Running a successful guerrilla marketing campaign can be extremely tricky and it requires a lot of careful planning. One of the most difficult things about guerrilla marketing campaigns is that there are no set rules on how one should be executed. It all comes down to being creative and understanding your target audience.
However, since we’re so overrun with advertisements on a daily basis, guerrilla marketing campaigns could be just what you’re looking for to catch the attention of your potential customers. It can also be a great way to run a low-cost marketing campaign that everyone will remember. For inspiration’s sake, here are 4 insanely creative guerrilla marketing campaigns that have been successful in the past.
1) Folger’s Coffee Manhole Advertisement
There’s not much you can do with manhole covers, so why not advertise on them? That’s exactly what Folger’s did for their coffee in NYC. They printed big stickers to fit over the manhole covers, which also allowed for steam to escape through the holes. It probably didn’t smell too much like coffee, but it got people thinking about their product in an unexpected way.
2) National Geographic Shark Bus
Advertising on buses is very common, but utilizing the way the bus operates to enhance an ad is smart and creative. National Geographic advertised its television channel by creating a shark ad whose mouth opened and closed with the bus doors. Props to National Geographic for creating an incredibly engaging and relevant ad!
3) The Blair Witch Project Pre-Release
In 1999, The Blair Witch Project pre-release took movie advertising to a new level. Before the film even had actors or a script, the filmmakers devoted their marketing efforts to convincing us that their movie was real. Since so many people believed that it was a true story, with the help of a fake website and viral videos, the movie brought in a massive audience. It is often called one of the best viral marketing campaigns of all time.
4) Airbnb Craigslist Platform Integration
Airbnb used guerrilla marketing to grow their business, which had a small audience back in 2010, by encouraging their users to post their bnb ad on craigslist. This worked magic for Airbnb and they quickly caught on to be the conglomerate they are today.
