Marketing Column: Dave Newbold

 

Guerrillas In the Midst 

 

About 20 years ago, I happened upon a piece of research in a trade journal that claimed each of us is exposed to about 350 advertising messages a day. That seemed somewhat shocking, even to an advertising enthusiast like myself. About a year ago, I encountered another magazine article suggesting we are now exposed to over 1,500 ad messages a day. This time I wasn't particularly surprised, considering how technology has overpowered our lives. Microsoft logos and messages flutter before my eyes each time I turn on my PC. There is a plethora of interstitials and pop-ups whenever you enter or close a site on the Web. Advertising breaks on the evening news or during prime time TV shows are getting aggravatingly long.

There's so much promotion going on these days and so little time to take it all in, it's no wonder advertisers are pursuing unorthodox means to cut through the increasing clutter. The ad industry has a term for those unusual attempts to attract your attention. It's called "guerrilla marketing." And now, more than ever, it belongs in your marketing arsenal. In fact, don't even think of advertising your product and service without including a "guerrilla." (And I'm not talking about those giant inflatable eyesores you see on car dealer lots).

Guerrilla marketing is the under-the-radar, nontraditional type of message that can show up any place at any time. Allow me to offer a few examples that can serve as thought-starters.

One of the most well-known cases of guerrilla marketing came from a New York City lingerie store that spray-painted letters on a nearby sidewalk that read, "From here it looks like you could use some new underwear." Virgin Atlantic Airways placed trays of unbroken eggs on its luggage carousels in airport terminals that said, "Handled by Virgin Atlantic." Such ideas may not always earn a thumbs-up from decision-makers, but it's worth a try, isn't it?

I was intrigued by a tissue manufacturer who introduced a special edition package celebrating the release of the Spiderman movie. It was, of course, adorned with Spiderman cartoon illustrations. But the guerrilla aspect of this effort was attaching opened, ready-to-use packages of the tissue to shopping malls and high school walls and ceilings with Velcro.

A nonstick cooking spray manufacturer used walls in another way. Posters advertising the nonstick spray were placed on or near the floor just below empty frames, suggesting the posters had slipped out of their original placement — an ingenious, and very relevant, product demonstration.

One of the most talked about guerrilla strategies recently was BMW's series of mini-movies, created solely for viewing at its Web site. The five-minute "ads," shot by superstar film directors, contain no sales pitches, no statements about low financing, and no performance claims. They simply highlight a BMW model that just happens to play an integral and sometimes breathtaking role in the plot. While these movies were appropriately announced via cinema trailers nationwide, and by using traditional ads, word-of-mouth and word-of-Web became their primary means of promotion.

Granted, your company may not have the budget for such an endeavor, but I believe there are plenty of affordable, outside-the-box concepts ready to be concocted. I refer you once again to the lingerie store.

In some ways, guerrilla marketing is not a new phenomenon. As a youth, I remember devouring an article in my favorite magazine about a revolutionary product, only to discover the tiny "advertisement" disclaimer at the bottom of the page. It looked, for all the world, like it was part of the publication's editorial content.

College students are being paid hundreds of dollars a month to wrap their cars with advertiser's messages or logos, or they're being compensated when they apply "message decals" to their fingernails. Truly, the world is your canvas. You're only limited by your imagination, and perhaps a few laws. (I suppose spray-painted public sidewalks are illegal in Salt Lake City, although I don't know for sure.)

The moral to this story? Traditional advertising has its place in your marketing strategy and can be very effective when used with creativity and intelligence. But in today's saturated media environment, you need some "guerrillas" in your midst, as well.

 

Dave Newbold is president and executive creative director of Richter7 (http://www.Richter7.com), a Salt Lake City advertising and public relations agency recently honored as "Best in State" for the fourth consecutive year.