What do you associate with the word “marketing”? Commercials? Newspaper advertisements? Have you ever wondered what “marketing” actually means?
Marketing consists of details that form the consumer’s perception of the company: logo, product packaging, advertising brochure, etc. The goal of marketing is to manage people’s impressions by adjusting these details. Marketing determines how products are presented to the buyer: exclusive or in the form of an optimal price/quality ratio.
Marketing is an ongoing process, not a single event. The marketing campaign is carefully planned and launched. This could include handing out leaflets on the street, sending out emails, or advertising on television.
Once your marketing campaign is over, you can't rest on your laurels. The revenue earned through the campaign must be invested back into marketing. Why?
The world is constantly changing, new competitors are constantly appearing on the horizon, so you need to regularly attract the attention of consumers.
Marketing is aimed not only at attracting new customers, but also at retaining existing ones. No matter how satisfied consumers are, they need to be reminded of their existence - through marketing.
Marketing cannot be transferred to the “done” status; new campaigns must be constantly launched.
Innovative and Inexpensive Guerrilla Marketing Ideal for Small Businesses
The term “guerrilla marketing” is on everyone’s lips. But how is it different from the traditional one?
Most marketers believe that success is due to large investments - expensive television commercials and full-page magazine advertising.
Guerrilla marketing seeks new and innovative methods of attracting customers, which is especially useful for small organizations with a small budget for marketing campaigns.
Traditional marketing is aimed at increasing sales or Internet traffic, while guerrilla marketing is focused only on financial results. That is, the success of a campaign is measured solely by the profit it brings.
This is reasonable because other indicators can be misleading to the organization. Often, marketing campaigns of large enterprises break sales records, but remain unprofitable. Guerrilla marketers simply cannot afford to do this.
Traditional marketing is a monologue, while guerrilla marketing is a dialogue.
In guerrilla marketing, both sides interact.
Example. Let's say you're running an online competition that asks people to review a company. You can respond to this review and start a dialogue with the client.
Dialogue gives small businesses an advantage over corporations - the opportunity to respond to every consumer.
It is necessary to position the campaign correctly
Marketing campaigns are varied, but they are all aimed at positioning the organization. Positioning identifies a problem, defines the target group and the benefit of your product in solving that problem.
Positioning is the core element of a marketing strategy and is consistent across all campaigns.
Carefully consider every aspect of any campaign because it represents the positioning of the organization. David Ogilvy (advertising guru and inspiration for Don Draper's character in Mad Men) states: "Positioning is much more important than advertising design or wording."
Example. Immediately after the opening of JetBlue, the September 11 terrorist attack occurred, which reduced the popularity of air travel and greatly damaged the airline business. But by positioning itself as a low-cost, premium airline with nice amenities (seat-back screens, comfortable leather seats), JetBlue was able to succeed.
The choice of target group largely determines the positioning of the company. To make the right choice, you need to consider demographics.
Example. A significant trend is the rapid aging of the population. To appeal to a consumer group such as older adults, highlight the mobility and independence your products provide. Also choose a fairly large font for your advertising text.
A Guerrilla Marketing Campaign Must Make Seven Key Decisions
One of the success factors for guerrilla marketing is creativity. But there are certain rules marketing campaign development.
You must answer seven questions about the campaign. Let's take a look at them by imagining that you run a bookstore that specializes in freelancing guides.
1. Determine what physical actions target customers should take if the campaign is successful. Example. You want people to visit the store and buy books.
2. Define competitive advantage. Example. Valuable content in your books that people will want to pay for.
3. Identify your target market. Example. Your market is freelancers and people who want to become freelancers.
4. Decide what marketing tools you want to use. Example. You can advertise in magazines, seminars and online forums for freelancers.
5. Determine the company's main activity and its market niche. Example. The bookstore provides freelancers with valuable information.
6. Define your business identity based on the true nature of your business. Otherwise, customers will be disappointed when their expectations are not met. Example. A bookstore's identity can be built on expertise in freelancing and rapid response to customer requests.
7. Determine your campaign budget. The amount depends on how much you can spend and what results you expect.
Addressing these seven questions will build a strong foundation for your campaign.
