Guerrilla Tactics

There are so many different -- and exciting-- communication channels out there. That's what I love about marketing! There is never a lack of creativity, whether that creativity is in social media, television, or magazine ads, and whatever those ads are trying to convey! I think that one of the most exciting way to advertise for both the consumer and the advertiser is Guerrilla marketing. This is a term coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984, and it describes a type of marketing that is low-cost and unconventional. Guerrilla marketing is highly creative, and grabs the attention of consumers everywhere. It pops up when and where they least expect it. While it is perfect for small businesses, it is so successful (and has such a large ROI) that it has come to be used by many large name brands as well. Here are a few examples:

It can be something as small as this...

Or as large as this...

With anything in between...

Coca-Cola (who I happen to think is an advertising genius) does a great job of guerrilla marketing as well. They strategically place Coke machines in cities all over the world that, while they look like regular Coke machines, create the happiness that their slogan encourages so strongly. Some dispense flowers and cakes and balloons, while others only require a hug before consumers receive their selection. One machine is twice the height of a regular machine, and requires two people (one to lift and another to push a button) to operate it. 

While different brands go with different approaches, they all have one thing in common -- emotion. Whether that emotion is shock, like the nationwide paint can example, irony, like the Fedex truck carrying two UPS vehicles, or the warm, mushy feelings that the coke marketing approach inspires, the all leave passerby with an emotion. Most of us appreciate that emotion, and remember it the next time we see those brands and corporations in their more typical settings. This emotion is what keeps people coming back time after time, and what makes Guerrilla marketing so successful.