Have you ever seen a group of dancers, suddenly burst out dancing, all wearing the same kinds of clothes or accessories, or seen a sudden pop up of a big sign on the road? If you have, then these are all examples of Guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla marketing is a very tried-and-tested marketing technique used by many big brands globally. Guerrilla is a Spanish work which literally means “little war,” and experts will agree that sales and marketing are almost akin to a war which is always on going. In this blog, we will talk about the core concept of this marketing gem, discuss the examples, and list the benefits.
What is Guerrilla marketing?
This is a form of advertising that uses the “guerrilla” warfare tactics to attract an audience. It is not a traditional form of marketing, but rather an unconventional type to awe, surprise, wonder, or shock the audience and attract more customers towards a product or service. Amazon and Coca-Cola are two big examples in the Indian market which benefited from guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla marketing is more about using face to face interaction with the customer through promotions, viral marketing, or word of mouth publicity. And with the popularity of social media added to it, Guerrilla marketing can reach a wide number of audiences for free. Examples of Guerrilla marketing can be easily seen in places which offer a large audience, such as concerts, public parks, festivals, beaches, rallies, busy streets, sporting events, etc. It can be indoor, outdoor, or even experiential to have the audience interact with a brand.
Invented in 1984, by Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla marketing marked a shift from the traditional media to digital and viral marketing. The inspiration came from the Guerrilla Marketing tactics used in the Vietnam War. His inspiration was to use the unconventional and low-cost methods to capture the market’s attention with the smartest ad campaigns.
The aim of Guerrilla marketing is to project the core essence of the business and its values. It can be growth, technology, climate, productivity, etc. Then the campaign is designed to promote these values. It relies more on the human interaction than big advertisements and focusses on viral campaigns and word of mouth spread.
Why do companies use Guerrilla marketing?
Though it might not seem so, but Guerrilla marketing has a number benefits that outweigh its cons:
- The biggest advantage is that it does not need much space in the budget. It can be done on a small budget successfully.
- Guerilla marketing relies on the original idea to target a group of audience rather than using the same marketing campaign everywhere.
- Gives more creative leeway as it is more informal. Startups, local businesses, or small companies often use guerrilla marketing to spread the word.
- It has a high impact and significant reach value.
- It helps the business gain more personalized insights into their consumers and how they feel about the brand.
- Social media guerrilla campaigns can go viral and maximum exposure, to bring in increased ROI.
- Through this the brand can build a meaningful partnership with local brands, festivals, locations, etc.
- Guerilla marketing can be tailored to each a specific type of audience for a more targeted approach.
Guerilla marketing is about seizing the moment. However, if not executed properly, it can fail too. They are less structured and can sometimes be seen as the adverse marketing sense. The results of guerrilla marketing can be unpredictable, which can be daunting for a few business.
Some examples of Guerrilla marketing that you could not have missed
- Amul’s witty topical campaigns
Everybody who is anybody remembers the funny, quirky, and eye-catching billboards by Amul brands to promote their products and services. They tap the latest happenings in the world and crafted them to be humorous. Their recall value is always high.
- “Bench Break” by KitKat
Matching the tagline “Have a Break, Have a KitKat.”, the famous chocolate placed crafty advertisements on benches in parks and public places that looked broken but were not. It encouraged people to take a break, and they recalled a break with KitKat. The brand gained most engagement.
- Roti Reminder advertisement campaign by Lifebuoy
We all remember the engaging advertisements by Lifebuoy, reminding us to wash our hands before eating. The company took this campaign up a notch by stamping the rotis distributed in Kumbh Mela, asking people to wash their hands before eating. This message of hygiene reached millions of attendees.
- Fevicol’s Bus Handle and One Sofa for all generations Campaign
Have you ever seen a group of dancers, suddenly burst out dancing, all wearing the same kinds of clothes or accessories, or seen a sudden pop up of a big sign on the road? If you have, then these are all examples of Guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla marketing is a very tried-and-tested marketing technique used by many big brands globally. Guerrilla is a Spanish work which literally means “little war,” and experts will agree that sales and marketing are almost akin to a war which is always on going. In this blog, we will talk about the core concept of this marketing gem, discuss the examples, and list the benefits.
What is Guerrilla marketing?
This is a form of advertising that uses the “guerrilla” warfare tactics to attract an audience. It is not a traditional form of marketing, but rather an unconventional type to awe, surprise, wonder, or shock the audience and attract more customers towards a product or service. Amazon and Coca-Cola are two big examples in the Indian market which benefited from guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla marketing is more about using face to face interaction with the customer through promotions, viral marketing, or word of mouth publicity. And with the popularity of social media added to it, Guerrilla marketing can reach a wide number of audiences for free. Examples of Guerrilla marketing can be easily seen in places which offer a large audience, such as concerts, public parks, festivals, beaches, rallies, busy streets, sporting events, etc. It can be indoor, outdoor, or even experiential to have the audience interact with a brand.