For marketing success, choose the right data channel
Printed versions of magazines attract clients to participate. Magazine readers pay a lot of attention to each page, while newspapers are designed to quickly obtain the necessary information. Therefore, you can confidently publish more information in magazines. Advertising should be consistent with the general style of the magazine so that readers can easily move from the article they are interested in to your ad.
A television not only visually demonstrates the benefits of a product, but also combines visual and auditory stimuli to help consumers remember the product faster. A TV can reach millions of people at once if it advertises during prime time or during the World Cup. But such advertising is too expensive for guerrilla marketers.
Internet Marketing(advertising by email, chats, blogs, video cards or websites) appeared not so long ago. This channel allows you to communicate with customers over a long period of time, which opens up great marketing opportunities. Fill your website with quality and interesting content to attract regular visitors.
Remember: channel selection should be the foundation of your marketing strategy.
Internet marketing is an effective weapon for any company
Internet marketing is a major part of a broader marketing category known as electronic media marketing.
Don't think this doesn't apply to your company if it doesn't sell digital products. Every company should invest in internet marketing. Why?
US consumers spend more than $632 billion on products found online. Even if you don't have an online store, the World Wide Web can bring you profit. All you need to do is post your products and directions to the store on the website.
Let's say you want to use internet marketing and have allocated funds for this. How to distribute them correctly?
# Allocate a third of your budget to developing a website that is interesting and useful to customers.
# Even a perfect website is useless without visitors. Therefore, spend the second third of the budget on its promotion.
# Pay attention to the site: update and develop it. The last third of the budget will go towards this.
The second main Internet marketing channel is Email: It helps to strengthen relationships with clients. Even if you send the same email to thousands of people, each of them will feel individually treated, which will have a positive impact on the company's reputation.
Keep a list of the mailing addresses of satisfied customers, as they will be more likely to read what you send. But let customers decide whether they want to be on your list, for example, by offering a free newsletter on the company's website.
Consumers love free bonuses
Why do many companies send free product samples to customers? Because people love free bonuses.
This also applies to information. To attract more customers, provide them with free information about your business. This is called media marketing.
Potential buyers will learn about you and your products and will feel safe purchasing your product. Organize free seminars that highlight your expertise in your industry.
Example. A man owns a company that trains people to use computers and is unable to find new clients. He organized a free seminar for those who knew absolutely nothing about computers and attracted 500 visitors, thereby expanding his customer base.
If people understand that a service or product is worth paying for, many will become actual buyers. Dedicate 15 minutes of a one-hour seminar to a sales pitch or set up a booth near an exit where people can purchase your product or order a service.
Consumers also love free social events. Art galleries often take advantage of this by opening new exhibitions. You can invite friends and acquaintances to a party with food, drinks and music at your expense, and in the midst of the fun, succinctly and enthusiastically talk about your product, while handing out free samples. The pleasant surroundings will allow you to make several transactions in the same evening.
Marketing without media is inexpensive but effective
The third option for guerrilla marketing is media-free marketing (all marketing methods except paid media). But this will take time and creativity.
A well-known type of marketing without media is public relations (PR). An article about your company published in a newspaper is part of PR because it helps build relationships between you and readers. Such an article can be more effective than advertising.
The advantage of PR is the absence of costs. PR is more credible than paid advertising. How to publish articles about your company's activities in newspapers, magazines and blogs? Meet the journalists.
Many companies don't do this and simply mail them a press kit or non-personalized information packets, hoping that they will write an interesting article based on it. But 80% of such materials end up in the trash.
Once you've met journalists, you can invite them to lunch and present them with your press kit over the meal. This way there is a much greater chance of success.
Another method of marketing without media is to participate in social activities. People prefer to do business with friends than with strangers.
It is necessary to invest time and energy demonstrating a genuine concern for the community. Organize competitions, sponsor charity events, offer your product or service for free at public events.
When people see you working for free for the good of society, they will think that you work twice as hard if you get paid for it.
The most important
Guerrilla marketing uses innovative and inexpensive methods to attract customers. To use it successfully, you need to find media that matches your company's marketing strategy. This could be internet marketing, public relations, or providing a free product or service.
