Marketing Strategy
By
Shawn Li
Today, the high cost of traditional mass media have been left out, replaced by the
details of our lives has become a means of communication. A waste of tug become the
path of brand communication; bicycle decorated by logo with products passing from
your side, friendly driver invite you to visit city appearance; a couple ask for your
help with the latest mobile phone camera, in fact they are extras hired by mobile
phone manufacturers. That is guerrilla marketing.
What is Guerrilla marketing?
“Guerrilla marketing was originally a marketing strategy in which low-cost,
unconventional means (including the use of graffiti, sticker bombing, posting, flash
mobs,etc.) were used in a (generally) localized fashion to draw attention to an idea,
product, or service. Guerrilla marketing may also include promotion through a
network of individuals, groups, or organizations working to popularize a product or
idea by use of such strategies as flash mobs, viral marketing campaigns, or internet
marketing.” From wikipedia.
Guerrilla marketing provides an another option for marketers, its influential in the
consumers, very attract eyeball. Today, marketers more and more clearly they must
establish a more unique and personalized
contact between product and consumers,
rather than 'demographic' method to distinguish consumers. Guerrilla marketing is
followed this principle( Levinson.J, Levinson.A, 1984, p.384).
The background of Guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla marketing, before it is the magic weapon of small and medium-sized
enterprises, it can help the small and medium-sized enterprises who is lack of
marketing budget, teach them how to confrontation with multinational companies, and
how to use little money to attract consumers attention. Now, it has attracted more and
more multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble, Kraft's favor. The target
audience of guerrilla marketing is young and fashionable, mainly rely on the outgoing
urban young people, now began to spread to the mainstream market and the small and
medium-sized city. With consumers increasingly alienated from mass advertising,
guerrilla marketing has become the most popular marketing method.
In 1984, Jay Conrad Levins published the famous book"guerrilla marketing:the secret
of small businesses create high profits” formally proposed the "guerrilla marketing".
When the "guerrilla marketing" has just published, it did not attract attention of
marketers immediately, because most companies believe that only spend high price to
hire top advertising agencies, buying mass media advertising time, to let the products
sell well. However, in recent years as consumers increasingly alienated mass
advertising, guerrilla marketing gradually emerged the effectiveness become the most
popular marketing method.
Moreover, the "guerrilla marketing" has become synonymous with "anti-traditional
and non-traditional marketing methods", and thus spawned a "sneak marketing,"
"viral marketing", "street marketing", "surrounded by marketing", "word of mouth
marketing "," naked marketing "," release marketing "and a series of anti-traditional
marketing tactics. Now, guerrilla marketing has become increasingly mainstream,
Toyota, Nike, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble and other multinational companies are more
and more attention the applications and power of guerrilla marketing.( Levinson.J
Godin.S, November 1994, p.56-58)
Character:
The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.I have been convinced that
character determines a person’s fate, different character of each person determines a
person’s work style and way of thinking, but this is the reason that the worlds is so
amazing. And character also have the meaning of characteristic, that means one thing
different from other things, So that we can recognize and identify different things.
The character of Guerrilla marketing
The main goal of guerrilla marketing is the establishment of a unique and long-term
contact with the audience to establish their own brands, pay attention to the
establishment of personalized relationship with consumers, guerrilla marketing is not
use the traditional media, but uses interactive as propagation media, emphasize the
experience and low cost. the difference of guerrilla marketing and the traditional
marketing mainly concentrated in the media selection and brand public relations
activities. (Levinson.J, Levinson.A, 1984, p.256)
Choice:
Choice involves mentally making a decision: judging the merits of multiple options
and selecting one or more of them. I think human life is facing a lot of choices, life is
choice, the choice of each person is different, there will be a different life. A choice
will be in exchange for many types of experiences. All of our choices are almost
always around to make our own lives, such as work, relationships, financial status,
group status, parenting and heritage. But in fact, by the choices we make and the
groups in which the social and cultural impact.
The choice of Guerrilla marketing
-In the choice of media
The traditional marketing techniques mainly include the purchase of the mass media,
promotion and public activities, the traditional marketing techniques more depend on
the television, newspapers, outdoor billboards passive mass media, use this "push" or
"forced sale" way to build brand awareness and reputation. The main standards of
media choice in guerrilla marketing is the cost and the interaction with the target
consumers, which makes them basically does not consider the mass media, tend to
create their own unique mode of transmission.
-The choice of consumers
The division of the traditional marketing for consumers mainly rely on the
demographic, often based on marketers experiences and judgment. Guerrilla
marketing mainly rely on the life of morphological index, focus on the psychological
research and consumer behavior research.
