What Is Guerilla Marketing and Why It Is So Effective?

It is known that the phrase "money talks" is valid in many moments of life. It's a well-accepted thing for the marketing process, and advertising is an important part of this process. Brands that have a larger marketing budget have a wider range of action for promotion activities. So, does it mean the end of the road for brands that have limited marketing budgets or want to spend less money on marketing communication because of special reasons? Of course, not! Because they always have a trump card that can work - if handled in expert hands and directed to the right target - which is called guerrilla marketing.

What is guerrilla marketing?

This marketing method, first mentioned as a concept in the book written by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984, offers almost a price-performance operation for advertisers. The term "guerrilla" arises from the similarity established with the armed militia who attacks and moves away by damaging the "enemy" without fighting against the regular armies.

The brands or NGOs surprise and shake their target audience through creative works instantaneously and this process is called guerilla marketing. This approach emphasizes creativity and does not usually require huge budgets. It is also useful to create significant brand awareness for small or medium-sized enterprises.

Guerrilla marketing is quite different from conventional marketing methods. Because it requires an unusual perspective both visually and the power of expression. However, the successful guerilla marketing examples prove that if the strategy is designed right, guerrilla marketing can be more effective than expected.

What is the relationship between guerrilla marketing and viral marketing?

Guerrilla marketing purposes surprising targeted groups and unusually draw their attention. It must be less expensive when it is compared to the conventional methods and it must be shareable easily. So, the vast majority of guerrilla marketing projects are based on viral effect. In other words, there is a strong relationship between viral marketing and guerrilla marketing.

In this marketing method, it is important not to keep the target audience too wide. The main purpose is to make an unforgettable impact on a limited target audience less costly at an unexpected moment and place. If it's possible, subliminal advertising can be applied.

What are the advantages of the guerrilla marketing tactics ?

Guerrilla marketing tactics - like any marketing method - has some strengths and weaknesses. The key to successful guerrilla marketing is to minimize risks by trying to balance these two sides. The strategy plays an important role at this point. The advantages of guerrilla marketing can be summarized as follows:

• It shows up suddenly and unexpectedly, and surprise the people.

• Increases brand awareness through the creative effect.

• It can be shared quickly and go viral because it can be everywhere and easily shareable. It's a huge advantage in today's world where people becoming more mobile than ever via smart devices.

• It claims to be extraordinary and aims to break the usual thinking. It makes differentiating from the products promoted by conventional media and advertising methods easier. It also reflects the brand as innovative.

• From time to time, it may include artistic insights, which can add a different color to creative work.

• All kinds of figures, icons, text, visuals, or objects can be used as guerrilla marketing elements in any place. So, guerrilla marketing can go easily beyond the borders.

What are the risks of guerrilla marketing ideas ?

Although the advantages of guerrilla marketing, it still requires a risk calculation. These risks can be summarized as follows:

• The return of guerrilla marketing efforts is not short-term. For this reason, choosing the place and time and making the project clear and understandable are the essentials.

• It is harder to measure the guerilla marketing projects, especially when they're compared to digital marketing projects. The target audience's exposure to the project can be understood by looking at the virality level of the content.

• The work may be unclear, or it may be misunderstood. For the first case, it means that the content presented has not been associated with the brand in any way. If the question is the second one, it proves that the object of the guerrilla marketing was not examined adequately at the beginning. Probably, the possible disadvantages were not calculated well.

One of the potential spaces where this method can be used is digital media. You can make your guerrilla marketing examples more visible in a digital environment. Especially today when the corporate meetings and sales-oriented events are being moved to virtual spaces from the physical places. Thanks to the online event infrastructure powered by Endless Fairs! You can draw the target audience's attention through your virtual booth by using many marketing communication works in the digital space, including guerilla marketing elements.