What do you think when you read the term “guerrilla”? To a revolt, a revolution.
It is a word that certainly connects to the political sphere, as well as to the environmental or social one. But when you read it combined with the word marketing your first reaction is almost certainly amazement.
The terms “guerrilla” and “marketing” seem to get along poorly with each other.
What if I told you that they represent a real advertising strategy?
Try to think about it: How do you stand out in a sea of ads?
Initially it emerged who had more budget than others, but this is no longer the case. Today, as in the last two decades, those who wish to emerge must stand out and the most effective way to do this is Guerrilla marketing.
If you’ve never heard of it or aren’t sure what it is, don’t worry. In this article we will understand better what is Guerrilla marketinghow it was born and how it can help you get the visibility you are looking for both in the offline and online world.
What is meant by Guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is exactly what the name suggests: it is part of marketing strategy but uses unconventional methods and by surprise to promote a product or service.
The effect that Guerrilla marketing wants to have is the “WOW” of the public.
When investing a lot of money in marketing and advertising was no longer an effective choice, companies had to change strategy. Guerrilla marketing therefore does not need a high budget, quite the opposite.
The promotion is successful precisely because becomes viral.
Guerrilla marketing exploits the audience’s curiosity, surprise and emotions. People feel naturally attracted and engaged. This leads them to talk about it with others until the phenomenon goes viral. And the campaign was so successful.
Guerrilla marketing was obviously born offline but in recent years it has also spread onlinewhere the advertising sector is now saturated. You would have to pay a lot to get even a shred of visibility, that’s why you have to change your strategy.
But before finding out what this tactic consists of, let’s delve into a little history of Guerrilla marketing.
When was guerrilla marketing born?
We owe the birth of Guerrilla marketing to the economist and advertiser Jay Conrad Levinson who taught it at the University of Berkeley and then talked about it in his book of the same name “Guerrilla Marketing”.
Guerrilla warfare is notoriously one nonviolent form of action. Think about the occupation of a building or land and you will already have a clear understanding of the meaning of the term.
In the 1980s, when Levinson coined the term, those with large budgets to invest were able to emerge in the advertising world. This meant that few monopolized the public’s attention. Levinson’s students wondered how it was possible for a fledgling company to emerge in such a market.
And the professor’s response was simple: standing out.
Thus was born a new tactic based on the surprise effect, on the ability to generate amazement and, consequently, the word of mouth from the public. Attention is no longer bought with a big budget, but is attracted with originality.
How to do Guerrilla marketing
It all sounds very fascinating, even just the name. But still have a little patience, because now we will see what are the ingredients that give life to one good Guerrilla marketing strategy:
- Spend little: Guerrilla marketing is based precisely on this, a limited budget, because it is not with money that the promotion of the product or service takes place;
- Be original: the name itself says it, you have to be subversive, use unconventional tools, do something that the public doesn’t expect and which is precisely why it is able to attract them;
- Provoke your audience: think about the works of Banksy, the street art artist, who creates satirical works of art with a political meaning, because the meaning of Guerrilla marketing is to shake people, make them think and amaze them, they must remember you and your work;
- Create a unique campaign: true Guerrilla marketing campaigns are always unique and unrepeatable, this is how they are remembered by the public.
Bansky is a famous example of Street marketing, but there are many others. Think, for example, about McDonald’s who played with the pedestrian crossings by creating a huge red box full of chips in the middle of the street.
Let’s talk about Street marketing when an artist stages a work, generally two-dimensional, which has nothing to do with the surrounding environment. In short, it was created and placed in that context to elicit a reaction from passers-by.
Ok Mirko, this seems simpler in offline life. But what if I have an online business?
I have good news for you. You can do Guerrilla marketing also online and we will immediately see how.
Guerrilla marketing in digital version
Digital guerrilla marketing works exactly like analogue marketing. The principle is always the same, create amazement. However, the means change.
Your battlefield will not be the street, a building or even an event. You will have to do online marketing and be where your customers are. To make your message viral I advise you to use social media as much as possible.
Here you can publish photographs or videos that drive your campaign.
And if you think about it, online content it can go viral much faster compared to an installation or a physical performance, think about the video marketing. If your audience is on multiple channels I recommend using them all to give maximum visibility to your marketing campaign.
However, if something is still not clear to you, perhaps I will be able to dispel any doubts with some practical examples.
Examples of Guerrilla marketing
There are many examples of Guerrilla marketing, let’s see some that have to do with social media to help you understand how this strategy can be effectively used in the digital world.
Let’s start with one of the most successful examples and that is that of Marvel. The well-known superhero film production company uses many web channels to advertise. And guess what she came up with: she created a profile Tinder for the Captain Deadpool. Tinder is a dating social media site and the company used the character’s “charm” to attract viewers, and the strategy definitely worked.
But even a physical installation can go viral when passers-by come across it and photograph it. This is the case of Nike which, to encourage physical exercise, has blocked escalators in the subways or has chosen to paint its brand on benches that lacked seating boards. If people start posting these photos on social media, how long do you think it will take for them to go viral?
And what about #FijiGirl? The water producing company Fiji Water positioned models dressed in the brand’s colors and holding bottles of water behind the stars at the 2019 Golden Globes. The shots went so viral that they inspired a hashtag.
Books that talk about Guerrilla marketing
The first book you should read is certainly that of the founder of the strategy. “Guerrilla marketing. Mind, persuasion and market” by Jay Conrad Levinson it is certainly the starting point. Through this book you can understand that the real marketing experts are the guerrillas, those who attack while others have their guard down.
Other manuals were then published such as “Guerrilla Marketing: Theories and techniques of advertising communication” by Gaetano Crivaro. This text deals more than anything with the evolution and progress of man who, despite everything, moves forward.
Another text that I would like to point out to you is “Guerrilla marketing in Italy. True guerrilla marketing for great results with small budgets” by Andrea Frausin and Fabio Zancanella. In this book you will find suggestions for effectively applying guerrilla marketing strategies, strategies which are essentially based on Levinson’s teachings.
If you know a little English, there are many Levinson texts you can read on Guerrilla marketing. Among these there is a text that gives you some tips on online marketing and it’s called “Guerrilla Marketing for Social Media: 100+ Weapons to Grow Your Online Influence, Attract Customers, and Drive Profits”.
Marketing strategies for your company
You really want to make sure you don’t make a mistake and to set up the best Guerrilla marketing strategy in the shortest time possible?
In this case you need to rely on a professional.
However, most communications agencies and marketers create traditional marketing campaigns. And more desires visibility the more they ask you to pay. They are not prepared and have no experience with this type of strategy.
You instead you need someone who thinks differentlythat exaggerates, that is able to show your product or service in a provocative and absolutely new way.
If you want concrete help to launch your company through Guerrilla marketing ask me for advice. I have helped many businesses emerge over the years through extraordinary campaigns. Together we will find the right idea that will make you go viral and help you find an ever-increasing number of buyers.