BY Benedikt Schrage IN Industry knowledgeLabels in guerrilla marketing - favourable success through creative gluing
Many marketing strategies are real "material battles". Extremely comprehensive analyses, extremely professional approaches and a very high investment of funds. There is no doubt that there are indeed marketing approaches where this maxim of "a lot helps a lot" actually brings the desired success. However, literally at a high price. Material battle is also the keyword for a completely different form of marketing. For just as there is a very low-threshold alternative to precisely those material battles in warfare, the same applies to marketing. We will now show you how you can engage in guerrilla marketing, what role labels play in this and what else you need to bear in mind.
Definition: What exactly is guerrilla marketing?
To explain guerrilla marketing, one cannot avoid delving a little into military strategies. For that is where not only the term of this marketing variant is rooted, but also the basic ideas of the approach.
Normally, wars are fought by two large armies of roughly equal strength against each other. Experts call this conventional or near-peer warfare. It is characterised on both sides by the need for enormous amounts of personnel and material. Perhaps you can already see the parallels to conventional marketing here.
On the other hand, guerrilla warfare is also known as asymmetric or unconventional warfare. No large army, but small groups. These can do much less for themselves, but can act much more flexibly, need much less equipment and can proceed in the manner of pinprick tactics.
This is cheaper in every respect, less costly - but if done skilfully, such guerrilla warfare can defeat even large, much stronger armies. History is full of examples of this. This brings us to guerrilla marketing. The term was coined in the 1980s by US marketer (expert in marketing) Jay Levinson. He recognised that small companies in particular could not - and still cannot - do effective classical (= elaborate, expensive) marketing due to their limited financial resources. This puts such companies at a real disadvantage, especially in markets where there are large, financially potent competitors.
In 1984, Mr. Levinson published his book 'Guerilla Marketing.' In it, he constructed a hitherto completely unknown approach to marketing, closely aligned with the principles of guerrilla warfare.
These rules are still valid today:
- Low use of funds, sometimes even largely free of charge.
- Very narrowly defined area of application and strictly planned time periods.
- Exploiting cheap means, which however catch on with the target group through a particularly creative approach.
- Relying on support from the target group and third parties, for example so that a guerrilla campaign goes viral.
- Aiming for profit rather than sales.
It is true that Mister Levinson's book (which is really worth reading for every self-employed person) contains many more ways of thinking. However, these five points are the core. In other words, a small, flexible, cheeky, inexpensive form of marketing that can nevertheless develop enormous effectiveness through cleverness.
What are the possibilities of guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing often follows the motto "cheeky wins". With this in mind, there are various ways of marketing in this way. The basic idea is always to surprise, to require little money for it and to draw an effect from the unconventional approach.
Ambient Marketing
The familiar environment of the target group is surprisingly transformed, for example by large-format graffiti murals.
Ambush Marketing
Ambush marketing where the advertising message is carried on the back of larger, not necessarily connected events. For example, printed packaging in country flags during major sporting events.
Grassroots Marketing
Uses people such as bloggers, influencers or extreme excitement or controversy generating campaigns.
Buzz Marketing
Targets only a specific group of individuals rather than a mass of target audience members. This creates a personal relationship and, in the best case, turns these people into influencers.
Mosquite Marketing
"Stings" (big) competitors with targeted actions directly related to their marketing efforts. For example, persiflage/parodies of advertising campaigns. The boundaries to comparative advertising are fluid, but are permitted even in Germany under certain conditions.
Sensation Marketing
A sometimes almost brazen approach in which the impression of an extraordinary event is created in order to attract as much attention as possible. At first, it is not even advertised in the classic manner, and even the reference to the brand can be omitted.
Stealth Marketing
The campaign is designed in such a way that it is not obvious to the target group members (at least at first glance) that it is marketing.
Sticker Marketing
This is the sub-sector where labels, tags and similar stickers are used.
Street Marketing
Generally includes all (unconventional) actions that take place in public space. Many marketing actions based on labels fall under this category. For example, label marketing on the buttons of pedestrian traffic lights, but also flash mobs.
Label Marketing: Why are labels and stickers good guerrilla marketing advertising media?
