GUERILLA MARKETING and Why It Works
Unexpected experiences help brands standout in competitive environments
Guerilla marketing gets people talking and posting about your brand
People recall guerilla marketing stunts more than any other type of advertising
Generate one-of-a-kind brand content for social media
Guerilla marketing activations build brand street cred
What is guerilla marketing?
Guerilla marketing is defined as creative, relevant, and attention-grabbing ideas that go beyond the norms of brand advertising in public spaces.
Individual agencies and companies use the terms street marketing, ambush, grassroots, or stealth when referring to guerilla marketing.
The best guerilla marketing concepts are those that people gravitate towards, want to engage with, and share with friends.
It can take place on-the-street, inside venues, and host of other visible locations.
Due to the never-been-done-before nature of guerilla marketing, companies typically implement concepts without asking permission from cities, events, or property owners.
Guerilla marketing concepts can be a standalone installation, involving performances, or spread throughout a city.
Primarily, guerilla marketing consists of original street-level activations, although there are preset offerings such as Guerilla Wall Projections.
Guerilla approaches remain a rise due to their ability to break through the clutter, attract consumers, drive organic social media, and provide valuable brand content.
ALT TERRAIN assists nonprofits, startups and established brands with a wide variety of guerilla marketing needs ranging from ideation to fabrication to execution.
Guerilla marketing checklist
1.) Set goals
2.) Be original
3.) Make it participatory
4.) Leverage local cityscape and culture
5.) Scout locations before your guerilla activation
6.) Ensure concept is in line with brand positioning
7.) Integrate a brand message
8.) Delight and benefit the public
9.) Document everything for social media
10.) Measure results
Guerilla marketing services
1.) Unconventional ideas to get your brand noticed, respected, and understood
2.) Tailor ideas to fit specific cities and neighborhoods
3.) Guerilla marketing planning and recon
4.) Design and fabrication of guerilla marketing assets
5.) Properly staffing, training, and outfitting your guerilla marketing team
6.) Dedicated photographers and videographers to capture process and execution
7.) Recap and assessment reports
Availability
On-the-ground guerilla marketing production services are available in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Portland, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, New Orleans, Minneapolis, San Diego, New Jersey, Washington DC, and dozens of other large to midsize cities.
Activating guerilla marketing in smaller cities, suburbs, and college towns is a challenge. Successful guerilla marketing relies on plenty of pedestrian traffic which is limited in these areas.
Process
1.) Please share with us your ideas and goals
2.) Review the Guerilla Marketing rate sheet to see if an activation-ready solution works or customization is required
3.) Once we land on an idea, you're in love with, we'll draw up a marketing agreement
4.) Guerilla marketing design, production, and planning start 3+ weeks before the first activation day
5.) Train everyone on the team and ramp-up the week before your first guerilla activation day
6.) Receive real-time reporting; photos, learnings, and ideas to improve
Conclusion
Guerilla marketing breaks through and draws attention unlike all other advertising approaches.
Design for public interaction.
Leverage individual city environments and culture.
Enlist an experienced guerilla marketing team to help with ideas, design, recon, staffing, and execution.
Document everything for social.
Connect
Get in touch as we love sharing guerilla marketing ideas, strategies, and company examples.
Get your guerilla on!
Guerilla marketing types and definitions:
Street guerrilla marketing are activations that leverage the public areas or cityscape (e.g. sidewalks, walls, bus stops, transit stations, etc.) to create a unique brand presence via creative, often temporary, brand marketing signage, performances, and installations.
Indoor Guerilla Marketing is defined as executing marketing activations inside publicly accessible, private property locations such as transit stations, college campuses, and retailers.
It encompasses activations ranging from creative flash mob performances to signage placement.
Indoor guerilla marketing is often difficult to execute as privately operated locations (e.g. subways, parks, malls, etc.) typically have security that notices out of the ordinary activities.
Ambush Guerilla Marketing is defined by executing marketing activations inside or outside large events such as sports areas, festivals and/or trade show conventions without permission.
The aim is to associate a brand with the event and/or connect with consumers attending a specific event without paying traditional sponsorship fees.
This form of guerilla marketing is challenging as many events have assigned security on the lookout for any unauthorized marketing activities, plus large events (e.g. Super Bowl, SXSW, X Games, etc.) coordinate with cities to create ‘advertising free or clean zone’ to protect official sponsors.
Experiential Guerilla Marketing can either be indoor, outdoor or ambush, however the execution is dependent upon public engagement, and often contribution to the stunt.
Examples of Experiential Guerrilla Marketing can range from an unauthorized sidewalk pop-up shop to a scavenger hunt throughout a city.
Contact ALT TERRAIN for guerilla marketing ideas for your brand.
Guerilla Marketing FAQ:
Guerilla marketing often pushes the boundaries of what is typically allowed in public spaces.
Some cities may have laws regulating your guerilla marketing approach, while others may not.
In either case, it is best to research and assess all possible outcomes to ensure your brand is prepared.
Contact ALT TERRAIN to learn from our 15+ years of guerilla marketing experience in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and dozens of other cities.
Guerilla marketing is a highly effective way to achieve specific goals, particularly when it comes to brand awareness, interest, participation, and content.
Typically guerilla marketing concepts only reach a few thousand people a day; in turn, the real value is derived from documenting the activation for social media purposes.
Get in touch with ALT TERRAIN for guerilla marketing ideas to reach your specific goals.
When people cite a "guerilla marketing strategy," they can be referencing a nontraditional, low budget, or even an in-house, do-it-yourself solution.
Best to ask people to clarify what they mean when they say 'a guerilla marketing strategy' to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Contact ALT TERRAIN for guerilla marketing strategies recommendation for your brand.
ALT TERRAIN provides guerrilla marketing services for companies in the following cities:
New York City
Los Angeles
Chicago
Boston
Portland
Philadelphia
Seattle
San Francisco
Miami
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
Denver
Houston
Dallas
Austin
San Antonio Northern
New Jersey
Atlanta
New Orleans
Minneapolis
San Diego
Washington DC
Toronto
Vancouver
Montreal
London
Paris
Berlin
Amsterdam
Milan
Madrid