Among the huge number of methods for promoting your products, guerrilla marketing is one of the most interesting and promising directions for small and medium businesses. Starting from 1984 (the publication of J.C. Levinson’s book on low-budget methods of advertising) to the present day, the popularity of this type of marketing has been growing steadily, and over the past few years, non-standard methods of product promotion have become of interest to almost all business representatives, regardless of the scale of their activities and industry the economy in which they work.
Guerrilla Marketing Basics
In order to imagine what the essence of the type of marketing under consideration is, it is enough to simply turn on logical thinking. If a small budget is allocated to promote a product/service or company, it means that insufficient funding (for traditional advertising) must be compensated somehow. And the first thing that many readers will think about is that a creative idea and a non-standard approach to solving a given problem will help to get out of this situation with dignity.
Indeed, if you know the life priorities of the target audience and have a rich imagination, you can come up with a marketing ploy or advertising campaign that will definitely interest potential clients. At the same time, your expenses will be several times less than those of traditional marketers, and the result will be much higher. This article discusses all the nuances of guerrilla marketing with examples creative ideas to promote any product or service. In addition, you will find information and recommendations of practical interest to aspiring entrepreneurs, experienced businessmen, as well as economic theorists and readers planning to someday start their own business.
Definition and Features
We can say that guerrilla marketing is all non-standard, low-budget ideas for promoting goods, services, trademark or companies that allow you to effectively sell their products and attract new customers in order to receive maximum profits. At the same time, there are practically no financial investments or little money is used. Thanks to this fact this type Marketing is often referred to as “low-cost” or “low-budget.” The founder of this area of marketing himself did not give it an unambiguous definition, but drew an analogy with military terminology, where “partisan” means conducting military operations with small forces without the use of heavy weapons.
Cheap methods of promoting goods/services involve the use of inexpensive media (business cards, postcards, signs, booklets, etc.) instead of advertising in the media, as well as a variety of techniques and tricks that allow free or minimal financial costs convey necessary information to a potential client. As a result, advertising should bring maximum benefit, which is expressed in monetary terms and is the net profit of the company.
Recently, an interesting trend has been observed, which is that large companies, having huge capitals, began to take an active interest in cheap marketing. What does this mean? Hardly large enterprises decided to save on advertising in this way, most likely, this fact proves the high effectiveness of guerrilla marketing, which quite often brings more benefits than traditional expensive methods of promoting goods and services.
When studying the question of what guerrilla marketing is, it is necessary to analyze its main features. As already mentioned, this type of marketing is low-budget, that is, it excludes the possibility of using advertising in newspapers, TV and other media. Alternative options– cheap storage media or non-standard tricks. For example, in an auto parts store, cards were attached to the products with the telephone number of the nearest service station and a short list of services provided. Or a small company engaged in renovations in apartments and private houses enters into an oral agreement with the seller building materials that he will hand out their business cards and recommend them as excellent specialists in their industry.
Another feature of low-budget marketing is that all its mechanisms are designed for very quick “returns”. The planned promotion should work within 1-2 days, maximum in a week. Otherwise, a small company simply cannot exist. In addition, almost all marketing ploys are constructed in such a way that their real effectiveness can be calculated in monetary terms. For example, the head of a small enterprise has three options for promoting a product. Choose the one that will bring maximum benefit without calculations it is almost impossible, but when there are specific numbers, there will be no problems.
For traditional advertising, it is quite normal for one company to try to “overwhelm” another with a large number of advertising clips, commercials, advertisements, etc. In guerrilla marketing you will never see a similar picture; it is designed for the effectiveness of advertising, and not for its quantity.
This marketing method involves establishing partnerships with similar companies. Using mutually beneficial relationships instead of competition, entrepreneurs save not only time and effort, but also their financial resources, which is a very important point for representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.
On the other hand, everything marketing moves and advertising campaigns, in the situation under consideration, are not advertised, they are carried out quietly so that competing firms do not know about them. If an advertisement is aimed at a specific target audience, then no one else should know about it. And first of all, this concerns competitors. This nuance is due to the fact that many ideas in this area are one-time in nature, that is, if a competing company finds out what you are going to do to improve sales efficiency and implements this plan first, you will no longer earn anything from own idea. The target audience will not be interested in the same offer the second time.
