Do you get angry when you see a pile of newspaper inserts dumped in the trash can or when you have to get back out of your car to remove the flyer from under your wiper or when the only mail you receive is a bill plus twenty brochures you have no interest in? If so, you’re not alone and the advertising industry knows it. It seems the traditional brochures, keeper kards and flyers will soon be a thing of the past. The trees are very grateful. And so we have Guerilla Marketing.
According to Wikipedia, Guerilla Marketing was invented as an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. It creates a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral.
Turning tradition upside down.
This technique of Guerilla Marketing stamps it’s foot full force onto the old ways of spreading a company’s message and leaves a lasting imprint on your memory. It is provocative, exciting, surprising and news worthy. What more could you ask for your product or service? In this social media age it is just not enough to stick to traditional marketing methods especially in the under forty target market where most guerilla advertising seems to aim. But is it going too far?
Guerilla Marketing makes a Mission Impossible blunder.
In Los Angeles at The Veterans Affairs Medical Centre, Paramount Pictures placed digital devices in the newspaper racks. Whenever someone opened one to grab a paper the theme music to Mission Impossible 3 would play. Some people, as well as a few patients of the medical center mistook this device to be a bomb and the whole place was evacuated. The Sheriffs Arson Squad was brought in so they could dispose of the devices. Paramount Pictures almost had a court case on their hands and were out of pocket $75,000 which they gave to the centre for the disturbance caused. This is just one of several incidents where Guerilla Advertising has backlashed.
Bouncing Simba’s?
At the same time, many campaigns can be subtler using for instance projected light images onto the sides of buildings. This creates atmosphere, fun and excitement without imposing itself literally into people’s hands. With Disney’s ‘Lion King’ coming to the stage in Vancouver this summer, wouldn’t it be just adorable to see Simba leaping around the sides of buildings downtown? Overall, Guerilla Marketing is not for the faint of heart, but it can be very amusing, startling, controversial and most of the time memorable. In this green age where less is more and technology’s pace is in fifth gear, where everyone has a profile, a webpage and instant communication to anyone, anywhere – this creative concept of pushing the limits, taking that step further and brand recognition by shock seems to be the way to go.
Here are some links to some stunning guerilla marketing campaigns:
http://www.funnymos.com/guerrilla-advertising.html
http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/category/guerilla
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