-The choice of development mode
In the traditional marketing, enterprises get more consumers by build new
relationships constantly, The number of customers is the linear single growth,
guerrilla marketing encourage the development of divergent, using the consumer
follow-up and excellent service, make the existing customers help them to publicity
the enterprise, Use an old relationship development a lot of new relationships.
Innovation:
Innovation is changing the world, so that social can development, human can progress,
come up with current mode of thinking different from others view of conventional
thinking, use existing knowledge and material improve or create new things. So,
innovation is the soul of a nation’s progress, is an inexhaustible motive force for
national prosperity.
Innovation is the key for guerrilla marketing:
Because of guerrilla marketing people do not have enough funds and resources to plan
a "great in strength and impetus and influence the overall" marketing campaign to
attract somebody's attention, they can only rely on the outstanding creativity to make
their marketing information more efficiently.
The headquarters is located in Detroit's Evans industry company main production raw
material industry. In 2001, Evans hope to find a stimulating channel sales methods,
but must be cost-effective. Chief operating officer Salvatore Aliotta said: "we don't
have too much money at the time. Therefore, have to consider other methods, let
dealers pay more attention to our products."
At that time, the highest award the California state lottery ticket worth $20 million,
Evans company bought hundreds of tickets, sent them to each dealer. Evans company
are enclosed with a chief operating officer Autograph Letter in each envelope, the
letter said, "this lottery ticket might be able to help you become a millionaire, but
sales of Evans company's products become more possibility of millionaire". This little
marketing activities only cost $300, but let the dealers to indulge in elaborating on.
Innovation and creativity, just cost of $300 but greatly caught attention the customers,
this is the magic weapon for guerrilla marketing, it also is the most critical factor in
guerrilla marketing.( Evans.M, Levinson.J, August 2010, p.150)
The second half of 2003, Harley Davidson Motorcycle Group posted a small
advertisement in Glover Zanesville city newspaper-- "Harley - Davidson Co will one
day hold 'shoot the cat' activities in the state of New York". When the advertisement
published, Harley Davidson Co received from human rights organizations, the local
police station, reporters, even the mayor's inquiry telephone, caused a great
disturbance, many newspapers have a tracking this activity. On that day people really
found, Harley Davidson held is a cartoon cat with a paintball gun shooting games,
activities of all income in the media was donated to the organization for human rights.
Harley - Davidson Co made a Successful guerrilla marketing tactics.(Evans.M,
Levinson.J, August 2010, p.156)
Connections:
I think connections is the most indispensable element in the word, this world would
be no life if there no connection, I think the media is the most useful connection tools
in the world such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations mobile,
Internet, these mass media connect every person in this world.
Connections is the core of guerrilla marketing
In my opinion, the connections in the marketing is more like establish the relationship
with the consumers.
Guerrilla marketing is a more interactive, more emphasis on the details of the
marketing tactics, develop new markets and establish new relationship is more
effective for guerrilla marketing . Only by understanding what they love, can really
attract potential customers and new customers attention.
One of the basic principles of guerrilla marketing is "connections", like “relationship”
i think is the core of all successful marketing activities. While the "relationship" in a
variety of forms, they include the enterprise and the customer relations, and
employee relations, and relations with competitors, build a new relationship with
potential customers etc..
Human bond is the highest point in each guerrilla marketing relationship. Many
marketers just "fast selling products", and then look for the next consumer, but the
guerrilla marketing people know only establish "lifetime connection"with customers
to get a real return. Only to establish personal relationships in consumer and business,
it may have to link this“lifetime connection.” Another misconception by many
marketers is "once consumers to patronize the company, will continue to patronize the
company." But the truth is any relationship is the need to constantly strive to maintain.
In order to strengthen the personal contact between consumers and the guerrilla
marketing, marketers need to find and remember the personal details of consumers,
including remember customer's birthday and in the special day to send them a
greeting card, remember the customer name and children in conversation, reflect on
their care etc.. These details will make your potential customers very surprised, make
your customers feel very happy.
Another study showed that, 70% enterprise business losses occur after completed in
sales activities. Marketing people often think, when we sell the products to one or a
group of consumers, we should develop the new market. But we all know, win new
consumers is more difficult than selling products to the enterprise of existing
customers. The marketers should always remind yourself, there are many enterprises
existing customer demand, they will be the potential customers to other products of
the enterprise, the enterprise to maintain relationships with existing customers, can
bring more profit for the enterprise.