Invented in 1984, by Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla marketing marked a shift from the traditional media to digital and viral marketing. The inspiration came from the Guerrilla Marketing tactics used in the Vietnam War. His inspiration was to use the unconventional and low-cost methods to capture the market’s attention with the smartest ad campaigns.
The aim of Guerrilla marketing is to project the core essence of the business and its values. It can be growth, technology, climate, productivity, etc. Then the campaign is designed to promote these values. It relies more on the human interaction than big advertisements and focusses on viral campaigns and word of mouth spread.
Why do companies use Guerrilla marketing?
Though it might not seem so, but Guerrilla marketing has a number benefits that outweigh its cons:
- The biggest advantage is that it does not need much space in the budget. It can be done on a small budget successfully.
- Guerilla marketing relies on the original idea to target a group of audience rather than using the same marketing campaign everywhere.
- Gives more creative leeway as it is more informal. Startups, local businesses, or small companies often use guerrilla marketing to spread the word.
- It has a high impact and significant reach value.
- It helps the business gain more personalized insights into their consumers and how they feel about the brand.
- Social media guerrilla campaigns can go viral and maximum exposure, to bring in increased ROI.
- Through this the brand can build a meaningful partnership with local brands, festivals, locations, etc.
- Guerilla marketing can be tailored to each a specific type of audience for a more targeted approach.
Guerilla marketing is about seizing the moment. However, if not executed properly, it can fail too. They are less structured and can sometimes be seen as the adverse marketing sense. The results of guerrilla marketing can be unpredictable, which can be daunting for a few business.
Some examples of Guerrilla marketing that you could not have missed
- Amul’s witty topical campaigns
Everybody who is anybody remembers the funny, quirky, and eye-catching billboards by Amul brands to promote their products and services. They tap the latest happenings in the world and crafted them to be humorous. Their recall value is always high.
- “Bench Break” by KitKat
Matching the tagline “Have a Break, Have a KitKat.”, the famous chocolate placed crafty advertisements on benches in parks and public places that looked broken but were not. It encouraged people to take a break, and they recalled a break with KitKat. The brand gained most engagement.
- Roti Reminder advertisement campaign by Lifebuoy
We all remember the engaging advertisements by Lifebuoy, reminding us to wash our hands before eating. The company took this campaign up a notch by stamping the rotis distributed in Kumbh Mela, asking people to wash their hands before eating. This message of hygiene reached millions of attendees.
- Fevicol’s Bus Handle and One Sofa for all generations Campaign
All the marketing campaigns used by Fevicol have left a lasting impressions in the minds of users. So much so that even when asking for normal adhesive, people ask for Fevicol. They creatively painted bus handles to appear as though the passenger’s hands were stuck on the handle, and they could last the whole journey without falling. The fun and interactive campaigns, highlight the strong adhesive properties of the brand.
- Kidults on Flipkart
The e-commerce website, used the kids to act as adults. The aim was to convey that shopping from their website was so simple that even kids could do it and it worked. The campaign worked effectively.
- Deadpool’s Tinder profile
Before the release of the movie “Deadpool,” the Marvel character made his own tinder profile. Very untypical, but it garnered the right amount of attention to the film and its characters.
- Empty can campaign by Red Bull
Aimed to increase the visibility and engagement of the brand, this guerilla marketing tactic involved carefully placing empty cans of Red Bull in popular clubs, and sporting arenas, music concerts, etc. The empty cans in the bins and all round made the impression that the drink was very popular in the clubs and areas. Word of mouth about the energy drink increased too.
Guerrilla marketing leverages creativity, cultural nuance, and humour to create impactful and memorable campaigns.
- Kidults on Flipkart
The e-commerce website, used the kids to act as adults. The aim was to convey that shopping from their website was so simple that even kids could do it and it worked. The campaign worked effectively.
- Deadpool’s Tinder profile
Before the release of the movie “Deadpool,” the Marvel character made his own tinder profile. Very untypical, but it garnered the right amount of attention to the film and its characters.
- Empty can campaign by Red Bull
Aimed to increase the visibility and engagement of the brand, this guerilla marketing tactic involved carefully placing empty cans of Red Bull in popular clubs, and sporting arenas, music concerts, etc. The empty cans in the bins and all round made the impression that the drink was very popular in the clubs and areas. Word of mouth about the energy drink increased too.
Guerrilla marketing leverages creativity, cultural nuance, and humour to create impactful and memorable campaigns.
