Examples of Guerrilla Marketing | Top Inspirations for Your Business
Is your business quickly losing customers? Perhaps you are failing to capture new leads? Well, in any situation, guerrilla marketing can save the day! It’s a high-impact and cost-effective marketing technique that reduces the cost of marketing by almost 90% when implemented. If you want to know more about the examples of guerrilla marketing, keep reading!
What is Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerilla marketing is a strategy in which a business uses surprise and creativity to create a buzz around its products and services.
The goal is to capture the attention of existing and new customers through unconventional ways and provoke emotions such as shock and awe.
It’s more personalized as many campaigns involve direct interactions with potential leads. Street art, live performances, and pop-up events are all types of guerrilla marketing.
Top Examples of Guerrilla Marketing
The following are some amazing, real-time examples of guerrilla marketing that you can use as inspiration for your next campaign:
KFC’s Collaboration with Crocs
In 2020, KFC partnered with Crocs to launch a limited edition of Crocs with a bold and realistic design. The footwear featured some quirky drumstick-shaped charms that were attached to the top. This campaign gained more hype when a model/influencer wore the heeled version of these shoes at New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
You’ll be surprised to know that the whole collection was sold out in just over 30 minutes. Well, that could be because people found the joke funny or the smell of fried chicken worthy enough to spend $60 on poultry-inspired Clogs. But that’s not enough; the resale value of these footwear is already skyrocketing, with some pairs selling on eBay for $500.
However, besides providing incredible revenue for both partners, the campaign also had an impact, as $3 from each sale was given to KFC’s educational grant program. The key takeaways from one of these examples of guerrilla marketing are that collaborating with influencers and focusing on a good cause can make the products more appealing.
Spotify Cosmic Playlists
Well, 27% of U.S. adults say they “believe in astrology (the position of the stars and planets can affect people’s lives). Spotify realized this potential and came up with an amazing guerrilla marketing example focused on zodiac signs.
So back in 2019, the platform worked with astronomer Chani Nicholas to create a Cosmic Playlist for its listeners. The astronomer performed astrological readings to represent each star’s unique theme at the time.
Surprisingly, the campaign quickly gained recognition among avid Spotify listeners and astrology believers, and it is still downloadable today. What we understand from these examples of guerrilla marketing is to use intelligence and creativity smartly and be mindful of the things that are currently popular to capture the right sales opportunity!
Singing Posters for GRAMMY’S
Another one of the exhilarating examples of guerrilla marketing was the usage of singing posters for the 58th GRAMMYs Album Of The Year category. For this, GRAMMY hired some world-class digital designers who created live singing displays of GRAMMY-nominated artists.
As people moved through the streets, they heard their favorite singers performing their hearts out. From 1989 to Taylor Swift and even Kendrick, the walls became a live concert for people who were going about their daily lives.
This marketing strategy teaches us to think out of the box to promote our services. However, it also emphasises that to come up with something big and extraordinary, you need a matching budget.
Icebreaking by JetBlue
If you are looking for good experimental examples of guerrilla marketing, “Icebreaking by Jet Blue” is truly a stunner. Back in 2016, JetBlue partnered with the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau to encourage New Yorkers to visit sunny locations. The brand introduced the “icebreaker” challenge to celebrate the idea of going from a cold region to a balmy one for the perfect summer feels.
They set up a huge 6 by 6 block in Washington Square Park and Flatiron Plaza. Many fun vacation-themed prizes were placed inside the ice blocks. JetBlue urged people to break the block with whatever tools they had in hand, and the prize was all theirs. From flip flops to beach attire and even plane tickets, people got their hands on a variety of gifts.
The overall campaign combined both physical activation and strong digital advertising. JetBlue shared updates on this activity on their Instagram handle, which created a huge buzz around their new direct flights to a sunny destination. This shows that by engaging potential leads directly with your brand, you enhance awareness and pave the way for good sales.
Hereditary’s Creepy Dolls
Well, the marketing of horror movies always plays a huge role in their success. The makers of “Hereditary” truly understood the assignment, and they came up with a unique promotion idea. So what they did was to organize a midnight screening.
As people left, the next day, they saw creepy dolls placed outside their hotel doors. The dolls were scary and disturbing, just like the movie, and definitely created a lasting impression on viewers.
That’s when the movie gained hype as one of the scariest horror films and earned a massive $13 million at the box office. If you are releasing a new movie and want to make it a hit at the box office, you can use such cost-effective yet impactful examples of guerrilla marketing.
Some other examples of guerrilla marketing include Warm Wishes from Dry Bar, Fiji Girl at the Golden Globes, and Just Egg: Do More Than Eggs.
Best Practices for Guerrilla Marketing
Now that you are aware of the key examples of guerrilla marketing, you must wonder how to use this strategy for your business. If yes, here are some key tips:
- Research Your Target Audience: One of the primary things that you need to do is research your target audience. Learn about their demographics, behaviours, and preferences. When you understand where their interests lie, you can curate guerrilla marketing campaigns that’ll take the audience by shock. For instance, if your ideal audience likes engaging in outdoor activities, you should come up with a pop-up in a park rather than focusing on traditional ads.
- Consider Timing and Context: Keep an eye on what’s trending around you. What’s exciting people and getting them to shop from businesses? This will help you set up your campaigns on time, enhancing relevance and the chances of it going viral.
- Think Out of the Box: Don’t limit your creativity by recycling the ideas of competitors. Rather, get your marketing team on board and brainstorm concepts that are unexpected and bold. Think, will the idea make someone stop, take notice, and tell others about it? The more your campaign is unique, the more it’ll capture attention and increase visibility.
- Leverage Social Media Marketing: If you are opting for an experimental guerrilla marketing approach, make sure to market it on all your digital channels. For example, if you’ve come up with a pop-up or some other fun activity, show it on your channels like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X. Keep people updated about the live results and reactions so the online audience feels equally engaged.
Conclusion
You should closely look at these examples of guerrilla marketing to shape your next advertising campaign. It’s a dynamic and impactful approach that helps you explore your creative freedom and drive high engagement with minimal budget.
