In 2007, Allstate created one of the greatest outdoor advertisements.Instead of the usual billboard or bus stop poster, the insurance company opted for something on the wild side.
It all took place in downtown Chicago. On the 17th floor of the Marina Tower, a car appeared to be dangling from one of the highest parking spaces. Below this car, however, was a large banner displaying the famous slogan: “Are You in Good Hands?” This is the world of guerrilla marketing, where anything and everything is possible.
Allstate isn’t the only one to use this strategy. In fact, shock value has been used in outdoor marketing for decades. In the modern age, we’ve become accustomed to taxi ads on the streets, salespeople holding their signs, and of course, nonstop ads on our phones. How can a campaign cut through the noise
To give your ad an element of surprise, it is important to be informed about guerrilla marketing. This article will go over what it is, and how it can help to grow your business.
Table of Contents:
- What is Guerrilla Marketing?
- Who Is Guerrilla Marketing For?
- What Makes Guerrilla Marketing Successful?
- The Best Examples
- The Worst Examples
- Steps To Creating Your Own Guerrilla Marketing Ad
What Is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla marketing describes a type of advertising that uses unconventional, surprising tactics to lure its audience. It is primarily used in out-of-home (OOH) environments. This includes parks, streets, shopping centers, concerts, and public events.
Need graphic design help?
Try Penji’s Unlimited Graphic Design and get all your branding, digital, print, and UXUI designs done in one place.
Learn More
History of Guerrilla Marketing
The concept of guerrilla marketing has been around longer than you may think. Advertising itself can be dated back to ancient Egypt. The early civilization would use papyrus to create messages that they would post on walls.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s, however, that the concept of advertising made a large impact on society. Companies began to promote their products through mass media like radios and newspapers.
Once the modern era crept closer, there was a clear shift in the behavior of advertisements. Technology saw rapid growth, and we developed more ways to show people ads.
Guerrilla marketing is a term coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his 1984 book of the same name. It was a reaction to the growing shift to digital marketing as opposed to outdoor advertising.
The Modern Era
In the 21st century, guerrilla marketing comes in many forms. This includes:
- Viral/Buzz Marketing: Advertising focused on spreading its message through word of mouth.
- Stealth Marketing: The act of advertising something without people realizing that they’re being marketed to.
- Ambient Marketing: When a marketer places their advertisement in usual places or on everyday objects. The goal is to surprise people with unexpected promotions.
- Ambush Marketing: When a business associates itself with a big event or another company through unsponsored means.
- Projection Marketing: A type of advertisement where images or videos are projected onto public surfaces.
- Grassroots: This tactic takes the form of a movement. It’s another form of word-of-mouth marketing where a specific group or region is targeted to come together and support your brand.
- Astroturfing: This is a rather controversial marketing strategy. It describes the act of an advertiser hiding its sponsorship through the guise of a grassroots campaign.
- Wild Posting: A form of advertisement that uses an abundance of posters or static wall hangings. They are placed in close proximity to each other, which attracts a great deal of attention.
- Street Marketing: Any advertising campaign that uses nontraditional methods of promotion in outdoor spaces.
- Pop-Up Retail Marketing: A temporary retail setup that takes advantage of seasonal events/fads.
Of course, most of these tactics can be manipulated or combined to create the perfect guerrilla marketing campaign. For instance, you’ll often see street marketing overlap with ambient or stealth advertising.
Other Forms of OOH Advertising
In the 21st century, guerrilla marketing comes in many forms. This includes:
- Viral/Buzz Marketing: Advertising focused on spreading its message through word of mouth.
- Stealth Marketing: The act of advertising something without people realizing that they’re being marketed to.
- Ambient Marketing: When a marketer places their advertisement in usual places or on everyday objects. The goal is to surprise people with unexpected promotions.
- Ambush Marketing: When a business associates itself with a big event or another company through unsponsored means.
- Projection Marketing: A type of advertisement where images or videos are projected onto public surfaces.
- Grassroots: This tactic takes the form of a movement. It’s another form of word-of-mouth marketing where a specific group or region is targeted to come together and support your brand.
- Astroturfing: This is a rather controversial marketing strategy. It describes the act of an advertiser hiding its sponsorship through the guise of a grassroots campaign.
- Wild Posting: A form of advertisement that uses an abundance of posters or static wall hangings. They are placed in close proximity to each other, which attracts a great deal of attention.
- Street Marketing: Any advertising campaign that uses nontraditional methods of promotion in outdoor spaces.
- Pop-Up Retail Marketing: A temporary retail setup that takes advantage of seasonal events/fads.