One of the main secrets of high efficiency of low-budget marketing is the use psychological impact to the target audience. Before choosing a method to attract clients, you need to carefully study everything important points that are relevant to your target audience. You need to know everything about the client: what he likes, what things he doesn’t like, how much he is willing to pay for a certain product, etc.
Based on the information obtained, marketing schemes can be developed based on intrinsic motivation clients. We should draw your attention to the fact that there are no strict moral and ethical standards in guerrilla marketing, and this is a completely natural circumstance. In business, in order to make a profit, they do not pay attention to the restrictions existing in society.
Considering the pace of business development on the World Wide Web, we can confidently say that many readers are interested in guerrilla marketing on the Internet. If you do not delve into the nuances that do not play a decisive role in this issue, then this method of advertising and promoting products online works on the same principles as in real life. The only difference is that on the Internet you can use additional features, for example, virus programs, various forums for distributing information beneficial to you, etc.
Types and examples
Divide existing areas of guerrilla marketing into separate groups, adhering to certain criteria is quite difficult, but despite this, theorists have completed this task.
The target audience of shocking/provocative marketing is young people. Most often, it is used to advertise a budget but fashionable product, using stories with sexual overtones for these purposes. For example, undressing or hints of oral sex.
The basis of hidden marketing is the recommendations of famous, authoritative people in films, TV series, television programs, etc. In this case, the target audience is generally unaware that they are being influenced in any way. If you watch the series carefully, you will definitely find hidden advertising.
Viral marketing is used on the Internet. For these purposes, special viral videos are created with a bright, impressive plot, which are aimed at a specific target audience.
The original type of guerrilla marketing is Life Placement, which affects the human subconscious. The principle is very simple: a happy young man comes out of the store with a box in his hands, on which the name of the company is clearly visible. His appearance indicates great joy in having purchased this product. In this case, fake people are used to advertise a specific company.
All of the listed areas of guerrilla marketing and their “live” examples can be seen in Russia. To do this, you need to carefully monitor what is happening around you, and also pay attention to the little things when watching films and TV series.
The types of guerrilla marketing considered are aimed at solving the following problems:
they must bring maximum benefit in the absence of funds or in the case of low-budget financing;
may have a targeted impact on customers (one hundred representatives of the target audience receive a certain card with information about a product or service; if five people take advantage of the offer, it means the company is in profit).
Tools
Many readers have probably already realized that many of the nuances related to this area of marketing are associated with extraordinary thinking and a creative approach. And the next object of the presented article is no exception. Let's look at the main tools used to achieve guerrilla marketing goals.
Making profit out of nothing. This tool implies that any product has hidden capabilities that need to be found and turned into money. For example, a person who made an “accordion” on an ordinary drinking straw so that it took a convenient shape earned a million-dollar fortune from just one patent.
Come up with a beautiful legend for your product. The main thing is not to overdo it, so that you are not accused of deception. Better use real facts or general, broad concepts.
Be sure to use all available opportunities (media) to advertise your products. Even the price tag can be used for these purposes. For example, in a store, 70% of the price tags are one color, and the rest are brighter, while at the entrance to the store there is a large poster with the inscription: “Today only! Products with an orange price tag are 20% cheaper!” Next, on the most illiquid items for which you were already going to lower prices, make the promised discount, and for popular goods, make price tags at your discretion. But remember an important thing: if a customer leaves your store feeling deceived, he will never return to you. IN best case scenario, You will lose a client, and at worst, you will receive a lot of anti-advertising against your business. Therefore, always carefully calculate all the pros and cons of each marketing move.
Offer your products exactly at the moment when the potential client needs it.
Place your advertisement where it will definitely be useful. For example, it is not clear why manufacturers of hangover medicines do not agree with distilleries to post brief information on how you can regain your ability to work after a long feast with the help of 1-2 tablets.
The listed guerrilla marketing tools are not the only ones; the list presented may change a lot in a few years. This is due to the fact that the area of marketing in question is constantly evolving, people come up with new schemes, business is moving more and more to the Internet every day, etc.
