Guerrilla marketing

Guerrilla marketing tactics are cost effective, efficient and only limited by a small business owner’s imagination.

Companies large and small continue to look for ways to promote their products and services during this tough economic recession. Even larger, national firms simply can’t afford to sink big bucks into marketing and PR these days. With diminishing marketing budgets and fewer resources, many companies are instead turning to guerrilla marketing to get their message out.

What is guerrilla marketing exactly? The concept was created and defined in 1984 by Jay Conrad Levinson, an accomplished former advertising executive responsible for helping to create brand icons like the Marlboro Man, Tony the Tiger and the Jolly Green Giant.

The goal of guerrilla marketing, whether it’s done on or off line, is to create unique, low-cost, thought-provoking concepts that catch a consumer off-guard, generating buzz and quickly going viral as a result.

Guerrilla marketing doesn’t revolve around tried and true techniques and strategies,” Levinson said. “Instead, it focuses on catching a consumer’s attention by staging PR stunts and encounters with a brand in public places, giving away products on the street, and using digital technology, social media and the Internet to engage the consumer and ensure a memorable brand experience.”

Examples of guerrilla marketing, some more memorable than others, are everywhere. In 2007, frugal furniture manufacturer IKEA staged a five-day guerrilla marketing campaign in New York City by giving makeovers to bus stops around Manhattan. Each bus stop was transformed into an IKEA furnished “room,” giving people a comfortable place to sit while they waited for the bus.

The company also placed IKEA dog bowls on the street for thirsty dogs and placed colorful pillows on park benches, encouraging people to take a load off. IKEA looped video of the makeovers on their website, which quickly went viral.

“For that campaign, IKEA was able to showcase how their products can make people’s lives easier,” Levinson said. “If you’ve got a product, think of creative ways to show consumers why what you’re selling will make their lives better.”
In 2008, Burger King employed street teams to drop wallets in major cities around the United States. When would-be Good Samaritans picked up the wallets, they found real dollar bills, coupons and free gift cards.

“This is guerrilla marketing at its best,” said Levinson. “The Burger King wallets were eye-catching and when they were opened by consumers, what they found inside inspired them to go to the restaurants. It also made for great word-of-mouth as consumers told others about the wallet they found in the street that day.”

But small-business owners beware: Guerrilla marketing can go horribly wrong if not executed properly. On January 31, 2007, magnetic light displays placed in and around Boston were mistaken for explosive devices. Several subway stations and a portion of Interstate 93 were closed as police were called in to remove and destroy the devices.

The suspicious objects turned out to be ads depicting characters from the animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Cartoon Network, owned by Turner Broadcasting. Two men were arrested as a result of the botched stunt and a slew of bad press attacking the company followed.

“If you’re going to use guerrilla marketing techniques, you’ve got to do it in a way that isn’t going to land you and your company in hot water,” Levinson said.

Questions:

• What do you think of this type of marketing?
• What about your company. Does it practice guerrilla marketing? Why?Why not?

link;

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/23/1785466_p2/10-crucial-guerrilla-marketing.html

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