What is guerrilla marketing?
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 8:20 am
In the business world there are concepts or expressions that are used almost daily and that we should all know, such as the case of 'guerrilla marketing'. If you really want to know what it is, pay close attention.
The word 'war' or 'guerrilla' is very descriptive and brings to mind negative connotations , evoking images of rebellion and conflict. If we add it to the word 'marketing', the sonority of the terms is doubled and produces a certain astonishment and even curiosity.
But guerrilla marketing is not a form of communication that involves fighting or aggressiveness. It does involve novelty, of course, and it tries to be totally disruptive, since it goes beyond the inbound or entry methodology. In fact, it is a very unconventional form of inbound marketing , which in marketing jargon is the tactics used to attract the user to the company in a natural way - since it increases brand awareness among large audiences without interrupting them, as in the case of television commercials.
The term was first used by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984 in his book " Guerrilla Marketing ." To better understand what we mean, let's look at some of the best examples.
Examples of guerrilla marketing
Apple
Apple Stairs
With this campaign, Apple used an honduras number data escalator to promote itself, praising its operating system with the message of "infinite applications."
Nike
Bench with Nike logo
Nike wants us to exercise, but they know that we all have moments of weakness. That's why if you have trouble getting going, they take away your seat so you don't have to rest.
You may be interested in: What are the 5 P's of marketing?
Goal Television
GolTV bus shelter
There are also good examples in Spain. In this case, the television channel GOL used a bus shelter to simulate the bench of a football field.
Amnesty International
Father with his injured son
"It's not happening here, but it's happening now." In this case, the message is harsh, but very clear. They want to make everyone aware of what is happening.
Frontline
Frontline dog on the floor
When you see this image for the first time you might think that the dog is surrounded by flies, but no, look closely.
In this case, Frontline, the dog products company, filled the entire floor with a large image of a dog scratching itself. The brand knew that many people walk through that space every day and that a good number of people would also see it from the upper levels of the building, creating an optical illusion using the pet and the bugs. It's hard to miss and not look twice.
Again, this campaign differs from traditional marketing because it's not simply about promoting a message in a randomly chosen location: it creates a form of accidental human interaction that reminds the viewer of what the product does.
What does all this translate into?
In marketing, guerrilla techniques play with the element of surprise , that is, they propose creating unconventional and novel campaigns that catch people unexpectedly in the course of their daily routines.
Its low-cost nature is its great ally
The real investment here is creative and intellectual. Your branding, on the other hand, doesn't have to be very expensive. In a way, this technique works by repurposing your audience's current environment . Evaluate it and find out which segments of it can be repurposed to include your brand.
Therefore, guerrilla marketing can be defined as the set of unconventional marketing techniques and strategies that base everything on their ingenuity and creativity to achieve their objective, always at a low cost.
The word 'war' or 'guerrilla' is very descriptive and brings to mind negative connotations , evoking images of rebellion and conflict. If we add it to the word 'marketing', the sonority of the terms is doubled and produces a certain astonishment and even curiosity.
But guerrilla marketing is not a form of communication that involves fighting or aggressiveness. It does involve novelty, of course, and it tries to be totally disruptive, since it goes beyond the inbound or entry methodology. In fact, it is a very unconventional form of inbound marketing , which in marketing jargon is the tactics used to attract the user to the company in a natural way - since it increases brand awareness among large audiences without interrupting them, as in the case of television commercials.
The term was first used by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984 in his book " Guerrilla Marketing ." To better understand what we mean, let's look at some of the best examples.
Examples of guerrilla marketing
Apple
Apple Stairs
With this campaign, Apple used an honduras number data escalator to promote itself, praising its operating system with the message of "infinite applications."
Nike
Bench with Nike logo
Nike wants us to exercise, but they know that we all have moments of weakness. That's why if you have trouble getting going, they take away your seat so you don't have to rest.
You may be interested in: What are the 5 P's of marketing?
Goal Television
GolTV bus shelter
There are also good examples in Spain. In this case, the television channel GOL used a bus shelter to simulate the bench of a football field.
Amnesty International
Father with his injured son
"It's not happening here, but it's happening now." In this case, the message is harsh, but very clear. They want to make everyone aware of what is happening.
Frontline
Frontline dog on the floor
When you see this image for the first time you might think that the dog is surrounded by flies, but no, look closely.
In this case, Frontline, the dog products company, filled the entire floor with a large image of a dog scratching itself. The brand knew that many people walk through that space every day and that a good number of people would also see it from the upper levels of the building, creating an optical illusion using the pet and the bugs. It's hard to miss and not look twice.
Again, this campaign differs from traditional marketing because it's not simply about promoting a message in a randomly chosen location: it creates a form of accidental human interaction that reminds the viewer of what the product does.
What does all this translate into?
In marketing, guerrilla techniques play with the element of surprise , that is, they propose creating unconventional and novel campaigns that catch people unexpectedly in the course of their daily routines.
Its low-cost nature is its great ally
The real investment here is creative and intellectual. Your branding, on the other hand, doesn't have to be very expensive. In a way, this technique works by repurposing your audience's current environment . Evaluate it and find out which segments of it can be repurposed to include your brand.
Therefore, guerrilla marketing can be defined as the set of unconventional marketing techniques and strategies that base everything on their ingenuity and creativity to achieve their objective, always at a low cost.