Methods
In order to fully disclose the presented topic, it is necessary to analyze the methods used to promote products within this area of marketing.
First of all, you need to work closely with companies that work with your target audience, but for a different group of goods/services. For example, a company that was engaged in the construction of water supply and sewerage agreed with a store that sells materials for these purposes on mutually beneficial cooperation. Some recommended where to buy pipes, taps, fittings, etc., while others advised where to go to get quality plumbing or sewerage.
Offer advertising of your services or goods at the moment when a representative of the target audience is just thinking about the need to purchase them. For example, at the request of a child you buy parrots. Along with your purchase, you are unobtrusively offered a business card with the coordinates of a store that sells bird food, and a veterinarian’s business card. The costs are minimal, and the potential for profit in this case is very high.
Come up with an event that will attract the attention of the media, which will provide an opportunity to advertise your products, company or brand for free. Anything that attracts public attention can be used as a storyline: sex, extreme sports, money, some kind of grand discovery, etc.
A good option to get new clients if you work with representatives of other companies, and not with individuals, is to organize a certain environment for communication with your target audience. This could be an exhibition, discussions about the prospects for the development of the industry, a presentation of a new product, or communication in the virtual space on a thematic forum. The main thing is to be unobtrusive at such events and behave absolutely at ease.
Long forgotten by representatives of the older generation and completely unfamiliar to those who are now over 25 years old, the method of communication using a regular letter on paper sent via mail can significantly increase the sales volume of your products. The main thing is creative text and original design envelope so that your message does not get lost among other promotional materials.
Go outside and look at the objects around you, the one that attracts attention the most is an excellent option for placing your advertising. It is best to use in this situation original approach, that is, you will have to either use your imagination or involve professionals. An ordinary poster will not bring the expected result.
A car that moves around the city every day is also a good place to advertise your products. And again, the main nuance is the uniqueness of the design, so that every potential buyer, stopping at an intersection, will definitely pay attention to your car.
The list of common pirate marketing tools also includes offering related services (including in this case It’s better to cooperate with other small companies) and distribute souvenirs advertising your brand, company or product.
Recently, pirate marketing has reached a level where almost all entities use it entrepreneurial activity, which provides grounds for a more detailed study of this area by theorists of economic disciplines, as well as publication practical recommendations for beginner businessmen.
Did you like the article? Share with friends on social media. networks:Previously, when we were just starting our consulting activities, we did not spend a lot of money on advertising from our clients, trying to do it in low-cost ways.
Now I understand that in order to make GOOD money, you need to invest. Investments can be of 2 types. Either money or time. Sometimes time is more valuable than money.
Advertising without a budget?! How is that?
If you don’t know what it is and who invented it, everything is already written on Wikipedia, I advise you to read it, it’s quite interesting, but I’ll still tell you briefly.
Guerrilla marketing is a low-budget way of advertising and marketing that allows you to effectively promote your product or service, attract new customers and increase your profits without investing, or almost no money.
Types and features of hidden marketing, its examples and simple ways in action that can be used in your business, this is what we will talk about in this article!
Examples of such advertising
Guerrilla marketing in action can be seen quite often abroad. This is exactly the same type of marketing as any other.
However, in Russia he is not yet so popular (although his name as a specialist in guerrilla marketing is known to many). But nevertheless, examples of guerrilla marketing in Russia will also be lower.
Example 1 – word of mouth
For example, one of the restaurants spends virtually no money on advertising. The main item of his expenses is that he feeds hairdressers for free. At a very decent level both in terms of service and quality of food.
And we all know that hairdressers/make-up artists/stylists are those who are especially trusted by people (and in fact, we wouldn’t trust our hair to a person we don’t know.
Especially women) and constantly talk to them, tell them their news.
And, as you understand, visiting the restaurant was the best news, so it was recommended with great enthusiasm. This is hidden incentive.
Are you serious!? Tell me more
By the way, the hottest clients come through word of mouth. You don’t even need to convince them to buy, they are already “ripe.” Therefore, this version of guerrilla marketing is very, very good.
By the way, we used it. In a slightly modified form, but still, in our client’s cafe.
Opinion leaders in his city were invited to a free tasting of coffee and food. They designed the invitations quite beautifully and even before attending the tasting they posted them in their in social networks.
