Competition in the business world is stiffer than ever. New technology
has made it possible for a lot more people to get their feet wet in the
marketing game, and we are seeing the effects of an open playing field. Most of
the email sent today is junk mail and spam. Auto-dialers are making more
unwanted phone calls than ever.
Most consumers are immune to these tactics, and even a well-meaning
email campaign built from a legitimate client list can fall flat simply because
it’s played out. Many traditional marketing structures are so rigid and narrow
in scope that they fail to make an impact. To make yourself visible, you may
have to employ other tactics.
Implementing an ad campaign that stands out in an unusual way and
catches people off guard is known as guerilla marketing. This means that the
campaign generates buzz because it stands out and grabs people’s attention in
an unorthodox way. The term “guerilla marketing” is typically applied to
marketing that’s done for little or no cost, yet reaches a massive audience.
Traditional Marketing vs Guerrilla Marketing
Guerilla marketing is heavily reliant on the elements
of intrigue and surprise. This requires breaking away from a traditional
marketing approach to come up with a creative, low-cost campaign. Most of the
time, large companies use large campaigns and focus on scale.
Conversely, small companies or movements will use
guerilla marketing, although large companies have been copycatting grassroots
campaigns for years. Another key factor in creating a successful guerilla
marketing campaign is an understanding of human psychology. Instead of spending
large amounts of time and money, guerilla marketing focuses on spending energy
and coming up with creative angles.
Take it to the streets
This is the most recognizable trait of guerilla
marketing campaigns. Small businesses have been very effective at effectively
executing campaigns based in public spaces. We have all seen these – walking
billboards, people dressed up in costumes and handing out flyers. This can seem
a bit tasteless, and even embarrassing, but it will get attention. Larger
businesses also use these techniques with ever-increasing fervor. You can class
this routine up a bit very easily. For example, hire a group of glamorous young
men or women to hand out high-quality brochures for your hair salon.
Make a Viral Video
This is becoming a classic technique. Even organically
produced viral videos nowadays don’t just pop out of nowhere and gain steam.
Usually it’s a savvy marketer using the video to pitch a brand or get hits on
their YouTube channel. If you can create something funny or impossible to
ignore, your video as well as your brand will travel around the world like a
lightning bolt, reaching millions of people.
Branding
If you have an awesome logo, put it on everything you
can think of. Imagine how many people you can expose your brand to if you had a
celebrity or athlete with millions of eyes on them wearing your logo. Better
yet, think how successful your campaign could be if there were thousands of
people wearing your logo on merchandise like hats, socks and t-shirts, every day.
This can really generate buzz. Think about different ways to display your logo
on merchandise.
Partner Up
Getting together with other businesses to pool
resources for a marketing campaign is a great idea. There is strength in
numbers. I recently went to a concert where a whiskey company and a tattoo
parlor were there, giving out free tattoos and free shots. The event promoted
local bands, restaurants, the whiskey company and the tattoo shop. This
attracted quite a buzz in the community and paid off in dollars and cents.
Consider teaming up with a non-profit organization to increase exposure for you
and the cause. Many good things can come from these collaborations.
Affiliate with Media Outlets
Guerrilla marketing goes hand in hand with media
relations. It doesn’t hurt to reach out, and it costs absolutely nothing. Small
businesses don’t have the overhead for a high-powered public relations
consultant, so they can opt to directly contact media outlets. If you can
convey your brand or tell a story in a powerful way, then you have a good
chance of generating attention through local media. Make sure you have
something interesting to bring to the table or your effort might fall flat.
Tear-jerkers are very successful on venues like the evening news. Tom’s Shoes
is a good example of this kind of marketing. For every pair you buy, they
donate a pair to someone in need who can’t afford shoes, usually in a Third World
country with limited resources.
Another approach can apply if you have something that
can change the game. If you’ve devised a new piece of technology that’s going
to transform your industry, media outlets will jump at the chance to be the
first to get on board. These kinds of things are great ways to build contacts
with media sources and content creators as a reputable source.
Obey
Now that
we’ve gone over some of the finer points of guerrilla marketing – hustling,
being creative, investing time, telling a meaningful story and finding avenues
for exposure – let’s look at one of the most influential and successful
guerrilla marketing campaign of all time.
An art
student at the Rhode Island School of Design whose work had an Andy Warhol-type
quality started Obey. His stealth campaign created itself out of a vacuum when
he canvassed the city with stickers, stencils and posters of a stylized
character called Andre the Giant (which looks a lot like wrestler Andre the
Giant). One of the designs had a close-up of a face with the word “OBEY” on it
and another one had the phrase “Andre the Giant Has a Posse”. He had no intention
of selling anything, he was purely interested in the art and social impact of
stealth advertising. His subversive campaign showed how something with no
meaning at all was given wings by the collective consciousness. How ads can
slowly creep into our minds without anyone realizing that this thing or “brand”
is now ingrained in our minds.
Obey is
now a very successful clothing and merchandise company. Whether the creator’s
intentions were to poke fun at consumerism or bring attention to rampant
branding is unclear. He reached true Warhol status with all the open-ended
questions posed by the Obey campaign. Personally, as an artist, I don’t think
he knows the answer to those questions himself, yet his style has been
relentlessly copied by other marketers with varying success. Designers like Shepard
Fairy and street artist Banksy have paved the way for modern, highly visible guerrilla
marketing techniques, for better or worse. There is a lot to learn from considering
the impact of their work/campaigns. How can you use guerrilla marketing to grow
your campaign?
