Unconventional marketing strategies for amplifying brand visibility
In today's competitive market, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture consumer attention. One such approach is guerrilla marketing, a tactic that uses unconventional methods to create buzz and engage audiences in unexpected ways. Let's explore some successful examples of guerrilla marketing strategies from recent years.
The Art of Interaction: Avoiding Negative Consequences
Encouraging consumer interaction can help avoid the negative consequences of a guerrilla campaign. This was evident in the "Straight Outta Somewhere" campaign by Beats Electronics and the LEGO treasure hunt. Omar Johnson, the CMO of Beats Electronics, used an app based on the phrase "straight outta somewhere" to great effect, with the success of the campaign being undeniable as the phrase is now everywhere on social media. Similarly, LEGO's strategy for announcing their new LEGOLand hotel branch in London involved creating small outdoor ads that were too small to fit outside a LEGO kit and hiding them around the city. The campaign encouraged people to search for these tiny ads using a map provided by the company, creating a treasure hunt-like experience.
Bringing Back the Old and the New
Bringing back old trends can be a key element to a successful campaign. Quaker Oats, for instance, created a marketing campaign that included an automatic vending machine offering free breakfast in a shopping mall. The machine allowed consumers to choose between two breakfast options, including a traditional Quaker oatmeal bowl. This campaign managed to highlight the fact that Quaker produces the same items that people would probably buy from a traditional fast food restaurant, but with much healthier options.
The Unconventional Path: LEGO's Guerrilla Marketing
LEGO's strategy can be considered an example of a guerrilla marketing campaign that uses a distinctly different method from what is normally seen. LEGO created an ad for outdoor use by building LEGO structures outdoors. This strategy gained traction due to the fun and interactive nature of the search, as well as the potential for families and friends to spend time together.
The Power of Surprise and Humour
Flipkart and Snapdeal's billboard campaign in 2015 is a prime example of the power of surprise and humour in guerrilla marketing. Flipkart launched an eye-catching billboard campaign prompting customers to buy festival season products from them using the phrase "Have you not bought?". Snapdeal countered with a directly responsive billboard nearby, saying, "It is good that you told me," encouraging customers to buy from Snapdeal instead.
Volkswagen also leveraged surprise and humour in their experiential staircase campaign. They transformed subway stairs into piano keys that made sounds when stepped on, leading to a 66% increase in people choosing stairs over escalators.
Building Trust through Transparency
Being honest and transparent can help build trust with consumers. A notable example is a website that publicly releases its employees' salaries every month. This approach not only fosters transparency but also builds trust with consumers.
The Role of Social Media
Using emojis when posting about products on social media can make posts seem more personal and generate more engagement. The television show "Mr. Robot" used this tactic for its second season premiere, broadcasting the episode only at certain times and taking it off air immediately after. The "Mr. Robot" Twitter account also monitored who was watching the broadcast and made tweets based on that, promoting the idea that the fictional hacker group would have an effect on reality.
Guerrilla Marketing in Action
Small businesses, such as new restaurants or tech startups, have engaged in guerrilla tactics by giving free meals to local food bloggers without requiring posts, hoping for genuine positive reviews. Tech startups participate in Reddit communities by offering real help and subtly mentioning products, building trust and awareness organically. A mobile phone company hired actors to have loud, enthusiastic conversations about their phone’s battery life on public transport, generating curiosity and word-of-mouth buzz among actual passengers. Local businesses commission murals incorporating logos or hire actors to use new products visibly in trendy public spaces, leveraging visual surprise and social proof to catch public attention organically.
These examples showcase different guerrilla marketing categories, such as ambush marketing, experiential marketing, influencer seeding, and creative public engagement, all leveraging surprise, humor, and interactivity for successful brand promotion.
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