And since the tasting went off with a bang, the reviews were very, very happy. By the way, many of those invited later became regular visitors to the cafe.
Example 2 – viral video
Guerrilla and viral marketing go hand in hand. That is why, another method of guerrilla marketing that we have long wanted to implement with some client, but have not yet implemented, is shooting a viral one.
WE ARE ALREADY MORE THAN 29,000 people.
TURN ON
A simple example is how a restaurant chef sings or dances in the kitchen while cooking for customers. Filming can take place either with a hidden camera or with “imitation of shooting with a hidden camera.”
We then post it on all social platforms (if the video is really good, it will start spreading on its own). One example of such a video is “A Hamster Trolls a Traffic Police Officer.”
The shooting literally cost 3 kopecks, and almost 2 million views brought orders to the online store E5.ru for orders from those same hamsters for six months in advance.
In fact, a viral video is probably one of the most... the best ways implement hidden marketing on social networks at the moment.
At a minimum, due to the fact that it is watched more and more actively (for example, on one of the most popular social networks Instagram), and due to the fact that it is quite easy to film it. You can read more about the viral video in our article.
Example 3 – another product
Another good example of hidden marketing is to stick advertising for your company on the back of coins. To make it clearer, see the picture.
Advertising on coins On it is an ordinary ten-ruble coin, which are issued as change in a network of solarium studios.
The method is quite simple and effective, however, you will have to worry about both making stickers and sticking them on coins. The effect may not be noticed immediately, but as one of the options for an additional advertising channel, it’s not even bad.
Clones of example 1
Example 1. Drawings on asphalt - something that used to be popular and was truly perceived as guerrilla marketing and brought customers, is now punishable by law.
Therefore, if you are a completely new entrepreneur, then I strongly advise against using it. Better find something else. These are the features of guerrilla marketing that you should not forget about.
Advertising on asphalt Example 2. Old cars that are standing still, but at the same time decorated from top to bottom with advertising.
As a rule, a couple of such cars (preferably interesting-looking and driving) are bought, covered with advertising billboards and parked in the most crowded places.
Advertising on a car Example 4 – shocking action
In general, if we talk about the effectiveness of guerrilla marketing, then it could even be some kind of advertising campaign with a high-profile campaign that will be trumpeted by all the media.
The ideal example that everyone cites is the Euroset advertising campaign that they ran on April 1, 2002.
Everyone who came to their salon that day without clothes (AT ALL) received a cell phone as a gift. There were a lot of free phone lovers, but there were even more onlookers. And the media, TV and radio that filmed all this, documented it, etc., were simply countless.
Shocking action at Euroset After this campaign, Euroset’s sales increased significantly. They are still trying to repeat the action in one interpretation or another, but apparently the arrogance and outrageousness that Evgeny Chichvarkin had is not enough for the current leaders.
Clones of example 4
Here are a couple of guerrilla marketing options that I know about, which means the rumors have still reached me:
Clothing store. You could go into it in your underwear and get for free what you managed to put on yourself in a certain time
Jeans store. If you rip your jeans in front of everyone, you can choose new ones in the store for free
Tele 2. At the cellular exhibition in St. Petersburg they created a sensation by having a couple of promoters under their brand serve as pallbearers. Coffin, Karl! With the inscription “Dear connection”. Of course, everyone was shocked and this was broadcast to various sources.
Guerrilla marketing from Tele 2 Example 5 – partnership
In general, I personally believe that guerrilla, low-cost, viral marketing is a partnership or, to use a fashionable word, “collaboration.” Examples:
Example 1. In the dentist's office, a dental company that produces toothpastes and rinses for teeth placed a sign on the ceiling (do you know that it is the ceiling that we all look at while sitting in the dental chair?) - “Do you want to never see that boring ceiling again? Our toothpaste will help!”
Example 2. A lawyer I know who deals with compensation after an accident paid extra to traumatology doctors for distributing it to those involved in an accident. They called him even at night, but there was no end to his clients.
In general, partnering with a business that has the same business, but you are not directly competing, is a very good idea.