Of course, most of these tactics can be manipulated or combined to create the perfect guerrilla marketing campaign. For instance, you’ll often see street marketing overlap with ambient or stealth advertising.
Who Is Guerrilla Marketing For?
Guerrilla marketing targets pretty much everyone. People of all walks of life, from teenage girls to grandparents, can enjoy a well-executed, unconventional advertisement. There are, however, a few key demographics that are most likely to enjoy guerilla marketing.
It goes without saying that people who spend more time outdoors are more likely to come across outdoor ads. If you are looking to invest in guerrilla marketing, consider your target audience.
Owners of a smoothie bar, for instance, will attract customers who are health-conscious. These people will be more likely to bike or jog outdoors, eventually coming across your restaurant ad. If you advertise to people who work from home, on the other hand, an outdoor ad won’t get you much traction.
Teenagers and young adults are known to be an open-minded demographic. People who question norms are more receptive to controversial ads. Younger people also have more free time on their hands, meaning they’re more likely to share your ad around the world.
Due to its element of surprise, guerrilla marketing is often laced with comedy. If you plan to use this tactic, you need a punchline that’s relevant to your audience. A joke about popular emojis will not appeal to an older generation. An old movie reference will fly over the heads of a young audience.
What Makes Guerrilla Marketing Successful?
The key to successful guerrilla marketing is strategy. This may be true for all forms of marketing, but it is truly essential for an ad that focuses on shock value. While a guerrilla ad may seem random and incidental to the audience, it requires intense planning behind the scenes.
Money
The first thing you want to consider is your budget. Contrary to popular belief, guerrilla marketing can be relatively cost-effective. What truly matters is creativity.
A business’ ad can be as minuscule as a picture at the bottom of a shopping cart. Or it could be as elaborate as a tall sculpture on the top of a building. Both have the potential to surprise and captivate a customer.
Location
Like they say in real estate, “Location, location, location.” After all, there is no way to have a successful outdoor marketing campaign if there’s nobody in the area to witness your ad.
High-population areas are perfect for guerrilla marketing. As mentioned before, you’re most likely to see unconventional ads within malls, parks, public events, and on a busy sidewalk. They are meant to target people who are going about their daily lives.
Marketers should also be aware of the proximity to other advertisements. When it comes to guerrilla marketing, the goal is to stand out from any other ads in the vicinity. As this strategy becomes more popular, more companies are using it garner attention. You’ll want to scout locations and make sure that no other campaigns will take away from yours.
Impact
You’ll want your guerrilla advertisement to be just as memorable as it is surprising. This means that the ad should be crafted to invoke strong emotion. Whether your audience laughs, cries, or ponders, the reaction must be strong enough for your company’s name to stick with them.
Communication
Communication is key. The most famous ads of all time are often a group effort. In addition to your own team, you may need outside help. Whether you plan on placing a sculpture in the middle of a mall or displaying a light show in the night sky, you will often need to hire professionals in a given field.
Regulations
Finally, an advertiser should always research the laws and regulations in their target location. Some forms of guerilla marketing are legal, but you may need permits to do some things. For example, if you wish to place a display near a bus stop, you may need to contact the transit company and/or a city department. Failing to gain a permit can end in a hefty lawsuit.
The Best Examples of Guerrilla Marketing
By this point, you should have a good understanding of what guerilla marketing is. Now it’s time to examine what they look like in outdoor spaces, and what the best examples do right.
Viral/Buzz Marketing
Buzz marketing comes in many different forms, and will sometimes overlap with other guerrilla marketing tactics. These shopping cart images generate buzz by sparking the uncomfortable conversation of world hunger. With no words needed, the ad makes the shopper feel both a sense of guilt and urgency to help those in need.
The abundance of these shopping carts within the same area can lead to a discussion between shoppers, as they are forced to reckon with their privilege. Not to mention, these designs were quickly shared on the internet.
Stealth Marketing: Axe Body Spray
The men’s deodorant brand has long been marketed as a lady magnet. This stealth ad, however, takes it to the next level. We’ve all seen those little exit signs in public buildings, parkways, and garages. They are normally used in case of emergency.
Well, Axe has presented us with an “emergency” that may come as a side effect when using their product. In the familiar “exit sign” style, the ad consists of female figures chasing a male figure, presumably because he smells so good.
The genius nature of stealth ads is that they’re hard to pick up on at first glance. However, the slight differences will cause people to do a double-take. The humor kicks in once the audience realizes what they’re looking at. It’s the type of joke that sticks out when you least expect it.
