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Meaning of Guerrilla Marketing
In the modern world, people always look forward to innovation. They prefer products and services that are out of the line and have an adaptive nature. The marketing strategies adopted by companies change every minute. Due to high competition in the market, companies are forced to adopt strategies that help them to stand out from the crowd. Guerrilla marketing is one of the innovative as well as impact-oriented strategies adopted in the technologically driven era.
Guerrilla marketing is a creative and unconventional marketing strategy that uses low-cost, innovative tactics to promote a product, service, or brand. It aims to generate buzz, create a strong emotional connection with consumers, and build a lasting brand identity. Guerrilla marketing often integrates itself with different marketing strategies adopted by the firm.
The aim is to generate an impact about the product and service in the market along with the establishment of connections solely offered by the firm so they can exercise a competitive advantage in the market. They often attain this goal through low-cost methods that rely on imagination, originality, and boldness.
Types of Guerrilla Marketing
According to the business objectives, different strategies are adopted by the companies. The strategies adopted should favor the preferences and resources available to them. Some of the eminent strategies are discussed below:
Ambient marketing
This is the most popular approach in guerrilla marketing is ambient marketing. In this type, the outcome of the marketing is completely unpredictable and this leaves the people awestruck. They aim at a marketing type that involves using the environment around the consumer to create a memorable and attention-grabbing campaign. A well-known example of ambient marketing is the “See Beyond Traffic” campaign by Samsung, which involved placing screens on the back of trucks to show drivers behind them what was ahead on the road.
Ambush Marketing
This type of marketing usually gets the help of a third party to promote the product and service. This involves hijacking an event or another brand’s marketing campaign to promote your brand. For example, a clothing brand might send models wearing their clothes to stand outside a fashion show for a competitor’s brand. Another eminent example is the event that occurred during the 2010 FIFA World Cup when Dutch beer company Bavaria hired a group of attractive women to attend a match wearing orange dresses (the national color of the Netherlands). The women were later ejected from the stadium for allegedly violating FIFA’s strict branding rules, but the stunt generated significant media coverage for the beer brand.
Astroturfing
They are the paid endorsement form of guerrilla marketing which is less tactful than the other forms of marketing. This involves creating a false sense of grassroots support for a product or service. They are often compared to paid reviews on Amazon and Reddit is done to increase sales. A well-known example of astroturfing occurred in 2006 when Sony was caught using fake blogs to promote their PSP handheld gaming device. The company had hired actors to pose as enthusiastic gamers and post positive reviews of the device, but the deception was quickly uncovered and the campaign was widely criticized.
Buzz Marketing/Viral Marketing
They aim at the genuine endorsement of their products. They increase brand awareness and exposure using high-end celebrities. One of the common examples quoted is Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Campaign: In 2010, Old Spice launched a viral marketing campaign that featured actor Isaiah Mustafa in a series of humorous commercials. The campaign went viral, with millions of views on YouTube, and helped increase Old Spice’s sales by 107%.
Grassroots Marketing
Grassroots marketing is a marketing strategy that relies on using a group of people or organizations to promote a product or service. This type of marketing is often used by small businesses, non-profit organizations, or political campaigns to create awareness and build support. We can understand this with the example of Airbnb’s “One Less Strange” Campaign where Airbnb launched a grassroots marketing campaign that encouraged users to perform random acts of kindness for strangers. The campaign was promoted through social media.
Stealth Marketing
They often market the product to other audiences in a way that the target does not realize that the product is being marketed to them. This is a low-cost strategy that aims mainly at creating awareness of the product rather than generating an immediate sale for the product. One example of stealth marketing by Starbucks is the placement of its products in movies and TV shows. In the TV show “Gilmore Girls.” The character Lorelai Gilmore is a frequent customer at Starbucks, and the coffee chain’s cups and logo are prominently featured throughout the show.
Street Marketing
Street marketing is a marketing strategy that involves promoting a product or service in public spaces. This type of marketing is mainly used to give a first-hand memorable and interactive experience for customers. Let us look into the example of Red Bull’s “Flugtag” annual event where participants create homemade flying machines and launch them into a body of water. The event was through social media along with word-of-mouth publicity and it helped the company to become a popular give aid in building brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Wild Posting
Wild posting is a form of outdoor advertising that involves putting up posters or flyers in public spaces without permission from property owners or local authorities. Wild posting is often used by companies to promote events, concerts, or product launches. The promotion of music festivals and other events is usually done through this tactic. Coachella Music Festival put up posters and flyers in high-traffic areas in major cities across the United States, featuring the festival’s line-up and dates.
Experiential marketing
It is the most interactive marketing strategy that focuses on creating a memorable experience for consumers. It is designed in a way so that the consumer is on a deeper level, often by providing an immersive experience that allows them to interact with a brand in a meaningful way. The most commonly quoted example is the vending machines of Coca-Cola. They set up personalized vending machines that allowed people to create custom cans with their names on them.
Through the unconventional method of taking a creative and innovative approach, businesses can generate high income and build a personal relationship with consumers resulting in brand identity and brand awareness.