Introduction

Billions of dollars are spent every year on marketing in the U.S. A good chunk of this amount is spent on television advertising. Unfortunately for advertisers, as well as the Networks, more and more people are watching television on their own schedule thanks to dvr technology and streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. Sporting events, and programs which require audience interaction like Dancing with the Stars or American Idol, are shows which viewers typically watch live and thus, airing ads during these shows is more beneficial than say during an episode of Jeopardy! which has been recorded and the viewer can skip the commercials. Due to the viewer’s ability to skip television advertisements, companies are focusing more resources on guerrilla marketing and product placement campaigns than ever before.

Guerrilla Marketing

In case you’re not familiar with the term, guerrilla marketing gets its name from guerrilla warfare due to its unexpected and unconventional nature. Guerrilla marketing is also known as the take-it-to-the-streets method of marketing. Guerrilla marketing is one of the most creative ways to advertise products and services, often times relying on the campaign going viral to get even more publicity. Guerrilla marketing relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Guerrilla marketing is not necessarily cheap, but it is usually cheaper than alternative methods of marketing. Often times, the guerrilla marketing campaign itself may have nothing to do with the company. As long as a positive buzz is generated which the company can later take credit for, the guerrilla marketing campaign was a success.

Guerrilla marketing can range from having a plane skywrite a message, to creating an unconventional billboard, to simply distributing your product in the streets. These days guerrilla marketing is so common that the types of guerrilla marketing are becoming types of marketing themselves.

Below I’ve featured five different types of guerrilla marketing campaigns. The campaigns are not listed in any particular order.

Great Guerrilla Marketing Campaign #1 – Flash Mob Marketing

This is probably my favorite method of guerrilla marketing. Flash mobs have been used in numerous marketing campaigns, typically with a company sponsoring the flash mob. Even if you don’t plan to make a commercial of it like T-Mobile did here, this method of guerrilla marketing has a high chance of being recorded, posted on YouTube and going viral. While flash mobs may not always be the optimal method for spreading a particular message, flash mobs are great for generating buzz and especially promoting an artist, their album, or a song–see the Michael Jackson Tribute in Sweden.

Flash mobs have also been used to promote brands and franchises. Both Star Wars and Harry Potter have had flash mobs dedicated to them.

Great Guerrilla Marketing Campaign #2 – The Goodyear Blimp

Goodyear is a tire company. What does Goodyear have to do with blimps? What is the point of the Goodyear Blimp? Well. . . Goodyear at the time was trying to break into aeronautics. As far as I have read, the blimps were not originally developed for brand promotion. However, the Goodyear Blimps would end up being great marketing tools and a great way of getting and keeping the Goodyear name in the public eye. Goodyear built its first balloon in 1912. The blimps, along with the company’s longevity, have made the Goodyear Blimp a staple of American culture. During most televised sporting events you expect to see an aerial shot from the Goodyear Blimp.

Goodyear recently announced plans to replace its three aging blimps with airships which are larger, quicker and technologically superior. We can expect to see Goodyear in the sky for many years to come.

Great Guerrilla Marketing Campaign #3 – Acrobatic Sign Spinner Marketing

This is a perfect example of guerrilla marketing being used as a cheap alternative to traditional marketing and advertising.

Sign spinners are employees who have been trained to stand on public street corners and acrobatically display large cardboard signs indicating where to get a particular offer. The sign spinners can be employees of the company they are promoting or simply sponsored by the local company. The idea is to have the sign spinning utilize a combination of acrobatic and baton-tossing skills to grab the attention of passing motorists and pedestrians.

This is a great method of marketing. A big part of business is awareness. How can a person do business with you if they don’t know about you? Sign spinners can help your business generate awareness.

Great Guerrilla Marketing Campaign #4 – Red Bull Marketing

When I think of guerrilla marketing, I think Red Bull. Maybe it’s because Red Bull targets my age demographic, but it seems like after every single event I go to, whether sporting, concert, etc., they are always outside passing out free energy drinks.

Maybe you’ve seen the Red Bull car driving around your city. Maybe you’ve run into the Red Bull Girls passing out free Red Bull. Maybe you’ve been to an events like the Red Bull Soap Box Race or Red Bull Ride + Style. Whatever the case, due to Red Bulls grasp of the value of guerrilla marketing, you’ve probably seen them in the streets somewhere promoting the Red Bull Brand guerrilla style.

Great Guerrilla Marketing Campaign #5 – Andre the Giant Has a Posse

I was not a WWF fan in the 80s, but I still knew who guys like Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan were. Growing up, I remember seeing this sticker in random places and not understanding why there was a sticker of Andre the Giant. Those familiar with “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” or “Obey the Giant” campaigns found the images amusing, recognizing them as nonsensical. However, those of us not in on the joke were confused and puzzled by the images. Had the internet existed at the time, you can bet people would have been online trying to understand what was up with these images being posted all around the city.

The “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” and “Obey the Giant” campaigns were intended to be nonsensical and jabs at traditional marketing campaigns. However, these campaigns ended up catching on and symbolizing a movement against media propaganda.

Fast forward to 2008.

Shepard Fairey, the guy responsible for “Andre the Giant Has a Posse”, is hired to run a guerrilla marketing campaign on behalf of Barack Obama. Fairey’s red, white, and blue Obama art with the word Progress, and later Hope, at the bottom gave visual definition to Obama’s message. As with his other campaigns, the Obama art propagated itself, but on a much faster pace and larger scale.

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