What Is Guerrilla Marketing and is It Appropriate For Your Business?

In the age of technology, many businesses are turning to internet marketing to get their name out there and engage with both current customers as well as develop new leads  Although it is proven effective for most businesses to invest in an internet marketing strategy, some companies like to add some creativity to their marketing campaign.    Additionally, when your advertising budget is low, investing all of your money into advertising via the internet can be costly.  This is where guerrilla marketing steps to the plate offering your business the opportunity to jump into the spotlight through utilizing a different strategy than the traditional methods.

What exactly is guerrilla marketing?  Guerrilla marketing is when a company opts to use a creative, unconventional approach to get their product or services in the public’s attention.  It’s different from other forms of marketing in that it often relies on personal interaction with potential customers.  on smaller groups of promoters that are responsible for getting the word out in a smaller physical location rather than via massive social media, radio or television bombing.

Guerrilla marketing campaigns can often be risky as it can create shock value for your consumer, so the type of product or service that you’re trying to promote can largely determine whether or not this method is appropriate and effective for you.   Additionally, it’s important for a company to carefully think over their strategy before execution.   Shock value and risk can help bring your business to the next level and get everyone talking, but if your attempt goes awry it can have the opposite effect on your business and reputation.   An example of a guerrilla marketing campaign gone wrong was the 2007 Boston Bombing scare that was brought upon by Turner Broadcasting’s guerrilla marketing campaign advertising Cartoon Network’s new show; Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  Turner placed battery-powered LED placards that resembled one of the characters on the cartoon show throughout the city of Boston and surrounding areas.   The placard resembled an explosive device which caused a bomb scare throughout the city and ended up costing the company 2 million dollars in damages.

Alternatively, Red Bull’s guerrilla marketing campaign featuring extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner setting the world record for highest skydive ever was a home-run.  The Red Bull Stratos was a campaign that sent the Baumgartner on a death defying jump at over 128,100 feet into the stratosphere, which he set the world record of completing in 9 minutes and 9 seconds with 4:22 of that as a free-fall.  This was all from a hot air balloon!   Was this a risky campaign? Of course, but it accomplished the result that it set out to!  Red Bull’s YouTube video got over 8 million social media hits that day, a world social media record proving that shock value can be a great way to engage customers.

Does this mean you have to jump out of an airplane to implement some guerrilla marketing strategies into your overall advertising plan?  Of course not!  For a smaller business, this can mean creating a street team to go out and canvass the local area advertising for your business.   Or, you can hire a sign spinner to dress up in a costume as your retail  store’s mascot on the side of the road waving people into the parking lot to check out your big sale. When well thought out and used in addition to some more traditional advertising, guerrilla marketing can be an effective way to engage your audience using your own creativity and positive energy.