What is guerilla marketing?
Guerilla marketing is a non-traditional strategy where companies use surprise tactics and unconventional ways to advertise and promote products and services. Its focus is more on personal and smaller promoter groups in a specific place instead of the typical massive campaigns. There is little to no expense used since some of the tactics used may be viral strategy or word of mouth. It may be indoors or outdoors — the more public the place is, the better.
The guerilla history
The word guerilla’s roots are from the Spanish word Guerra which means petty war. A guerilla party is a group of irregular armed men who use unconventional methods to win an unconventional war.
In 1984, writer Jay Conrad Levinson introduced the term “guerilla marketing” in his book that is entitled the same. The rest is history when people want to abruptly market a product or a service in a limited time.
Guerilla marketers unexpectedly present products and services to customers that leave them surprised. This method puts a mark in people’s heads even until they settle down at their homes and eventually mention it to their friends and family. Now, word of mouth starts to happen. Unconsciously, the brand starts to become famous without even putting out too much expense for marketing.
Guerilla marketing strategies
There are several unconventional ways to market a product or service without having to spend too much money. Listed below are some guerilla marketing ideas that can help a business in its marketing:
- Creativity. Companies can make a store or stall designs that are eye-catching and make people stop and stare for a while.
- Uniforms. If your employees wear clothes with your brand, they will subconsciously be familiar.
- Art. Art like murals and paintings will always catch people’s attention.
- Internet. In the modern age, most people express themselves on social media. If people make a post viral, it will undoubtedly impact the brand’s popularity.
Advantages and disadvantages of guerilla marketing
Let us list down several advantages that come with guerilla marketing. First of all, it requires a very minimal budget compared to traditional marketing. If this marketing has correct execution, the reach will be extensive. If that happens, it will leave a tremendous impact on consumers and start spreading the word. Guerilla marketing targets the minds of people subconsciously. Also, it may offer high returns and increased sales without having to break wallets.
However, there are also certain downsides to this type of marketing. One is minimal opportunities to succeed. It all depends if the strategy used made a lasting impression on customers. For example, one viral post can give benefits to make the brand famous, but sales increase may not be as quick as a post to become viral. Also, if the strategy used is too unconventional, people might misunderstand the brand. In this case, the phrase “negative publicity is still publicity” might not be a good idea to grow a company. If that happens, it might be beneficial to other competitors because they will have less competition.