What is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla Marketing is a way to drive publicity and, as a result, brand awareness - the top Guerrilla Marketing campaigns are ones which are high-impact, memorable and provoke emotion.
But, how does that translate into the work we do every day? In marketing, Guerrilla techniques mostly play on the element of surprise. It sets out to create highly unconventional campaigns that catch people unexpectedly during their day-to-day routines.
With this type of marketing, you need to generate a buzz—an experience for your audience that they will remember. Think outside the box.
You may be thinking ‘But, that sounds expensive.’
It’s only as expensive as you make it.
The actual investment here is a creative, intellectual one. Its implementation, however, doesn’t have to be expensive.
It's an investment of time but not money, per se.
Had to look twice here, didn’t you? And probably chuckled when you realised that it is humans, not fleas, walking over the floor graphic.
That is Guerrilla Marketing; making you look twice, igniting an emotion and, for the people there, interacting with a brand.
Have this at the back of your mind when you are planning a Guerrilla Marketing campaign…
“A good guerrilla campaign is worth sharing.”
Your guerrilla marketing efforts will primarily happen offline, but these strategies will find themselves posted on social media quickly if they are received well.
Is Guerrilla Marketing Really Effective?
Marketers, entrepreneurs, and agencies often debate the impact and benefit of Guerrilla Marketing. To justify the impact, here are a few real-world statistics:
Guerrilla marketing tactics bring down the cost of marketing to almost 90%, when implemented.
About 42% of millennials get influenced by Guerrilla Marketing campaigns online.
Around 57% of consumers say that Guerrilla Marketing is an effective promotional tool.
More than 25% of companies agree that Guerrilla Marketing tactics help them reach new target groups.
We’ve gathered some of the best (and most realistic) Guerrilla Marketing ideas for small businesses so you can shed boring traditional marketing strategies and create memorable campaigns in the eyes of your target audience.
But first, here’s my top tips to keep in mind when building a Guerrilla Marketing campaign:
Location, location, location: Consider foot traffic, type of traffic, and where you can get not just maximum exposure—but exposure to the right people.
Hit or miss: Guerrilla Marketing can be easy for consumers to ignore unless your creativity gives people a reason to pause. The better your idea, the more thought out your strategy for getting a reaction, and the more likely your marketing is to work.
Your creativity should align with your goals: Even if you capture attention, the real challenge is coming up with creative assets that get your brand or your message across.
Use it to complement your online marketing and vice versa: People should be able to connect the dots between your offline marketing and your brand online. It's best if they at least have the name of your brand, so they know what to google.
Guerilla Marketing Examples for SMEs
Smart Coasters
Coaster marketing is a tactile, high-impact strategy that makes your brand physically present in a consumer’s world.
With coaster marketing, your brand's first step is to understand its target audience. The design on your coasters needs to be not only visually appealing but also resonating with consumers.
To effectively put coaster marketing into action, focus on conveying a strong and succinct message.
The combination of eye-catching design and catchy one-liners on your coasters can create a lasting impression. This is great for B2B, a subtle reminder of your brand on someone's desk everyday.
Attention-Grabbing Business Cards
Think about how many opportunities you have to pass out a business card — whether at a networking event or conference, a lot of people might ask for your business card and whilst these new fancy digital business cards are nice, if you had a snazzy business card that made people laugh or contemplate something they hadn’t thought about before, it would leave a great impression.
Sticker Marketing
This strategy has the potential to create brand awareness and help your target audience become familiar with your brand.
Reddit is an example here. The popular social media platform used their legendary alien logo stickers to create awareness.
Those stickers became famous in no time. And we've seen them on people's laptops, cars, and water bottles, just to name a few.
Interestingly, Reddit only spent $500 on those stickers, and according to the CEO, the results they got were astounding.
Give away samples
Who doesn't like free stuff? Of course, we all do. Why not leverage this foolproof Guerrilla Marketing tactic to grow your business offline?
Giving away free samples is a surefire way to ensure people have access to your products and will use them.
Let your product do the talking - sending prospect clients or businesses you would like to work with a sample of your product can ultimately bring them over the line before you even speak to them.
Quirky Keychains
This example is a great quirky giveaway for construction companies. Relevant to your industry but also super useful for someone who might be requesting your services.
A really useful tool, great for mailing out to prospects and customers.
It’s not all physical
The most successful Guerrilla Marketing strategies make great use of the spaces around them.
While some of the most popular Guerrilla Marketing campaigns are physical, visual examples of Guerrilla Marketing are just as effective.
Online Guerrilla Marketing campaigns often appear in the form of:
Viral videos
User-generated content competitions
Creative landing pages
There’s no doubt that Guerrilla Marketing can provide fantastic results while allowing marketers to exercise their creativity in a unique way, but it will only work for businesses who aren’t afraid of risk-taking.
Let’s take a look at some real-world examples:
Guinness
This fantastic Guinness marketing campaign featured the sport most synonymous with being in the pub.
These Guinness pool cues were released in a number of pubs and bars in Ireland and the US, and does a great job of reaching its target audience and reminding them they want a pint whilst playing pool.
Nike
Simple, yet effective.
This execution from Nike encapsulates the essence of guerrilla marketing. It’s cheap, it’s clever and it is bang on message for the brand.
BBC
When the night falls, vampires start to feast. That’s exactly what BBC had been trying to imply with this famous billboard for advertising the Dracula TV series.
This billboard was located in London and Birmingham. Still, the news about it spread worldwide.
At first glance, it’s just a billboard with some spikes and a few drops of blood on it. But when the sun goes down, this masterpiece reveals its horror.
This design was so effective that after two years, people still talked about it.
Barbie vs Oppenheimer
You may of seen this campaign around London in 2023 and without knowing it you was a subject to Guerrilla Marketing.
These movies were released on the same day last year, so marketers saw the potential and increased the hype through Guerrilla Marketing.
They used trash cans in the streets to attract more viewers. These types of bins are not something you would see every day. So, the Guerrilla Marketing campaign sticks to people’s minds just like the movies. This marketing idea has an environmental effect too. Why would someone want to dump their rubbish on the path when they can use it to support their favourite movie?
Here you can see Barbie is ahead of Oppenheimer, and it’s not even close!
How can it be done online?
Porsche
Even big companies like Porsche might also go for simple creative advertisements once in a while.
This shows how important innovation can be in marketing. And sometimes, it covers up your budget limitation.
Guerrilla Marketing remains a dynamic and effective strategy for businesses of all sizes. By leveraging creativity, innovation, and the element of surprise, companies like yours can break through the noise of traditional advertising and leave a lasting impression on their target audience.
From smart coasters to attention-grabbing business cards and online viral campaigns, the possibilities for Guerrilla Marketing are endless. As evidenced by real-world examples from companies like Guinness, Nike, and BBC, the impact of guerrilla marketing can be profound, generating buzz, brand awareness, and even viral fame.
Whether offline or online, the key to success lies in taking calculated risks, thinking outside the box, and ensuring alignment with your brand goals.
So, dare to be bold, embrace the unexpected, and let your creativity shine as you embark on your Guerrilla Marketing journey. After all, as the saying goes, a good Guerrilla campaign is worth sharing.
If you want to take your marketing to the next level, get in touch today 🚀
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