Member Article

Guerrilla Marketing: A Dying Craft

Businesses all over the country try new and innovative marketing methods on a continuous basis. Trying to stand out from the crowd and outsmart your competitors is a difficult skill in a world full of marketing messages. But one method of marketing that is rarely seen in the North East of the country is Guerrilla Marketing. It is almost as if marketers within the region are too afraid to try it and believe it is a tactic that should be employed by the big marketing agencies in major cities; and that should not be the case.

Guerrilla marketing has the potential to create a huge impact and generate a high degree of interest and awareness towards your business. Methods can often be inexpensive, thus potentially creating an extremely strong return on investment. So why do companies avoid using such tactics to increase awareness and sales of their business?

One reason against using the method could be that it can be perceived high risk. Because the methods are often unique, it can be difficult to ascertain what level of success can be generated from any activity. Another potential issue is that misconception of the idea from the audience could lead to a damaging blow towards the company. If people perceive the idea in the wrong light and take offense then it could cause controversy and portray the company in a negative manner.

On the other hand…

If companies across the country erased this negativity of the tactic from their mind and employed Guerrilla tactics, they could potentially earn their business numerous new clients. Customers love creative genius and something that stands out from everyday billboards and television adverts. It only takes a creative spark to develop an idea into a winning tactic that generates your business awareness and sales.

One of my favourite examples of Guerrilla marketing was employed by Apple when launching one of their latest iPhones. To test the product in the UK market, they dotted 100 brand new iPhones in various locations around the country, boxed up with a message at hand informing the lucky finder exactly what they had their hands on. Needless to say, once word got out about this, it sparked massive interest in the product and the company. Not only this, Apple were able to learn the thoughts of the product from those that had found copies of the iPhone through specialised channels.

I have seen human sized perfume bottles in German towns, chocolate branded park benches in London and ironic self-promoting graffiti in Huddersfield; but nothing of any such sorts within the North East. Are businesses in the North East really too afraid to try Guerrilla Marketing? As a firm believer in Guerrilla Marketing, I will continue to develop and use such ideas that will continue to proper our company into the echelons of the marketplace. I hope to see you there soon!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Elvis .