Guerrilla marketing

Guerrilla marketing is an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing tactics are unexpected and unconventional; consumers are targeted in unexpected places, which can make the idea that's being marketed memorable, generate buzz, and even spread virally. The term was coined and defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his 1984 book Guerrilla Marketing. The term has since entered the popular vocabulary and marketing textbooks.

Guerilla Marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, pr stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. More innovative approaches to Guerilla marketing now utilize cutting edge mobile digital technologies to really engage the consumer and create a memorable brand experience.

Introduction

Levinson's books include hundreds of "guerrilla marketing weapons," but they also encourage guerrilla marketeers to be creative and devise their own unconventional methods of promotion. A guerrilla marketeer uses all of his or her contacts, both professional and personal, and examines his company and its products, looking for sources of publicity. Many forms of publicity can be very inexpensive, others are free.

Levinson says that when implementing guerrilla marketing tactics, small size is actually an advantage instead of a disadvantage. Small organizations and entrepreneurs are able to obtain publicity more easily than large companies as they are closer to their customers and considerably more agile.

Yet ultimately, according to Levinson, the Guerrilla Marketeer must "deliver the goods". In The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook, he states: "In order to sell a product or a service, a company must establish a relationship with the customer. It must build trust and support. It must understand the customer's needs, and it must provide a product that delivers the promised benefits."

Levinson identifies the following principles as the foundation of guerrilla marketing:

• Guerrilla Marketing is specifically geared for the small business and entrepreneur.
• It should be based on human psychology instead of experience, judgment, and guesswork.
• Instead of money, the primary investments of marketing should be time, energy, and imagination.
• The primary statistic to measure your business is the amount of profits, not sales.
• The marketer should also concentrate on how many new relationships are made each month.
• Create a standard of excellence with an acute focus instead of trying to diversify by offering too many diverse products and services.
• Instead of concentrating on getting new customers, aim for more referrals, more transactions with existing customers, and larger transactions.
• Forget about the competition and concentrate more on cooperating with other businesses.
• Guerrilla Marketers should always use a combination of marketing methods for a campaign.
• Use current technology as a tool to empower your business.

Associated marketing trends

The term Guerrilla Marketing is now often used more loosely as a descriptor for non-traditional media, such as:

• Viral marketing -- through social networks
• Ambient marketing
• Presence marketing
• Grassroots marketing
• Wild Posting Campaigns
• Alternative marketing
• Buzz marketing -- word of mouth marketing
• Undercover marketing -- subtle product placement
• Astroturfing -- releasing company news to imitate grassroots popularity
• Experiential marketing -- interaction with product
• Tissue-pack marketing

Guerrilla marketing was initially used by small and medium size (SMEs) businesses, but it is now increasingly adopted by large businesses.

Controversy

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Main article: 2007 Boston Mooninite Scare

On 31 January 2007, several magnetic light displays in and around the city of Boston, Massachusetts, were mistaken for possible explosive devices. Several subway stations, bridges, and a portion of Interstate 93 were closed as police examined, removed, and in some cases, destroyed the devices. The suspicious objects were revealed to be ads depicting the Mooninites, Ignignokt and Err, characters from the Cartoon Network's latenight Adult Swim animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Messages On Hold

In December 2007, a staff member of On Hold advertising company, took a life-size placard of cricket legend Shane Warne wearing a branded t-shirt and the company’s tell-tale ‘giant hand’ outside the West Australian Cricket Ground at the 3rd Ashes Test. The act of ambush marketing was noticed and the staff member issued a fine for ‘displaying a sign without a permit’, sparking a nationwide debate over wearing clothing with brand names.

Nutrisoda

In May 2009, Nutrisoda, a subsidiary of PepsiAmericas, in an example of the Guerrilla graffiti technique, spray painted the products logo and marketing messages on the sidewalks of Ocean Beach, California without prior notification or permission. While Nutrisoda claims that the paint was "eco-friendly" the townspeople found it difficult to remove and disapproved. As one blogger put it "What the hell were they thinking? That we would go “OH Boy! Look! NutriSoda has stenciled up our sidewalks with their logo! Let’s go buy some! I don’t give a flying hoot if they used 100% biodegradable chalk. That’s no conciliation at all. In one fell swoop they have made their product kryptonite." First noted via a Twitter comment to over 8,000 followers the day it occured, this reference is notable as it demonstrates how easily a Guerilla Marketing blunder by a major corporation can quickly be disseminated via social media. NutriSoda Tags OB Sidewalks

See also

• Marketing
• Customer experience management
• Marketing strategies
• Publicity
• Small business
• Viral marketing
• Undercover marketing
• Forehead advertising

Techniques

• Guerrilla marketing warfare strategies
• Street art
• Flyposting
• Wheatpasting
• Graffiti

References

• Haystack, Cor Hospes. "New Message, Remco Vroom: "Guerrilla marketing, new ways to reach your consumer" ISBN 978-90-77881-24-8
• Levinson, Jay Conrad. Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984. ISBN 0-395-35350-5
• Levinson, Jay Conrad. Mastering Guerrilla Marketing. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999. ISBN 0-395-90875-2
• Levinson, Jay Conrad. The Way of the Guerrilla. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. ISBN 0-395-77018-1
• Levinson, Jay Conrad and McLaughlin, Michael W. Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-471-61873-X
• Pfarrer, Don. Guerrilla Persuasion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. ISBN 0-395-88168-4
• Levinson, Jay Conrad and Goodin, Seth. The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ISBN 0-395-70113-2

External links

• CNN.com news
• Guerillamarketingnews.com news
• Wired.com article