Normally, I’m a cynic when it comes to the concept of guerrilla marketing. There are several reasons:
–As with most marketing platforms, it’s misunderstood. People call some things guerrilla marketing that really aren’t.
–Some guerrilla marketing tactics should be part of a core marketing strategy anyway.
–Many businesses performing guerrilla marketing are thinking too much about the low-budget part rather than how it could be effective
–Too many times in addition to low/no budget :: there’s low/no creativity
–There’s typically no objective at the start :: or tracking at the end
–But the big reason that I’ve always been mistrustful of guerillas is that is seems like you’re urinating in the ocean. Sure, you’re doing something. But is it enough to make a difference?
So as I’m walking around a college campus today putting up flyers, two things keep ringing through my head:
1) Is this really going to be enough to make an impact?
2) People look at you weird when you’re packing an old school Swingline stapler around on a college campus.
How would you have been viewed if you had one of those cordless nailguns? With that in mind a Swingline looks pretty good!
You are correct about a lot of grassroots or bootstrap marketing, it’s not guerrilla, it’s monkey business.
Great title – got my attention.
Better gorilla marketing: http://www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com/ Warning: plays Phil Collins.
Great take! I think the most overlooked thing in Guerilla marketing is the relentless amount of continued marketing that mysr be done. AKA…….The “hard work”
Guerrilla works when it can be magnified through PR and people “talk” about it. Otherwise, as rightly put its a waste of time.
Just in case you are interested in some guerrilla marketing tactics which were exploited with magnification on the web, you can check this out
http://gawdlevelmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/10/girls-get-naughty-very-naughty.html
or the towel ad (#3) in this post
http://gawdlevelmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/10/top-9-axe-ad-campaigns.html