A guerrilla marketing marketer said: "if you want to attract potential customers and
new customers attention, you'd better know what they liked a lot." A clothing
company want for their company production of brand clothing for a celebrity as a
spokesperson, after they studied for a long time think boxing star Hollifield is most
appropriate, but it is well known that the Hollifield Commission alarmingly high. This
clothing company through a variety of channels that Hollifield is an avid anti racist
supporters, so they designed several unique style, anti-racism themed T shirts, and
through friends and relationships into Hollifield's hands. Hollifield is very like the T shirts, not only he often wear them to appear in public, accept the reporters to take
pictures, but also send lots of to his celebrity friends. (Rob.W, December 5, 2004,
p.68)
Omnipresence:
Omnipresence-means everywhere,Like art is everywhere around us,Art is everywhere,
every line of occupation, every action, every word language, each of which can have a
form of artistic composition,Anything can be arts, regardless of war, science, love, art,
manufacturing, etc. can be developed to the level of art. Art is a vast majority of
people can simultaneously endorse a product with natural or human marvel.
The omnipresence of guerrilla marketing:
Altoids's history can be traced back to the 1780 London, a confectionery workers with
sugar, gum, glucose syrup and peppermint oil mixed a mint dimensions. In 1960, the
Altoids brand will headquarters moved to Seattle America, efforts to develop the
world's largest chewing gum market, sales of aluminum square box of super taste of
mint gum, but has only a modest sales of regional brand.
In 1995, Altoids bought by Kraft Foods, the famous, Kraft Foods Inc.'s parent
company is moneybags Philip Morris tobacco companies. Although the Altoids
pedigree, and does not lack the marketing budget to brand promotion, but it still
choose guerrilla marketing.
The choice of communication media is the biggest bright spot for Altoids marketing
team, so they have elected "Media week” magazine "2000’s best outdoor planning
award". They are very good at create their own characteristic and low price of the
communications media.
As is known to all, New York’s advertising is very expensive, so Altoids gave up the
market in New York media purchase plan, they want to create a unique way of
transmission. First they modified a discarded tug, brush it by deep green, this color is
the representative of Altoids, painted in Altoids advertising and Logo, because the
Altoids brand logo was a fisherman, so the logo was perfect for tug, make it became
the flagship of Altoids. The tug was placed in the busy port of New York, immediately
aroused the public and media attention. The team is responsible for media supervision
Colleen Mahoney explained: "the ship not only attract target consumers line of sight,
also caused the all New York people's curiosity. At first they would feel very strange,
but then it will associate with 'power' and 'original' and 'different', this is what we
want to show the personality of brand."
Altoids marketing team organized a pedicab team in New York, Altoids marketing
team in New York organized a pedicab team, they shuttle in the small streets of New
York and some of the famous scenic area, passers can take the pedicab tour of New
York street, the driver will serve as the customer guide, tell them the most fashionable
view point and the best restaurant. Each pedicab are decorated with Altoids brand
advertising and Logo, the tail of the tricycle was hanging a huge billboards, the driver
was wearing Altoids clothing brand. The Altoids marketing team thought the drivers
of pedicab are energetic and friendly, even the most tired of New York guest sat down
in the pedicab, the guest will be feel relaxed. These drivers is”strength”, “healthy” and
“novelty”representative. So most consumers meet an interesting Altoids pedicab
driver, Altoids are to be profuse in praise, more tourists will also spread this amazing
experience to the United States and all regions of the world. This is an model of
“omnipresence” and also a important strategy of guerrilla marketing.(CNN online,
Oct 14, 1998, para.2)
Lexicon terms relationships to each other
So i choose five lexicon terms for this marketing strategy, “Character” “Choice”
“Innovation” “connection” “omnipresence”, I would like to combine the concept
of guerrilla marketing to explain the relationship between these lexicons. I think
Innovation and connection are the key elements of guerrilla marketing, Outstanding
creativity is the most important, a good innovative scheme can make the marketing
information more effectively, more quickly, at the same time to attract consumers and
also save the budget; connection is also very important, which makes the guerrilla
marketing more interactive, more emphasis on detail, so that guerrilla marketing is
more effectively to develop new markets and establish new relationship.
And these two key elements are also guerrilla marketing’s characteristics, which
makes the guerrilla marketing is different from other marketing strategy, it pay more
attention to the psychology of consumer groups, pay more attention to expand in a
certain field, which is why more and more marketers and multinational corporations
choose guerrilla marketing
References:
Levinson.J, Levinson.A, (1984). Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive
Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. Fourth Edition, p.384
Levinson.J
Godin.S, (November 1994), The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook.
p.56-58
Levinson.J, Levinson.A, (1984). Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive
Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. Fourth Edition, p.256
Evans.M, Levinson.J, (August 2010), Guerrilla Marketing For Real Estate Investors:
101 Ways To Market Your Business,p.150
Rob.W, (December 5 2004), The New York Times Magazine, p.68
CNN online, (Oct. 14, 1998), Callard & Bowser is making a mint on Altoids, para.2