GUERILLA MARKETING and Why It Works
Unexpected experiences help brands stand out in competitive environments
Guerilla marketing gets people talking and sharing your brand
People recall guerilla marketing stunts more than any other type of advertising
Generate original spectacle marketing content for social media
Build up your street cred with guerilla marketing activations
Be a brand known for doing supercool things
What is guerilla marketing?
Guerilla marketing uses unconventional, creative advertising tactics to attract, engage, and motivate people to achieve brand goals.
Often guerilla marketing stunts go beyond the accepted norms of brand advertising in public spaces.
Individual companies use the terms ambush, grassroots, shockvertising, spectacle, stunts, disruptive, word-of-mouth, or stealth when referring to guerilla marketing activations.
The best guerrilla marketing concepts include elements to surprise, delight, and motivate people to take action.
Guerilla marketing occurs on public sidewalks, venues, and other visible locations.
Due to the innovative 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, a performance, or small activations spread throughout a city.
It is primarily street-level, although there are possibilities, such as Guerilla Projections high up on buildings.
Guerilla marketing campaigns often leverage social and influencers strategies, plus public relations to generate earned media.
Guerilla marketing stunts are on the rise due to their ability to break through the clutter, attract people, drive social shares, and a way for brands to become part of the cultural conversation, particularly on social.
Guerilla marketing can be a one-off activation or a series of themed stunts throughout the marketing year.
Guerilla Marketing Services
1.) Guerilla marketing strategies to get your brand noticed, respected, and understood
2.) Tailoring strategies to fit specific city cultures and neighborhoods
3.) Guerilla marketing planning and recon
4.) Design and fabricate guerilla marketing assets
5.) Staffing, training, and outfitting your guerilla marketing team
6.) Dedicated photographers and videographers to capture the process and execution
7.) Recap and assessment reports
Guerilla Marketing Tips
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 your concept is in line with your brand
7.) Activate guerilla stunts strategically throughout the year
8.) Delight and benefit the public
9.) Document everything for social media and amplify
10.) Measure results
Guerilla Marketing Coverage
Guerilla street 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 challenging. Guerilla marketing stunts rely on plenty of pedestrian traffic, often limited in these areas.
Guerilla Marketing Onboarding & Process
1.) Share with us your ideas and goals
2.) Review activation-ready solutions as well as custom recommendations
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
Takeaways
Guerilla marketing breaks through and engages, unlike all other advertising methods.
The best guerilla marketing stunts are participatory and shareworthy.
Tap into ideas that creatively leverage unique city environments and local culture.
Enlist an experienced guerilla marketing team to help with ideas, design, recon, staffing, and execution.
Document everything and amplify it on social.
Guerilla marketing spectacles help you become part of the cultural conversation.
Connect
Reach out with your guerilla marketing goals for a complimentary recommendation.
Guerilla marketing definitions:
Street guerilla marketing is leveraging the cityscape (e.g. sidewalks, walls, bus stops, transit stations, etc.) to generate brand presence and engagement.
This form of guerrilla marketing often involves marketing signage, performances, and installations lasting for a day or two.
Indoor Guerilla Marketing is executing marketing activations at publicly accessible, private property locations such as transit stations, college campuses, and retailers.
Indoor guerilla marketing encompasses activations ranging from creative flash mob performances to signage placement.
Indoor guerilla marketing is 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 activations in or at large events such as sports areas, festivals and/or trade show conventions without permission.
The aim of ambush guerilla marketing is to associate a brand with the event and connect with their audience 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 zone’ to protect official sponsors.
Experiential Guerilla Marketing is when the activation's success is dependent upon public engagement and contribution.
Examples of experiential guerrilla marketing can range from an unauthorized sidewalk pop-up shop to a scavenger hunt throughout a city.
Guerilla Marketing FAQ:
Guerilla marketing 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 for any reactions to your guerilla marketing stunt.
Guerilla marketing is a highly effective way to achieve brand goals, particularly when it comes to creating awareness, interest, participation, content, and social shares.
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.
When people cite a "guerilla marketing strategy", they can be referencing a nontraditional, creative, low budget, or even an in-house, do-it-yourself advertising solution.
Best to ask people to clarify what they mean when they say "guerilla marketing strategy" to ensure everyone is on the same page.
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
