Advertising doesn’t have to be
conventional and repetitive! This often leads to the customer
disregarding the product or brand before even really knowing
anything about it. Campaigns using ‘guerrilla marketing’,
on the other hand, are a low cost yet effective way of creating
interest and awareness of your product prior to a conventional
launch.
In many cases shock tactics can generate
more interest than a regular ad campaign but use minimal resources.
It involves advertising your product in unconventional ways
such as fly posters, T-shirts, badges, viral emails, (as in
the pass it on kind not the virus kind!), and even stunts such
as crop circles and spray painting your message onto a field
or using graffiti – just remember to get permission from
the relevant authorities!
Look for ways to be original, break the
conventional rules and be different. These all create impact
and get you noticed, as they don’t fall into the same
type of advertising that most companies use. It has to be said
that the more radical tactics need to be stamped with not only
the need to keep within the law but also ensure that the brand
does not suffer from a negative image. In such cases all the
marketing effort could be negated by a clever stunt that offended
public taste!
Some of these methods, like fly poster
advertising, may automatically make you think that they are
just used by bands and political activists but this isn’t
true. Many large companies such as Nike, Virgin and Levis Jeans
(remember Flat Eric?), use this method to build awareness before
a launch. Film companies also use this method in the run up
to the release of a film and even television channels such as
E4 use this between conventional adverts to stir-up interest
in a new programme.
By using guerrilla marketing in its visual
format you are not disclosing the product or brand prior to
the launch but at the same time you are getting people interested
in it. It works by entering people’s subconscious and
displaying an icon that is memorable. Potential customers are
likely to discuss your icon with friends, family and work colleagues
creating widespread interest. For example, using the icon in
say, a sticker campaign makes people wonder what it may be associated
with and so when the final advertising campaign is released
it therefore has a bigger impact.
Marketing is key to increasing your business
and driving it forward. ‘Guerrilla marketing’ therefore,
is ideal for small businesses wanting to get maximum results
with limited resources