Guerrilla Marketing
Posted by tdrrockwrd5 on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
A term frequently thrown around in the 21st century is "new media." With
the emergence of social media and digital content, new media has become
a large portion of people's lives. With very little research regarding
the effectiveness or stability, companies are reluctant to pursue
marketing campaigns where the ROI isn't clearly defined.However, as the
economy suffers, the best way to make money is to think smart. The
belief is that if you spend more money on advertising/publicity, you
will get more impressions or buzz. Of course, like with any investment,
your expectations can fall very short. If you want to know more about
this, check out Guerrilla Marketing.
In no way has guerrilla marketing been the lone execution in
establishing a product or company, but it's a cost effective way to jump
start a brand's image and street cred. It can also be used to incite
short-term recall or to re-iterate a company's stance on certain issues
(speaking through their brand).One thing guerrilla marketing shouldn't
be is a major expenditure. Yes, the ideas behind the execution should
probably be insightful and inspiring - but it shouldn't cost you money.
This is where your creativity and strategic thinking come together for
smart, effective executions.Guerrilla marketing should always summarize a
positive characteristic of your brand, but never summarize your entire
brand.Whether you're a large, fast-food brand or a small independent
sewing company, the gist of guerrilla marketing are the same: it's a low
cost medium to add personality and build awareness for potential
consumers.Examples can be found among city streets or local town halls.
Here are some tips, supported by examples, to help ensure that your
guerrilla marketing campaigns are successful.1. Respect and
InformThere's nothing more annoying than a political flyer that assumes
your level of intelligence is below that of a monkey. Not one consumer
will embrace your brand if they feel the brand has disrespected them as a
person or as a part of a bigger group. Although it is creative to be
somewhat controversial, you must tip-toe this line carefully, as your
image has a lot to lose by going overboard.A great example of this is
from my own experience. A college-campus food company had a specific
execution in their men's urinals. The mat in the urinal read: "In Your
Hands, You Hold the Power to Stop Rape". A powerful, straightforward
piece of copy that lingers in the minds of males, even if only for a few
seconds. It acknowledges an audience and respectfully educates them at a
position that is appropriate to the message and receiver.2. Don't think
"outside the box" - Look at the box from a different angleWhoever came
up with the phrase, "think outside the box," never took full advantage
of exploring the content inside the box. Thinking outside the box
generates subjective ideas that are likely hard to relate or just too
far fetched for the average consumer. As a brand, you must respect the
target's level of intelligence instead of trying to compete with it. If
you want to speak to them on a personal level, you don't want to leave
or try to shake up their "box." Instead, look left, look right, and
stand at a different angle from the corner. I know this is all
metaphorical, but the point is this: don't rise above consumer mindset,
it will only give you more work trying to explain your actions.3. Think
about how you can help your community, your consumer, and your
brandCompanies benefit from building a trusted, reliable community of
customers that will not only speak well on their behalf but continuously
use their product. To support the "target triangle" (consumer,
community, company), some smaller brands choose local sponsorships or
simply rely on word-of-mouth service. However, there are plenty of ways
to break the hustle and bustle to bring a spotlight onto a win-win-win
situation.KFC, in the midst of its "re-freshen" movement, decided to
forgo a segment of their traditional advertising to pursue a cheaper and
interactive route: repairing potholes. This had a profound effect on
the community - as potholes are a major issue to frequent drivers - as
well as KFC's image. Not only was this a buzz-worthy execution, but it
worked to provide solutions to more than one problem.4. Catch them
during their "routine"Advertisements have become so numerous that we see
thousands upon thousands of them just in a day's work, the majority of
which we simply process and forget. However, using unconventional
material or an unusual presentation can halt people in their tracks,
causing them to take a step backward and ask themselves, "what was
that?"A good example is an ad for Crisis.org.uk, which required no
durable ad space or use of Photoshop to create a stunning effect.
Instead, a little bit of realism and hard-hitting copy did the trick
just fine.There are several other great examples of cost-effective
marketing that depend on the product's purpose, but even when a product
can "sell itself,"
marketing can strengthen the brand's overall dominance in the consumer
arena. Unfortunately, with advertisements shot at us from every angle,
we have become almost 'immune' to certain mass media executions. A
movement to quality instead of quantity has slowly taken over the
advertising and marketing spectrum, while every brand wants to know
exactly where their consumer leaves footprints. With data collection and
an increase in information availability, we will see various, strategic
guerilla campaigns that will strike a chord at the hearts of their
brands' core consumers. For more info, visit Guerrilla Marketing.