Whitespace: A new breed - guerrilla marketing goes social

Issue 64: August 2010

Can you remember any of the TV ads you sat through last night? Do you recall even one banner ad from a website you looked at today? Have you chatted with colleagues about any of radio ads you heard this morning? 

If you've just answered no to these questions, you're not alone.

Less and less people are paying attention to traditional advertising messages. What they are tuning into is word of mouth and brand experiences emanating from a new wave of guerrilla marketing techniques.

Once the sole domain of marketers wishing to hijack consumer attention, guerrilla marketing is itself being ambushed by social media loving consumers keen to insert themselves into organic brand stories. 

To explain the trend, this month's Whitespace examines how several innovative brands are using new media to breathe new life into concept of guerrilla marketing.

Ambushing the ambushers

Guerrilla marketing is not particularly new. Ad man Jay Conrad Levinson first coined the term in the mid-1980s to describe low cost marketing campaigns that achieved attention though the use of unconventional or 'ambush' techniques.

In the past, guerrilla activity – such as high touch brand experiences and quirky public stunts – has been aimed at small audiences with a view to generating a tidal wave of PR buzz amongst a larger audience.

But with the rise and rise of social media, guerrilla marketing is morphing into an entirely new beast. Rather than being completely engineered by marketers, brand advocates are starting to take control, to ambush marketing campaigns themselves and, as a result, ambush other consumers.

Recent developments at IKEA offer an example of this topsy-turvy new world of guerrilla marketing.

Last month a few Facebook users decided to organise a 'hide and seek' game in the Swedish retailer's Melbourne store. A big dose of word of mouth and a slew of media coverage saw the number of attendee acceptances rise to over 3,000. All of this occurred without any direct involved from IKEA itself.

As it turns out the hide and seek game, held last Sunday, failed to attract the expected number of participants. It did however encourage consumers across Australia to discuss the possibilities of being involved in such an event and helped keep the retailer name top of mind in the process.

Recruiting your guerrillas

A highly successful guerrilla marketing campaign in Italy by Dutch brewing company Heineken also relied on brand advocacy.

To create a buzz amongst Italian beer drinkers, the assistance of 200 brand advocates was called upon to persuade 1,000 die-hard soccer fans to front up to a classical music and poetry event rather instead of attending one of the biggest football games of the season.

Video of how the light-hearted hoax unfolded became a viral sensation globally. Risky, yes, but also strategic as the stunt reinforced Heineken's campaign focus on the relationship between beer lovers and sport.

Creativity is king

Another recent guerrilla marketing campaign by T-Mobile in the UK also focused creativity and involvement by hosting a mass dance routine in a busy London train station.

This branded event was used to kick start a YouTube campaign in which members of the public were encouraged to submit homemade dance routine videos.

As diverse as they are in both message delivery and execution, exemplars of guerrilla marketing suggest the key to success relies on being different, surprising and participatory.

Whether a small-scale gesture or elaborately engineered shock is involved, guerrilla marketing needs a quirk, and the more brand advocacy involved in the process the better.

Guerrilla marketing for SMEs

Looking to place a toe in the guerrilla marketing water? Here are a few 'off the beaten track' tips for small businesses via the Miami Herald:

• Place your business card in bookstore books and magazines that relate to your SME offering
  
• Have human billboards roam the streets to spread your brand message
  
• Feed your clients, nothing spreads word of mouth like a free snack
  
• Pitch in person by sending a video of yourself to potential and existing clients
  
• Make a stand by identifying a controversial topic and making your thoughts known to the media
  
• Demonstrate your services in an unusual but high traffic location (and don't forget to video the action)

Whitespace is published monthly by the Australian Institute of Management - Qld & NT. Sign up to have a copy sent direct to your mailbox.