Good question
Who will benefit from guerrilla marketing? After all, as a rule, guerrilla marketing in action is equated to low-budget ways to attract customers, which, in turn, is equal to advertising for small businesses.
And sometimes even for startups. That is, if there is no money, use guerrilla marketing, read, draw your proposal on the asphalt (often precisely because of this attitude towards it, experienced businessmen extremely dislike guerrilla marketing methods).
However, this is fundamentally wrong. The thing about guerrilla marketing is that it can suit any business.
Both small and medium, and even large. The only question is how to use it?
If you are a small business, then, of course, guerrilla marketing methods will be one of the main ways for you to attract customers (especially at the start);
If you - medium business and you already have advertising budgets, you can use guerrilla marketing as a way to increase
Example. One of our clients, engaged in well drilling, based on what we developed, implemented the following: they began to show well drilling on their website online.
That is, the user could go to the site and see how the drilling process goes, in what condition the site is left after drilling, etc.
It has become great tool additionally attracting customers, so they began to discuss it and talk about the company.
If you are a big business, then this will be great way reach an audience that you usually don’t pay attention to.
And if you are a really big business, you can even afford to use long-term guerrilla marketing. As Apple did in the USA at one time.
They donated personal computers to every school in the state of California. Such a good deed made their name quite famous, however, the ultimate goal was different.
Literally in 5-10 years they received a whole generation of fans who grew up on Apple products.
Briefly about the main thing
There are a lot of examples about guerrilla marketing on the Internet, and we did not set out to collect all possible examples and cases in this article.
If you want more examples, fully tested and working, you can look at the blog of Alex Levitas, he is considered the No. 1 expert in Russia on guerrilla marketing.
The funny thing is that his last name is Levitas, and the last name of the one who invented guerrilla marketing itself is Levinson 😉 But let’s think that this is just a coincidence. The most important thing I want to convey to you is:
- You need to use this channel, but not first of all, because as I already wrote, time spent on creativity and other things may turn out to be more expensive;
- You need to be careful when implementing, otherwise everything may work in reverse side. And instead of advertising and customer love, you will get complete negativity;
- You can’t just engage in guerrilla marketing and still count on a large flow of clients. Use our selection and the results for your clients will not be long in coming.
"Partisanism" in the modern world
To promote in this way, they use the surrounding space, cars, small handouts (business cards, flyers), posts on social networks and forums, and much more. Today, guerrilla marketing is multifaceted, but always distinguished by a creative approach, original execution and low budget.
Examples of effective and inexpensive marketing
For clarity, here are 15 examples of guerrilla marketing from companies that dared to use interesting ideas and didn't lose.
- At one time, when Apple times were not the best, she made a clever move to promote her computers. The Apple manufacturer donated one Mackintosh to every school in California. It was the mid-80s. The schoolchildren simply fell in love with the computer and vying with each other to tell their parents about the new product. Thus, Apple did a good deed and spread information about its computer product. As a result, a generation grew up in America that chose Mas for themselves.
- The well-known Mr. Proper also distinguished himself. The depicted hero, as it turns out, can cope with pollution outside apartments. Advertising agency Gray Worldwide chose a pedestrian crossing as its target. One of the stripes was painted bright White color, so that it contrasts with the rest of the gray ones. And in the corner they painted the recognizable smiling Genie of Purity. I wonder how many people crossed the clean line so as not to get it dirty?
- The popular National Geographic channel took advantage of public transport. To advertise a new series of programs about predatory animals with the telling title “Made to Kill,” advertisers placed a shark on the side of a bus. On sliding doors ominous jaws were placed, which, when closed, seemed to “swallow” the passenger. Such advertising, of course, could not fail to attract attention. True, some especially sensitive people could have waited for another, “safer” transport.
- If you give examples of guerrilla marketing in Russia, you cannot help but recall Euroset. A network of mobile communication stores staged a truly scandalous event. In 2002, the company opened almost a hundred salons. And it was necessary to attract clients. Then they carried out a promotional campaign on the brink of a foul right on April 1st. The first 20 people (10 men and 10 women) to strip naked will receive a free mobile phone. Of course, there were two dozen people who were not too scrupulous. But what a resonance the action itself received. Compared to the costs, the company gained a much larger number of real customers. The media savored the event for a long time, and photos of naked lucky people wandered around the Internet even longer.
