Types of Guerrilla Marketing
Do you know what guerrilla marketing is? It is a unique way of promoting brands and products by relying on strategies that are high on creativity than big budgets. These marketing techniques tend to be unique, unconventional, and shocking, which is why they gain the attention of the consumer. The term, guerrilla marketing, was coined by Jay Levinson who maintained that this form of marketing was traditionally meant for small businesses who did not have the budget of big companies. These techniques generally make use of understanding the human psychology and try to manipulate consumer behavior accordingly.
Guerrilla Marketing: The Different Types
Now that you know what guerrilla marketing is, you may want to learn about the different types this form of marketing. Look up different examples of guerrilla marketing and you will see how one technique can completely differ from the other.
Alternative Marketing
This is a popular type of guerrilla marketing which uses non-traditional ways of advertising a product. Generally this form of marketing involves using some form of a publicity statement that is released by the company that does not directly market or promote the product but creates an appeal base for the product in question, thereby informing consumers of its existence.
Ambient Marketing
Of all the different categories of guerrilla marketing that exist, ambient marketing tends to cost the most. This is because of the fact that this type of marketing usually involves making use of a venue and then recreating it, the fees for which can be quite high. In this form of marketing, you use the one thing that is best synonymous with the company and then place it in other venues or things, which would normally not be associated with your company or products.
Astroturfing
This form of marketing is very similar to the grassroots movement in which individuals promote a product because of the good experience they have had with it. But unlike the latter, which is an honest promotion, in astroturfing (which is generally done through blogs), the people promoting the products are often on the payroll of the company or own the company themselves. The bloggers do not reveal that they are connected to the company.
Experiential Marketing
In this form of marketing, the attempt is to allow a prospective consumer to experience the product in question, so that they have something tangible to connect with. The company allows people to experience the product in question. It is often stated that this form of marketing allows the consumer to make a more informed and intelligent decision.
Presume Marketing
This is the form of guerrilla marketing where the company aims at making people realize the presence of the product. They try to achieve this by placing products in those places where they are bound to get a lot of recognition and exposure. Product placement in movies and television shows is often considered to be a type of presume marketing. On the Internet when you place notes or photographs on different websites you are indulging in presume marketing.
Tissue Packing Marketing
Made popular in Japan, this form of advertising as the name suggests, involves promoting products on the cover of tissue papers. Since it is such a commonly used product and can be retained for a while, it is a great way of ensuring that the product remains in the memory of the consumer. This technique is generally considered to be more useful than advertising on flyers.
Undercover Marketing
Also known as stealth marketing, it involves the use of a celebrity to advertise the product by using it in public places. They vocalize their loyalties to the product that they are using. In this manner, the celeb is encouraging fans to use the same product that he is using, and is creating awareness about the product.
Viral Marketing
This type of guerrilla marketing uses different social networking sites and popular games and videos to create recognition for the brand and the product. The technique is such that if a commercial captures the attention of the target base, it will be circulated by them without the company having to incur any costs. The reason it is called viral marketing is because of the comparison that has been made to the spread of computer viruses.
Wild Posting
Unlike other types which tend to be subtle, this form involves over-the-top promotion of your product by placing posters wherever they can be placed and making the message hard to miss. Of course, the cost factor involved in this form of marketing is very less which makes it effective in the long run.
These are the main divisions that can be made of guerrilla marketing. In a time and age where consumers are increasingly becoming more intelligent to advertising tactics, guerrilla marketing is a great way of subtly promoting your product.
