Guerrilla Marketing is defined as an unconventional way of advertising your business or products. In contrast to traditional methods of advertising such as TV, Radio and Print ads, Guerrilla Marketing campaigns are relatively inexpensive for the potential exposure a successful campaign creates.
When it comes to Guerrilla Marketing, creativity is especially important. Your goal is to create a memorable experience, rather than the repeat message of traditional methods of advertising. A successful Guerrilla Marketing campaign creates buzz that results in greater reach and visibility for your brand.
Here are 5 Great Examples of Guerrilla Marketing
1. Domino’s Paving for Pizza
Roads across the US are a mess, that’s how Domino’s got the idea to take road repairs into their own hands. In 2018, Domino’s started patching potholes in cities across the United States with the goal of making the roads safer for pizza delivery. Since the launch of their campaign, they’ve patched roads in all 50 states.
2. IT’s Creepy Balloons
How do you promote a Horror movie about a sewer-dwelling monster who eats children? Tie red balloons to sewer drains! Ahead of IT’s premiere in Sydney, Australia, sewer drains across the city had a red balloon tied to them with a message about the movie sprayed on the ground. This creepy and unconventional campaign must’ve worked because IT went on to generate over $701 million dollars worldwide.
3. IKEA’s Everyday Fabulous Exhibit
Ikea – Everyday Fabulous from Kathy Delaney on Vimeo.
In 2006, IKEA launched their Everyday Fabulous campaign by transforming parts of New York City into comfy living spaces. IKEA chose places like bus stops, trains, and phone booths to creatively decorate with products from their stores.
4. Wendy’s Twitter Roasts
Coming up with creative ways to stay in your follower’s feed is always a challenge. Wendy’s has managed to stay on top of the feed by roasting everyone, including their competition. From relationship advice, to taunting followers who tag them in posts, Wendy’s always seems to have the last mic-drop.
5. The Grateful Dead’s Bootlegs
No other band has as extensive of collection of unofficial live recordings as the Grateful Dead. That’s because rather than confiscate recording equipment from concert goers, the band made space for them near the mixing desk where you could connect your gear to record the show. The result was over 2,000 of the Grateful Dead’s estimated 2,300 shows being recorded and shared with new and old fans alike. Many of these bootlegs have even been added to Archive.org in their own collection here.
Creating Your Own Guerrilla Marketing Campaign
Coming up with your own Guerilla Marketing campaign can be an excellent way to raise awareness of your products. Use these suggestions to create a memorable campaign for your business.
- Define Your Goal: Are you trying to promote a specific product or raise general awareness of your brand? Just like any other marketing campaign, define your goal before you get started.
- Be Creative & Original: Don’t just copy a great idea you saw somewhere else. Get creative and try something that hasn’t been done before. The more memorable your campaign, the more buzz you could generate.
- Consider Potential Risks: There is always risk when it comes to marketing your business. For example, if you plan to use a hashtag for your campaign, do a quick search of Twitter, Instagram and other social media networks to make sure the hashtag isn’t already being used, or worse, already being used for something obscene.
- Stay Within The Law: Be sure that your Guerrilla Marketing campaign doesn’t break any laws. Check your state and local laws, we are not lawyers and are not offering any legal advice. Consult a lawyer to make sure you’re aware of your rights and responsibilities.
- Measure Your Success: Make sure your marketing efforts are paying off. If you notice a particular campaign caused a large jump in sales, you’ll have a direction to go with future ideas.
Do you have a favorite Guerilla Marketing campaign you’d like to share? Tell us in the comments below!