Ambient Marketing: Kit Kat
Nestle’s Kit Kat brand has always been known for its experimental out-of-home campaigns, and this bench is no different. This creative design choice catches the eye of passersby, while also providing them with a place to sit. It is both creative and built for functional use.
Ambush Marketing: Dove
Ambush marketing is often praised for its clever use of location and humor. Take this Dove billboard, for example. It’s all about using legal loopholes to elevate your brand over competitors. When done right, it catches people off guard while still creating a positive brand image.
Projection Marketing
For the release of its 4G LTE service, AT&T wanted to create something larger than life. This colorful projection in Las Vegas is the perfect use of modern technology. The ad was placed in a high-traffic area at a time when potential customers were outside and socializing. It was estimated to have reached a million people during its run.
Wild Posting
These colorful posters don’t just work to raise awareness of the VitaminWater brand. They also bring awareness to the sheer variety of available flavors. While each poster can function as a separate advertisement, the act of wild posting makes them hard to miss.
Street Marketing
This Bounty campaign surprised crowds with massive versions of common household messes. The paper towel brand succeeded in drawing mass attention while getting a clear message across in one sentence.
Popup Retail
At first glance, pop-up retail may not seem like a form of advertisement. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll see they invoke the same sense of surprise as any other guerrilla marketing strategy. This Adidas store, for example, is functional, attention-grabbing, and succeeds in catching people off guard.
The Worst Examples of Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing can be a risky proposition – if it fails, it can cost a company a lot of money and damage its reputation. The main reasons why these campaigns fail are misunderstandings, technical mistakes, and bad intentions.
Misunderstandings
2007 introduced a national guerrilla marketing campaign for an Adult Swim show. Characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force were depicted in LED displays all over a Boston train station. Seems innocent enough, doesn’t it?
Well, some people were left confused by these symbols. So confused, in fact, that both the police and fire department mistook them for bombs. Safe to say, the show didn’t gain many new fans from this ad.
Technical Difficulties
The year 2005 brought on an embarrassing marketing attempt by Snapple. To beat a Guinness World Record, the company’s goal was to erect a 25-foot popsicle within a New York City park. This was all to promote their new line of frozen treats.
In theory, it sounds like a fun idea; seeing a giant popsicle in the middle of the park was sure to get people talking. However, it didn’t turn out to be the pleasant surprise that Snapple was going for. The 25-foot popsicle melted faster than expected, resulting in a gooey disaster all over the area.
Corrupt Intentions
As stated before, your company shouldn’t be associated with astroturfing. If you’re caught, it can sink your brand’s reputation.
Unfortunately, some companies did not get the memo. In 2018, voters in D.C. were voting on a bill. This bill would gradually increase the minimum wage for restaurant employees over several years.
In comes “Save Our Tips,” a movement that claimed that this decision would be bad for employees. This organization was known for distributing flyers and posters to promote its cause.It claimed that the servers’ tips would somehow go away if the bill was passed. As the year went on, however, it was revealed that “Save Our Tips” had been funded by several restaurant owners.
A campaign can use every marketing strategy in the book. But if it is caught doing something dishonest, the company’s reputation can be ruined.
When it comes to guerrilla marketing, an advertiser must think about all the possible outcomes of their plan. Hire professionals, get second opinions, and always make the intentions of your campaign clear from the start.
10 Steps To Creating Your Own Guerrilla Marketing Ad
So, how do you create one of these advertisements? We’ve compiled a list of 10 simple steps to get any advertiser started on their guerrilla marketing journey:
- 1st: With your understanding of the types of guerrilla marketing campaigns, brainstorm a list of ideas on what your advertisement could look like. Always take your budget and resources into account.
- 2nd: Know your target audience.
- 3rd: Research locations and demographics.
- 4th: Analyze the latest trends and competition.
- 5th: Read up on the laws in your area, and acquire any needed permits.
- 6th: Create your official design.
- 7th: Hire professionals. They help your campaign achieve its fullest potential. They’re also good at preventing disasters.
- 8th: Set objectives. It’s easy to get lost in the whirlwind of a guerrilla marketing campaign. Having an organized plan helps your team stay on track.
- 9th: Keep an eye on the execution. Use oversight to ensure that things run smoothly and prevent things from going wrong.
- 10th: Analyze the final results.
Keep in mind that guerrilla marketing is not an easy thing to pull off. Depending on what you create, it can take weeks or even months to complete each of these steps. When analyzing your final results, don’t fret if things don’t go as expected.
Advertising is all about trial and error. If you keep this information in mind, you will be ready for anything that happens.
