advertising is deliberately placed on objects and in places where consumers do not expect to find it at all. Thus, the opportunities offered by this type of advertising are almost endless, ranging from advertising on everyday objects such as coasters, escalators, or public facilities, to "street marketing" actions, such as "flash-mob" events. These innovative forms of advertising work on an emotional level, as they provoke laughter or surprise from the targeted people.

Guerilla Marketing can pursue several different goals, but it is usually used to launch a brand or product or to strengthen a company's brand image.

In the past, Guerilla Marketing has often been used to promote new film productions and is also a common method of sports advertising. Since its offbeat approach attracts a high level of attention and can be effective even with a small budget, experts recommend the use of Guerilla Marketing to promote large brands, but also small and medium-sized businesses, as well as independent entrepreneurs.

Guerilla Marketing Tools

The tools of Guerilla Marketing revolve around different categories, but in practice, the distinctions are more blurred. We usually distinguish Ambient Marketing, Ambush Marketing, Emotional Marketing, and Viral Marketing.

Ambient Marketing

Ambient marketing is based on the deployment of surprising advertising campaigns, which reach consumers in their daily and normal environment. This method includes, among other things, the deployment of unusual advertising formats outdoors, in public spaces. Thus, Ambient Marketing includes innovative advertising campaigns in airports, buses, and trains, or in restaurants. In such places, advertising can be, for example, positioned on coasters, postcards... or even toilet seats in pubs and bars!

Marketing in ambush

Ambush Marketing, also known as Imitation Marketing, is the use of the attention surrounding a topic or event for advertising purposes, to highlight a brand. This technique is frequently used in conjunction with large-scale events, to achieve an advantageous image transfer that can benefit the brand.

Ambush marketing is naturally controversial, given that this type of advertising is essentially based on an opportunistic association with a given event.

Emotional marketing

Emotional marketing also involves unusual actions or spectacular demonstrations, most often carried out at a point of sale. Emotional Marketing, therefore, functions as a promoter or multiplier. Examples of emotional marketing operations include surprise fashion shows or flash mobs in pedestrian areas.

Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing is also associated with Guerilla Marketing, insofar as it nourishes the objective of quickly obtaining the greatest possible attention from a target group.

Viral Marketing aims to spread content virally, to reach a consumer population through personal advice, word of mouth, or online sharing, via social networks.

Examples of Guerilla Marketing campaigns

Many companies have used eye-catching Guerrilla Marketing campaigns to draw attention to their brands or products. Thus, the movie "King Kong" was promoted through a huge footprint on the beach at the time of its launch. The mysterious disappearance of students in a supernatural wood was organized before the launch of the low-budget film "The Blair Witch Project". And as another more distant example illustrates, the Mini brand has always devised new ways to engage with its audience through Guerilla Marketing.

Other examples of Guerilla Marketing

Colgate handed out somewhat special ice sticks to create a surprise. Once tasted, these ice creams revealed a wooden stick in the shape of a toothbrush, adorned with the Logo of the Colgate brand.

The Beiersdorf Group has placed double-textured blue sofas in its stores, displaying the logo of its Nivea brand: the upholstery was designed to illustrate the difference between skin with cellulite and smooth skin.

McDonald's turned a studded passage into a large one of fries.

Nike captured media attention by asking an 80-year-old runner wearing Nike gear to participate in an Adidas-sponsored marathon, to weaken the official sponsor's advertising impact.

To encourage customers to use rental cars as part of a rail strike, the head of the sixt GDL car rental agency, Claus Weselsky, was quickly promoted to an employee of the month by the group, which allowed his action to become an important topic of conversation.

Success factors of Guerilla Marketing

Beyond a truly creative idea, good planning, and careful preparation condition the success of Guerilla Marketing's campaigns. To reap laurels, it is also crucial to propose a "guerrilla" action adapted to the brand and the target group ("Brand Fit"). In addition, contact points must be set up to enable consumers to react immediately to the planned action. For an optimal Guerilla Marketing campaign, it is recommended to put in place an action capable of engaging consumers and relaying in all media. To encourage the viral dissemination of the campaign, the target group should be asked to provide content on the Internet, for example by uploading photos to Pinterest.

Conclusion

Guerilla Marketing is a very creative advertising method, which highlights products or brands using the surprise effect. Different Guerilla Marketing tools can be used such as Ambient Marketing, Emotional Marketing, Ambush Marketing, and Viral Marketing – although the boundaries between these subcategories are pretty poorly defined.

To get the consumer's attention, Guerilla Marketing uses advertising to reach a target audience when they do not expect it. The synergy obtained with the public, without the need to deploy significant resources, offers the advertiser an undeniable competitive advantage. During a Guerrilla Marketing operation, emotional triggers, such as humor, are often used to achieve business goals; these emotional experiences help consumers remember the ad and make it even more memorable.

Guerilla Marketing actions may require increased attention and are therefore more likely to spread virally. But Guerrilla Marketing can also pose a risk if the brand is unpopular or ambush marketing attempts too daring feats. Guerrilla Marketing frequently operates within the limits of "political correctness" and companies that cross the red line can trigger negative chain reactions on social media.