What is guerrilla marketing?
The term was originated by US writer Jay Conrad in the early 1980s as an alternative to the traditional approach to marketing, inspired by military tactics that employed surprise as a strategy against enemies.
The world of experiential marketing is all about using public spaces in creative and unexpected ways to grab the public's attention, a remarkably effective tactic in an overloaded market.
Due to its originality, it generates a memorable impact and, in many cases, becomes a viral phenomenon that spreads across social media.
Guerrilla marketing in experience creation
Imagine we are walking through our city and come across an immersive bus shelter, an art installation in the street promoting a brand, or participating in an interactive game in a metro station promoting a series. These experiences are not only entertaining, but also leave a lasting impression in the minds of those who see them and even more so in the minds of those who experience them.
These unexpected encounters have a very positive impact on our minds due to the surprise factor. Not only would they leave us amazed in this moment, but they would also motivate us to share these experiences with our physical and digital circle, thus generating a natural conversation and an increase in the visibility of the brand or the promoted product.
These immersive and gamified experiences are a clear example of how guerrilla marketing and gamification have revolutionised marketing, turning consumers into active brand protagonists.
There are several types of guerrilla marketing:
Performance marketing
This strategy requires the involvement of performers to bring advertising campaigns to life. An emblematic example is flashmobs, where a group of participants are integrated into the audience and suddenly start performing a choreography in public spaces, generating a surprising and memorable impact on the audience.
Ikea and Mamma Mia!
In this case, the actors from the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! teamed up with Ikea to promote their performance, carrying out the flashmob in one of their shops.
Ambush marketing
Ambush marketing takes advantage of major events such as concerts or sports games to promote products without paying official sponsorship. Through creative strategies, it competes with "official" brands for the public's attention, generating better results than the sponsors themselves without having any kind of relationship.
Axe
The deodorant brand Axe selected one of their models, sprayed him with their product and made him run in front of a group of girls participating in the women's marathon in Denmark. This created a visual effect in which it looked like all the girls were running behind him.
Ambient marketing
Ambient marketing uses the environment to convey advertising in an engaging and clever way. The aim is to surprise as many people as possible at busy times by carefully selecting the place and time for the action.
Piano in the Stockholm underground
Volkswagen Sweden conducted a study to show that "fun is an effective way to positively influence human behaviour". To demonstrate this, they placed a piano on the stairs of the Stockholm underground, encouraging people to choose the traditional stairs, which emitted piano sounds, rather than the escalators next to them.
Viral marketing
Viral marketing is a strategy that is complementary to guerrilla marketing. It uses social media and other digital platforms to spread messages and campaigns quickly and on a massive scale. This strategy is especially effective in generating a high impact in a brief period of time, thus increasing visibility and engagement with the brand.
In conclusion, guerrilla marketing is a powerful experience creator and an ideal tool to surprise, innovate and connect emotionally with the public, making it an essential option for brands seeking to attract attention, create impact and stand out in a highly competitive environment.
