4 types of guerilla marketing – great tactics for your business.

4 types of guerilla marketing – do you know about them? Guerilla marketing is known for untypical and unconventional tactics. All is done to impress and attract the attention of the audience. Guerilla marketing is an alternative to traditional marketing techniques, which because of the visual overstimulation is no longer noticeable and effective. The guerilla marketing offers varied techniques, hence to learn about its working methods it is good to get acquainted with its basic types.

4 types of guerilla marketing – table of contents:

1. Types of guerrilla marketing
2. Types of guerrilla marketing – ambient marketing
3. Types of guerrilla marketing – ambush marketing
4. Types of guerrilla marketing – buzz marketing
5. Types of guerrilla marketing – viral marketing
6. Summary

Types of guerrilla marketing

Different sources of information about guerilla marketing use different terminology. Some materials describe techniques of guerilla marketing, other talk about types of marketing. In the our post we assume that there are distinct types of guerilla marketing that are characterized by varied nature of operation. Let’s find out about all of them.

Types of guerrilla marketing – ambient marketing

Ambient marketing is an effective type of advertisement, that is used in the urban space. Atypical localizations and unique objects are used to shock the audience. Creativity and uniqueness are very important in this type of advertisement. Element used in the ambient marketing campaign cannot be used twice because it will loose its shocking qualities. Among other forms of outdoor marketing ambient marketing is the most noticeable and more visible than standard billboards.

Bus shelters or other components of city space are used in ambient marketing campaigns most frequently. Other, standard advertising mediums can be used for such operations, but in they are used in non-typical way.

Interesting, unconventional ambient marketing campaign placed in city space may be transferred to the Internet and become a part of the next social media marketing campaign. People like to share the content that is unusual and interest them. Due to such processes the brand image may be promoted both locally and globally.

Ability to go beyond the scheme and creative transmission of content are the biggest advantages of such type of marketing. The advantage may become also a defect of this type of marketing, because each campaign requires constant using of non-typical ideas, innovativeness and careful preparation. Sometimes even one inventive idea is enough to stir the enthusiasm of the audience, but nothing is guaranteed. Ambient marketing has high potential of interaction with the audience, but the singleness of its application makes it more challenging. Ambient marketing action must be visible, non-typical, unique and must stand out.

One of the interesting examples of the ambient marketing is advertisement made by Fitness First in Holland – the scales that was showing the person’s weight was built in one of the bus shelters seats. Similarly successful campaigns were created by Ikea – bus shelters are transformed into cosy rooms, lamp posts get lampshades – all those elements draw the attention of pedestrians. The motto Make yourself at home is well matched with the whole campaign.

Types of guerrilla marketing – ambush marketing

Ambush marketing is a type of marketing that uses sudden chances and operates on the edge of legality, although is not illegal. Ambush marketing uses loud, notorious events or even promotional activities of another brand to be more effective. There is one motto of such actions: anything goes. The goals are achieved by using the work of others. The strategy of ambush marketing may bring huge benefits but is subject to considerable risk.

It is worth to remember that sometimes such marketing operations may expose the other company to financial and image losses. Ambush marketing strategies may cause confusion among the audience. The best examples of ambush marketing are related to laud sport and cultural events. Brands run campaign that persuades the audience that their company is the sponsor of the given event, but in reality the event is only used for promotional aims, while other companies fund the event and stay unnoticed.

The best events to use in ambush marketing are those of international, global format. The perfect example of such operation is the campaign showing competition between companies Adidas and Nike during Word Championship in South Africa in 2010. Adidas was the official sponsor of championship, but the survey made after the event revealed that the audience was convinced that Nike was its main patron. This was achieved thanks to the huge promotional campaign with the motto “Write the future” that featured the greatest stars of football such as: Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

There is an official law that forbids all the companies that are not official sponsors of major sport events to use any reference to such events in their advertisement. Nike has not broken the law and has not even mentioned the World Championship, but instead made a reference to football in general as a sport discipline.

Types of guerrilla marketing – buzz marketing

Buzz marketing uses potential of recommendations made in the Internet. Many individuals reads other’s opinions, check the ratings in the Internet before making the decision about the purchase. Buss marketing techniques are used to trigger naturally looked discussions about the given product or brand.

In comparison to other marketing techniques buzz marketing is not trying to persuade anybody to make purchase of the product. Well-performed operation of buzz marketing looks like any typical forum conversation between users about the given product. It should be carried with tact and sensitivity. Many Internet users know about buzz marketing but still most of them trusts the recommendations found in the web.

Among the methods used by buzz marketing are campaigns that aim at making noise (buzz) around the given product or brand. Buzz marketing seems to be similar to viral marketing but the foundations of both types of marketing are diametrically different. They have the same goal but they use distinctive types of methods.

Robert Wang, the creator and the founder of the Instant Pot brand used buzz marketing to promote his company. He has sent 200 pieces of his kitchen device to food bloggers and celebrities associated with cooking and cuisine. Due to this activity the device was presented in the Internet without the necessity to spend any additional funds on another marketing efforts.

Robert Wang went one step further and used the moment, when his brand was popular in the web. His employees have created social groups, where they shared the ideas on cooking and new information about the Instant Pot with the details of its functions and abilities. This was really great way to connect with the clients, show the product from the best side, and dispel all doubts related to the product.

Types of guerrilla marketing – viral marketing

Viral marketing – the mere name describes this type of guerilla marketing. Viral is an object that moves from one Internet uses to another. In consequence the snowball effect may be a result of such operation. One of the main features of viral marketing is its global reach.

Viral marketing is based on chain reaction, that should be a response to well-performed campaign related to the product or brand. Materials are passed from one uses to another on social portals. Viral marketing is used willingly due to its low cost and potential broad coverage. The information is being carried by people, who share the content out of their own free will. Algorithms of social platforms recognize the movement related to the content and start to promote it automatically.

For unexperienced user viral marketing looks like spontaneous action but it has to be well thought of to be effective. Thanks to good planning and research made in relation to the given social group the content has a chance to reach potential customers and become a viral that will spread itself in the web.

The most renown viral of latest times was the material from the campaign of Old Spice brand. The brand is on the market from 1934, but currently the man, who sits on the horse and says “Smell Like a Man, Man” is known by the whole world.

Summary

Well performed guerilla marketing campaign of any type should help the company to acquire new range of customers and show their brand from the new, fresh perspective. Broad insight on the market and innovative, unconventional, and shocking idea are necessary to create good marketing campaign. The biggest advantage of guerrilla marketing activities is the fact that they may not be very costly, but may provide great return from the investment – atypical content tends to get spread quickly over the Internet, hence the result may exceed the predictions.

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