Guerilla Marketing uses unconventional marketing strategies to create hype around your product, service, or event. Use these ideas and examples as inspiration for your own unique marketing campaign.
Recommended: Idea Generator
1. Use Drones
Paramount took advertising for their new streaming series to new heights using drones. They projected a working QR code in the sky for the people of Austin, Texas.
2. Fly Airplane Banner Tow Advertisements
Airplane banners soar through the sky, sending messages far and wide. Dunkin Donuts used an airplane banner to remind people how well their iced coffee pairs with a hot day.
3. Utilize Projections
Use hidden projectors to broadcast your message on skyscrapers without paying for advertising space. CBS sent the newest superhero, Supergirl, flying through the streets of New York City to promote the upcoming series.
4. Set Up Photo Ops
Give customers a reason to post by creating unique photo opportunities. Bounty used this strategy to promote its product by creating a photo opportunity with a giant popsicle to generate word-of-mouth buzz.
5. Execute Extreme Publicity Stunts
If you want to be the talk of the town, do something that has never been done before. This guerilla marketing tactic is a favorite of Red Bull, which constantly posts publicity stunts while displaying the brand logo.
6. Disperse City-Wide Kits (What Not To Do)
This example is less of an idea and more of a warning. Learn from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie marketing team, whose guerrilla marketing idea was mistaken for explosive devices. Although this was not the desired outcome of the campaign, it received a lot of media attention, giving them widespread recognition.
7. Graffiti With Sidewalk Powerwash Stencil Logo
Use a stencil to powerwash your logo onto the sidewalk for bold advertising that isn’t as permanent as graffiti. Gotham Hotel used a power washer to paste its logo for people looking down while walking.
8. Draw Sidewalk Chalk Art
Sidewalk chalk creates another opportunity for people to photograph and interact with your brand. The Grid Toronto hired local artists to create art on the streets of Toronto to promote the launch of their new newspaper.
9. Utilize Bench Advertising
Use unconventional bench advertising that aligns with your brand. Nike is all about running, so they put their logo on a bench for people out running to see.
10. Create Poem Signage
Do something different than a standard billboard. Step up your road advertising with signs that keep the reader interested and pique their interest. Use this idea from Burma Shave, which used poems to catch people’s attention.
11. Plan A Public Space Takeover
Take over a public space to surround people with your marketing message. Beefeater Gin covered the Oxford Circus tube station with signs and smells of strawberries for 2 weeks to promote their strawberry gin.
12. Paste On Escalator Advertising
Use an escalator as the canvas for your advertisements by pasting your brand to the stairs. Doritos used escalator advertising to complement its brand personality and increase visibility.
13. Shoot For TikTok Virality
With 1 billion active monthly users, TikTok has changed the marketing game. Promote your products through your company’s account and partnerships with influencers to boost your chances of going viral.
@jennaswetlikoff Do you own one??? Comment below #lululemon #fannypack #fyp #relatable #fy ♬ Hey Lover – The Daughters Of Eve
Learn more about influencer marketing here
14. Treasure Hunts
Use a treasure hunt, and the chance to win a prize, to encourage consumer interaction. Proximity Toronto Advertising created a digital treasure hunt for Canadians to find hidden red M&M’s inside Google Street View.
15. Organize A Flash Mob
A flash mob is an organized surprise performance in a public setting. Perform a flash mob to gain attention by entertaining the crowd. T-Mobile used this strategy to create a shareable moment that aligns with its brand strategy.
16. Hire Actors
Send actors to promote your products to strangers casually. Sony hired actors to go undercover at Instagrammable spots throughout New York City to demonstrate the use of the new camera phone and highlight desirable features.
17. Host A Graduation For Your Product
Host an event that elevates your product above the competition. Nütrl hosted a graduation ceremony to make a statement about their product being more sophisticated than the competition and to target a specific audience.
18. Get Your Brand In Front Of An Audience
Paramount hired actors to sit behind home plate at MLB games to promote its new movie, “Smile.” By placing its brand in front of a wider audience, “Smile” captured national attention.
19. Participate In Social Movements
Participate in social movements to take a stance on a social issue that resonates with your brand. A candle company, Boy Smells, created a pride product line to support the LGBTQIA+ community. This campaign spread awareness for the cause, and the company put its money where its mouth is by donating profits to The Trevor Project.
20. Switch Up Your Branding With Logo Seasonality & Holiday Modifications
Align your brand messaging to a real-life event or holiday to stand out from your competition. Mcdonald’s flipped their famous arches to create a W to support women on International Women’s Day.
21. Bundle Product Kits
A kit is a bundle of items that create an experience for the customer. Southern Comfort thought out of the box to create a Bring Your Own Backyard Party Pack.
22. Break a Guinness World Record
What’s even more noteworthy than a crazy publicity stunt? Breaking a Guinness World Record. Jaguar broke the record for most loop-the-loops in a Hot Wheels track to promote their newest car model, gaining media attention and building brand awareness.
23. Take Risks With Giveaways
Think outside traditional giveaway prizes and offer consumers something unique to spark conversations. For Valentine’s Day in 2019, KFC offered fans a chance to win a faux bearskin rug, in the shape of Colonel Sanders, for a KFC-themed date night.
24. Sponsor Athletes
Increase brand awareness by sponsoring athletes. Nike brought an inspiring dimension to ‘Just Do It’ by signing Justin Gallegos, the first professional athlete with cerebral palsy.
25. Respond To Your Audience
After listening to Americans beg for “National Fry Day” to fall on a Friday, restaurant chain Checkers and Rally’s responded appropriately. The brand started a campaign to target the one man able to change the day we celebrate fries, National Day Calendar founder Marlo Anderson.
What Is Guerilla?
The term guerrilla is typically used when discussing a warfare strategy. A small group takes on a larger force, usually with less access to resources, using a unique approach. This strategy inspired the concept of “Guerilla Marketing.”
What Is Guerilla Marketing?
Guerilla Marketing
Guerilla marketing is a strategy marketers use to create hype through word-of-mouth marketing with hopes of going viral. Using unconventional marketing techniques, you do something no one has before.
What Are The Elements Of A Guerilla Marketing Campaign?
The main priority of guerilla marketing is to outsmart your competition and stand out to consumers.
Elements Of Guerilla Marketing Campaigns:
- Inexpensive
- Make a statement
- Unconventional
- On brand
- Unauthorized