Guerilla Marketing

Guerilla marketing is a marketing approach that aims to catch the target audience off-guard. The idea is centered around a low budget, a small target group, and an attempt to exact a feeling of surprise, shock, and astonishment from the audience. It relies on uncommon and quirky ways to grab attention and create brand awareness.

The guerilla marketing tactics are engaged to attain effective publicity on a low budget. It pivots around public interaction, which helps recognize how people react to the brand. This technique is ideal for small businesses that want to spend less on marketing.

• Guerilla marketing is an advertising method that includes surprise or shock as a crucial element to make a lasting impression in a consumer's mind. It relies on uniqueness, creativity, and communication to increase brand recognition.
• It is a budget-friendly method where a small group of people is selected as the target audience. The technique focuses on raising publicity through word of mouth.
• It is a very effective method, especially for small businesses without the resources to conduct high-priced campaigns. However, even larger brands are exploring and have shifted to this method as it can be compelling and impactful, predominantly among the younger population.

Guerilla marketing is a marketing technique that implements unique methods to create brand awareness. It relies on creative ideas to elicit reactions of shock and wonder from the target groups and connect with the audience. This strategy creates brand recognition and leaves a strong impression on people. The guerilla marketing tactics can be used for both online and offline marketing and a mix of both. 

The guerilla marketing technique is influenced by the "guerrilla warfare" method, where the critical element is to take your opponents in by surprise. This marketing method compels the audience to heed the idea being conveyed to them. It identifies a small target group and depends on word of mouth for the propagation of the message. It runs on a low budget and is cost-effective. 

The guerilla marketing technique suits small businesses that can't afford to spend a fortune on advertising. However, this method is getting increasingly popular among large companies and effectively holds the consumer's attention. The guerilla marketing ideas capture consumers in public places where one can reach out to a broader audience base. Social media is another preferred marketing channel, as creating viral advertisements can help amplify a brand's presence. It is imperative to select the correct time and place for this marketing strategy to maximize its efficacy.

The types of guerilla marketing strategies have been discussed below:

#1 - Ambient Marketing

This marketing type involves advertisements in unexpected places to garner public attention. The advertisements make the public curious about the campaign and its choice of location, thereby piquing their interest.

#2 - Ambush Marketing

This type of marketing intrudes events associated with some other brand to gain attention. They are often rival brands of the event's official sponsors and use the resources of the official sponsors to increase their popularity.

#3 - Experiential Marketing

In this type of marketing, the public is offered an experience of the brand. This marketing is conducted in person, where the brand tries to provide an experience or service in the hopes of a successful conversion.

#4 - Attack Marketing

This type of marketing aims to convey its message to the public aggressively or compellingly. It attempts to surprise the consumers and grab their attention publicly.

#5 - Stealth Marketing

Stealth marketing is a technique in which a large consumer base is subtly made aware of the brand. The consumers are communicated about the brand but are unaware that they are being publicized.

#6 - Grassroots Marketing

This strategy spreads the advertisement to the local community through town events, fairs, and partnerships with local organizations. The goal of this strategy is to increase publicity through word of mouth.

#7 - Buzz Marketing

This marketing type aims at making consumers talk about a specific product so much that it gets viral. It seeks to create hype around the product or service, which would make a long-standing impression in people's minds.

Let us understand the concept of guerilla marketing with the following examples:

Example #1

Dream's Salon is newly opened in a small locality. Due to limited resources, the owner, Mrs. Rose, was unwilling to spend much money on advertising. Instead, she wanted to opt for a budget-friendly method. So, she decided to open a stall in a nearby shopping mall where she would offer free services to the public for one day. The free services surprised the crowd, and they got curious about her business. This is one example of guerilla marketing.

Example #2

In April 2022, Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, witnessed many women suddenly appearing with posters. First, they introduced themselves as the "Association of Wives." Then, they started making particular demands like an increase in money that husbands would allot to their wives and complaints like husbands have stopped eating at home. Later it was revealed to be a marketing strategy of the famous brand Unilever for promoting a flavoring product under the brand name Royco. This is one example of guerilla marketing.

Advantages

The advantages of guerilla marketing are as follows:

• This method is budget-friendly as it does not spend a lot on advertising. The selected audience pool is small and relies on communication for spreading information about the brand.
• It helps the brand explore creative ways of engaging consumers and turning them into potential customers.
• This method aims to connect with people personally, which helps get insights into the public's reaction to the brand and its products or services.
• This marketing type is beneficial for creating a distinct brand image to help it stand out from its competitors.
• This method compels people to receive the messages in a unique way that evokes strong emotions. In that process, people might connect emotionally with the brand, eventually enhancing brand loyalty.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of the guerilla marketing technique are discussed below:

• Specific marketing strategies may be too aggressive and end up creating unwanted controversies. Such controversies could also end in legal trouble for the business.
• The results attained from this type of marketing are very unpredictable. They might stir up a desirable reaction from the consumers. However, they may also turn out to be a failure.
• It is difficult to measure the results of this marketing method as traditional methods are not employed. As a result, it becomes tedious to analyze the effectiveness of this advertising method.

The differences have been discussed below:

• Guerilla marketing focuses on real-world interaction. Therefore, it depends on word of mouth to organically increase its consumer base and create brand awareness.
• Traditional marketing uses offline media to connect to an audience base. It includes television, radio, newspapers, and other print ads. It also includes billboards and phone and email advertisements.
• Viral marketing uses social media to create brand recognition. It is a form of digital marketing where the entire marketing operation is carried out virtually. There is no in-person interaction between the business and the consumers.

This article has been a guide to what is Guerilla Marketing & its meaning. We explain its types, examples, advantages, & differences with viral & traditional marketing. You may also find some useful articles here -

• Ambush Marketing
• Mass Marketing
• Conversion Marketing