5 guerrilla marketing campaigns that might also work for you

Guerrilla marketing is defined by Investopedia as “a marketing tactic in which a company uses surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service”, and undoubtedly draws very different responses from different people.

A given guerrilla marketing campaign could be a PR masterstroke or a disaster, depending on how it is executed and how others perceive it. What isn’t in doubt, though, is that such campaigns get people talking.

If you’re considering dabbling in a bit of guerrilla marketing for your own small business, here are just five of the most interesting examples from down the years that might also be applicable to your firm.

1. MINI roller coaster

As reported by Designboom among others, MINI’s Canadian arm had a lot of fun with its #NOTNORMAL campaign in 2013, enlisting an advertising agency to convert a number of MINI Cooper Ss into roller coaster carts that then took to the streets of Toronto. It certainly got onlookers fascinated and reaching for their phones to take photos of the spectacle.

Now, you might say, “but I’m not a car manufacturer!” However, an effective guerrilla marketing campaign like this could certainly get you thinking about how you could take an experience-based business – such as a ski school or driving experience provider – to the streets.

2. Fuzz Wax Bar

If you were walking down the street and saw a hunky-looking guy wearing nothing but waxing strips all over his body, while urging you to pull them off, you’d be tempted, right?

We’ll leave that for you to answer, but it certainly worked for Fuzz Wax Bar in 2013, not least as the participating onlookers were rewarded with the realisation that the strip they had just pulled off was actually a coupon giving a hefty discount on their next visit to the wax bar.

3. Booty Call

This one’s a simple one that any gym or yoga studio might want to adapt in some way. It was a form of ‘street side’ advertising for a new butt-building fitness class at the New York Health & Racquet Club in 2004, and simply consisted of scantily-clad guys and gals showing off their butts, with their pants having the words ‘Booty Call’ printed on them.

4. Greene King

Much has been said about the decline – apparent or actual – of the old-fashioned local pub in a world of large corporate retailers and ‘upmarket’ eateries. This issue sufficiently concerned one of the biggest pub and brewing companies out there – Greene King – to move it to create a campaign celebrating all of those special moments that happen in a pub.

It was done pretty simply, too – pub owners, bartenders and patrons were given cameras to capture video of such moments, which are wider-ranging than many people might think. The campaign’s success is another reminder of how showing a human side to your company and invoking emotions can really help to get people to identify with your brand.

5. WeightWatchers

It isn’t just in the urban environment where some great examples of guerrilla marketing can be found. WeightWatchers, for instance, ran a magazine advertisement that changed shape as perforated pieces were removed from it, transforming a plump lady into a much thinner one.

It was a thought-provoking campaign, and surely another one that could be great for a fitness business or health-oriented food and drink company to adapt.

As you can see from the above, guerrilla marketing has taken some very compelling forms down the years. Remember that it can be even more effective when you combine it with various other marketing ideas for small business, such as those that the big ecommerce marketplaces like Groupon can provide.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with guerrilla marketing – but be careful not to provoke the wrong kind of reaction, too.