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Guerrilla Marketing in Action
2005 Al Lautenslager
Guerrilla Marketing is using time, energy and imagination to market a product, business or person without spending massive amounts of hard earned profit dollars. It also has been defined as non-traditional marketing, something unusual, unexpected and designed to be noticed. Of course all marketing is designed to be notice. Its just that some isnt, believe it or not.
There are many examples over time that have passed the guerrilla test. I will save those for another speech, article or book. For now I would like to share examples of Guerrilla Marketing in Action. I have actually seen these in just the past few months. Someone out there is using a whole lot of imagination and not spending gobs of money to market. Here we go with some examples of non-traditional marketing observed; odd places for media; unexpected messages:
Restaurant Pager
No doubt, you have been in restaurants where you have waited for a table to become available. In many restaurants they give you the big half-frisbee sized pager that blinks incessantly when your number is called. No longer are these plain blinking pagers. In the center is a full color graphic either advertising the restaurants drink special or the retail location adjacent to the restaurant; certainly unusual and probably noticed most of the time.
Gas Pump Handles
Pump gas and you have to look at the handle to secure it in the tank opening and then to execute the gas pumping process. Some genius squared off the top of the back of the handle, (the part you look at) and made a space for a 2 x 2 advertisement. Ice for 99 cents, Candy Bars two for one, Car Wash Specials, etc. are all advertised to get that gas pumping consumer to think of one more item to buy than gas.
Java Jacket
Grab a Starbucks and undoubtedly your next stop is the breath mint aisle in your local convenient store. Oh what to buy? Alas, the brand is suggested to you, at the exact right time, right there on the java jacket, the corrugated sleeve around your coffee cup to keep you from burning your hand. I recently had this thought and I looked at the jacket only to see the brand name, Eclipse, advertising their newest gum flavor. Guess what I bought next? In marketing we always talk about putting your message where your target market is. This is the epitome of that.
Plastic Room Key
Most hotels have gone to the credit card like plastic room key that slides in the activator right on the door handle. I was traveling the other day and was craving a Dominos pizza. Being out of town and not having a clue as to the phone number, I wondered? I looked down at my room key and Dominos had purchased the advertising space on the room key complete with a phone number. Guess who I called? Thanks room key.
Escalator Step
I havent seen this done but I have often thought it would make great advertising space: the front side of an up-escalator step. As you ride up, you come eye level with a step about 3 or 4 ahead of you. What a great place to put an advertisement. What a great place to charge for advertising. Lots of exposure and right where your target market is if you are in the retail business or service business in a retail location. Let me know if you see this in action. Send me a picture of it and I will send you a free copy of Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days.
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