Guerilla marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote a product, as users who are targeted by the advertising message do not perceive it as an ad, which in turn does not cause opposition. The purpose of such promotion is not to sell directly but to create rumors about the product and to increase consumer interest.
Rumors and authoritative opinions inspire more trust in people than official direct advertising can do. Under the influence of such advertising, the customer makes the purchase in full confidence that this is their own idea, and no one has influenced this choice.
Channels and Instruments of Influence:
Nowadays, contact with the audience largely takes place on the Internet, as well as through the mass media or external media. Traditional advertising constructions (city lights, billboards, etc.), and also the surrounding environment (doors, shop windows), as well as printed materials, can serve as external media. Internet channels include social media, blogs, forums, photo and video hosting.
So what are the tools for conducting undercover online marketing?
First, one of the most popular methods of promotion is through comments/feedback. Comments can be verbal (word of mouth) and written (in blogs, forums, social media). The vast majority of purchases are made after receiving/reading product reviews. Distributing comments on behalf of regular users allows you to adjust public opinion, focus on the details you need for a product or brand.
Secondly, high-quality photo or video reviews of products that are presented as useful information for the consumer. With a review, you can maximize the disclosure of the product and its benefits. But you should be objective and point out the drawbacks so that the information does not look like ordinary advertising.
Thirdly, acting thought leaders and influencers. If your opinion about your brand is shared by a reputable person (expert, famous blogger, celebrity), trust in you grows automatically. Thought leaders have their own audience, for which they are an authority, and the significance of their words is beyond doubt.
When selecting an influencer, it’s important to find the right one depending on the interests of their audience. A good example is video bloggers. How do they promote something? For starters, they can be wearing clothing of a specific brand (and fans believe it’s a personal choice of their idol).
Besides, goods of certain brand may appear in their video (by analogy with brands in cinema). Another almost straightforward advertising is mentioning products by showing what’s in their fridge, bag, how they do makeup, etc.
Emotions and associations are also used when creating original promotions (such as unusual outdoor advertising) in the process of product placement. For instance, after seeing a car of a certain brand in the cinema riding fast off-road, the person will subconsciously consider it reliable and maneuverable, associated with cool emotions. If the content is interesting, even the presence of promotional messages, logos, and other mentions of the company does not annoy anyone.
An interesting experience of undercover marketing can be mentioned with regards to the chain of Arby’s restaurants. Restaurant staff noticed that singer Pharrell Williams appeared at a Grammy award ceremony wearing a hat similar to the one pictured on the network logo.
Without confusion, they posted a tweet “Hey Pharrell, can we have our hat back?” They used extremely popular hashtags Grammy and Farrell. As a result – over 75,000 retweets from the restaurant chain page. According to experts, this action yielded a result that is comparable to the result of a campaign worth several hundred thousand dollars.
So, guerilla marketing is a real opportunity to express yourself and raise sales quickly and efficiently.