- Spider-Man. It would seem, who doesn’t know about the popular comic book hero? But before the premiere of the second film, PR people decided to add fuel to the audience’s interest. And they did it in a very non-trivial way. The men's restroom has a "special" urinal for the superhero. Of course, almost under the very ceiling. Like it or not, it was difficult not to pay attention to this original move. And don’t think about the guy in the red and blue suit.
- In 2004, the rather spectacular disaster film “The Day After Tomorrow” was released, once again raising the problem global warming and its consequences. In order, in turn, to raise a wave of interest in him among their compatriots, Indian advertisers took extreme measures - they threw the poster into the sea. More precisely, not quite like that. The advertising agency Contact placed a billboard with a poster in the sea, near the city of Mumbai. The water almost half hid the poster, hinting at what was happening in the film.
- The Havana Club brand decided to advertise its new Cuba Libra cocktail. But they approached the matter with a twist. An Arab sheikh and his retinue came to the opening of the Hals yacht club, among the famous beau monde. The appearance of such a guest did not cause a stir, but it could not fail to attract attention. From the VIP seat where the sheikh and his retinue were seated, it was clearly visible what they were serving him. And, of course, the sheikh drank exclusively Cuba Libra. To maintain attention, the fake guests asked others about the sheikh, paying attention to his drinking. Towards the end, a guest from the Emirates treated everyone to a cocktail.
- One more example advertising campaign, which cannot be ignored. Despite the fact that it happened at the beginning of the last century. None other than the then Russian businessman Nikolai Shustov, who produced the cognac of the same name, hired a dozen students. Young people went to taverns and demanded this drink. And if “Shustov” was not available, she caused a riot. Of course, the newspapers wrote about it. That's how Moscow learned about the new product.
- Sitronics decided to act as the creator of its popularity on its own. And I used the life placement technique. The point is that the fake people walked in busy places with the appropriate equipment. Periodically, they met “friends” and talked about the merits of the new thing. In addition, before sending their sales agents to the store where the company would like to see its product, the fake people would call this place and check if Sitronics was in stock. Thus, even before the start of sales, brand awareness has increased significantly.
- From 2004 to 2014, the detective series ASPE was broadcast on English-language TV. One of the new seasons required only a box of chalk for its advertising. PR people drew silhouettes of people on the asphalt, which the police usually do at the scene of an accident involving victims. And in the center of each silhouette they announced the return of the detective and added the time of the premiere of the series. Not expensive, but attracts attention.
- Another series also decided to add a touch of drama. This time - on a criminal theme. The American television project “The Sopranos,” as the title suggests, tells about the life vicissitudes of a mafia clan. So they approached the advertising campaign for the new season like a gangster. A taxi was driving around the city, with a man's hand hanging sadly from the trunk. And next to it is a sticker with the name of the series. Is the taxi driver really who he says he is?
Advertisement "The Sopranos"
- They took an original approach to advertising a new car in Switzerland. There, the Jung von Matt agency received an order to promote the Smart car, known for its modest dimensions. PR people simply placed a small city car billboard between two standard-sized billboards with premium cars. Thus, advertisers hinted at the ability of a small-sized car to fit into any space, which is so valuable in a big city.
- The Coca-Cola brand is also known for its creative approach. This time they decided to combine classical and partisan approaches. Billboards at bus stops today are often ignored. Whereas good publicity should be catchy. Literally. And the soda shield, with the help of Velcro, really clung to the clothes of passers-by. It's hard not to pay attention in such a situation.
- Watch advertisements can also be unusual. The Swiss company IWC gave public transport passengers the opportunity to try on new model Big Pilot`s watch, created for pilots. How? Simply by releasing seat belts for vehicles with watch prints. By grabbing the loop while moving, everyone could evaluate how the new product would look on them.
- English men love pubs, beer and billiards. And especially when it all comes together in one place. To increase its sales, Guinness played on male preferences. The tips of the cues had stickers advertising this beer. The men played billiards, wanted a drink, and ordered Guinness. In a short period of time, sales increased by almost 50%.