When it comes to getting more eyes on your company, not every tactic is one size fits all. Sometimes what works for another company won’t always work for yours, so you’ll need to develop a unique strategy to get your audience’s attention. That’s where guerrilla marketing comes into play. Many companies have had success with guerrilla marketing, and it can be an excellent way to get more eyes on your business and pique people’s interest.
What Is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is a marketing tactic that utilizes experimental advertising ideas to grab the audience’s attention. These are typically out-of-the-box advertisements and are often used as a ploy to increase brand awareness.
The primary difference between guerrilla marketing and other forms of advertising is that guerrilla marketing is used to spark interaction between audience and advertiser. It’s usually something that you wouldn’t expect to be an advertisement and interrupts the audience’s routine to get them to notice it. These advertisements often come with the element of surprise, allowing them to make a more profound impression on the people who see them.
3 Types of Guerrilla Marketing Tactics
Experiential Marketing
Experiential marketing is a guerilla tactic that’s used to create an experience for your audience. It can be a game, product immersion, or leading them in a conversation about you. This tactic aims to connect with audience members on a more personal level. People like to feel important so it can help them to remember that experience and maybe become a customer.
Ambush Marketing
Ambush marketing is a tactic used to help leverage an ongoing event and its audience to send a marketing message. One example of this is when Flash Mobs were still popular. People would show up in a particular place at a specific time, and a large crowd of people would start a choreographed dance. They would capture the captive audience’s attention and give the group a floor to promote something during or after the mob.
Ambient Marketing
Ambient marketing is another strategy that’s used to interrupt people’s schedules with something new. These are often installations of art that appear both indoors and outdoors. They are typically temporary installations but could be placed on a busy sidewalk to interrupt the flow of pedestrians so they can’t avoid seeing the piece. It’s a great way to send a message without actively engaging your audience.
Examples of Successful Guerrilla Marketing
Colgate Ice Cream
Colgate has been known to do product tests for toothpaste and brushes, but they tried a new tactic recently. To promote oral hygiene, Colgate paid to replace many popsicle sticks with sticks shaped like toothbrushes. These brushes said “Don’t forget” in reference to brushing your teeth. This was a great example of ambient marketing that interrupted the norm and made people think about brushing their teeth after eating sweets.
Mr. Clean’s Crosswalk
Mr. Clean is a well known brand in the cleaning industry. They create the Magic Eraser and provide a plethora of cleaning products. One ambient tactic they employed was cleaning up a crosswalk. While most crosswalks have faded white lines to mark where pedestrians can walk, Mr. Clean decided to repaint only one line bright white and added the Mr. Clean logo to it. This was an ambient strategy, drawing attention to how well Mr. Clean’s products can clean anything.
Barbie’s Bus Stop
Bus stops have often been the place of marketing, whether with posters or objects. Mattel, the maker of Barbies, decided to revamp a bus stop to make it look like a Barbie dream house. They added pink interior furniture and filled the bus stop with Barbie messaging. It was an immersive experience for anyone who waited at that stop to interact with the Barbie brand.
The Takeaway
The primary takeaway is that while not a traditional marketing strategy, guerrilla marketing is an excellent way to help boost brand awareness by catching people off-guard with strong messaging. Anyone can participate in guerrilla marketing. You’ll just need to develop a good strategy that won’t invade people’s day too much but isn’t too subtle, never to be seen.