If you live in a larger city, you are probably not unfamiliar with large quantities of randomly affixed stickers in public spaces. The reason is simple: stickers are extremely flexible in terms of design and use.
They can have varying dimensions, and what can be displayed on them is essentially limited only by the capability of the printer. And unlike many other approaches in street marketing, these stickers are unbelievably cost-effective. As a result, they are, not least, an ideal way to conduct large-scale advertising.
Guerilla marketing with labels: What to look out for?
We summarise again briefly: Guerrilla marketing thrives on (positively) surprising the target group. It should get your brand talked about, turn those who see your actions into brand ambassadors and carriers of word of mouth. In theory and practice, a local campaign with stickers can therefore have a similar viral effect as a campaign costing millions.
Would you like an example? A razor manufacturer once ran a campaign in Manhattan. He created white stickers that resembled tissue paper - with a small "blood stain" in the middle.
These were stuck on the faces of men on advertising posters, giving the impression that the gentlemen had cut themselves shaving and - as is typically done - stuck a piece of handkerchief on the cut to stop the bleeding.
One may assume that the marketers behind it completed parts of the following steps to perfection:
- Think outside all the templates. You have a label or sticker. There must be something on it later that trigger a "wow effect" in most viewers. For example, you can brainstorm in your company what would make you smile. Include different public places or objects in this thinking. For example, a cleaning product manufacturer once used a variety of low-value and dirty coins. He only cleaned one half to a high gloss, then stuck a sticker with his company name on it. Finished was the combination of half dirty, half clean coin and cleaning effect.
Look for suitable locations. They have to be places that are frequented by as many people as possible, ideally members of your target group. For example, a dog food manufacturer stuck deceptively real-looking (two-dimensional) full food bowls with its logo on the floors of shopping arcades.
Quite a few dog owners were forced to stop because their four-legged friends wanted to take a closer look at the supposed bowl.- Always stay within the clearly legal area. Only stick on other people's property with the permission of the owners. Under no circumstances should traffic signs be obscured (even if street signs in many cities may be completely covered with stickers).
- Use social media to get the first photos of the campaign out to the public. However, it is better not to do this via your official presences, but via the channels of third parties - for example, your acquaintances or influencers you have already won over.
With a bit of luck, you have bought labels for a double-digit sum and perhaps only spent a few hundred euros on the whole campaign. However, you get a viral "landslide" for which others would have to transfer tens of thousands of euros to an advertising company. The linchpin is your creativity. The more tangible part of creating graphics on the computer and printing them into finished stickers, on the other hand, is extremely simple.
Conclusion: Guerrilla marketing with labels can celebrate impressive successes for little money
Just as guerrilla warfare is the "fight of the little man", guerrilla marketing is the advertising of small businesses. Not expensive, not omnichannel, but flexible, intelligently conceived and applied at times and places where maximum effect is guaranteed.
A few hundred cleverly designed and distributed labels may not be able to replace a much larger marketing strategy. But they can generate an advertising success whose value is many times higher than the costs involved - and that's what matters in the end.
FAQ
- Is guerrilla marketing perceived as less valuable?
No, not at all. If it is well done, the cleverness of the campaign clearly outshines the low investment of funds. And anyway, the following applies to marketing: "The end justifies the means". - Can guerrilla marketing also be combined with conventional campaigns?
Yes, absolutely. It can stand alone as well as be combined with other approaches. In fact, different guerrilla methods can even be combined. - Is guerrilla marketing actually effective?
If the action is well planned and therefore crowned with success, then the effectiveness can definitely be on the level of much more expensive conventional campaigns - or even exceed it due to a viral "cult status". - Is there anything special that needs to be considered with the marketing labels?
They should be designed for the intended use. Meaning, if the label campaign is to take place outdoors, then it would be better to use outdoor-ready labels. - Is it legally okay to put stickers on public property?
Clearly no. Any form of sticker (including, for example, stencil paintings or graffiti) may only be used with the permission of the owner of the "underground". This also applies to public property. For example, the city of Göttingen sued a demonstrator who put stickers on lampposts. Always keep in mind: Since these campaigns have to refer to your company, it is hardly possible to do sticker guerrilla marketing anonymously. Depending on the severity, we always speak here of an administrative offence or even criminal damage to property - this can very quickly become very expensive.
