7 guerrilla marketing examples and what they teach

Guerrilla marketing is advertising that ambushes people in their everyday surroundings with something surprising, usually on a small budget. The best examples, such as red balloons tied to storm drains to promote the film It, work because people stop, photograph them and share them, so word of mouth and the media do most of the distribution. Below are seven documented campaigns and what each one teaches.

What is guerrilla marketing?

Guerrilla marketing (also spelled guerilla marketing) uses surprise and unconventional interactions to promote a product or service. The marketer Jay Conrad Levinson introduced the term in his 1984 book Guerrilla Marketing. The name comes from guerrilla warfare, which relies on surprise and unconventional tactics rather than size.

It covers several related tactics, including ambient, street, ambush, stealth, viral and buzz marketing. Our overview of guerrilla marketing explains each type.

Why does guerrilla marketing work?

• Surprise gets attention. People notice what does not belong in a familiar place.
• It spreads beyond the people who see it. A memorable stunt gets photographed, posted and picked up by the press. Those who only hear about it can outnumber those who saw it.
• It can be cheap. Much of the cost is creativity and execution, not media space.
• It is memorable. An experience sticks better than another ad in a feed.

The catch: it only works if the idea is clear and the brand is obvious, and it can backfire if people feel misled, threatened or inconvenienced.

Example 1: Red balloons for the film It (Sydney, 2017)

In early September 2017, just before the horror film It opened, red balloons appeared floating above storm water drains in Sydney's city centre. In the story, the clown Pennywise is linked to red balloons and storm drains. The stunt was created by the agency Mr. Glasses and executed by Showtime Marketing for the distributor Village Roadshow.

Photos spread on social media the morning the balloons appeared, and the stunt made national headlines. Mumbrella reported that the balloon activation cost less than $10,000.

Lesson: one strong symbol from the product, placed where it carries meaning, is enough. The brief did not even allow the clown to be shown.

Example 2: McDonald's fries pedestrian crossing (Switzerland, 2010)

In August 2010, McDonald's and the agency TBWA Switzerland turned a pedestrian crossing into a serving of the chain's fries, an ambient execution recorded by Ads of the World as the "MacFries Pedestrian Crossing".

Lesson: ordinary street features, such as crossings, stairs and drains, become media when the shape fits the product. It is noticeable at street level and easy to photograph from above.

Example 3: Coca-Cola's Happiness Machine (2010)

In January 2010, Coca-Cola set up a vending machine at a university in New York that handed students unexpected extras along with their drinks. The reactions were filmed and the video was posted online. According to Wikipedia, the production had a budget of $60,000 and the video drew 500,000 views in its first week.

Lesson: the stunt itself reached only a few students. Filming it turned it into content for millions.

Example 4: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The makers of The Blair Witch Project launched a website in June 1998 with fake police reports and newsreel-style interviews about three "missing" students. During the film's first year, its IMDb page listed the actors as "missing, presumed dead", and flyers presented the cast as missing persons. Online debate about whether the story was real built huge interest. The film, made on an original budget of $35,000 to $60,000, grossed about $248.6 million worldwide.

Lesson: a story people argue about spreads itself. Today the same tactic would need care, because audiences are quicker to call out deception.

Example 5: A Mini on the side of a building (Houston, 2013)

In January 2013, a Styrofoam replica of a Mini Cooper was attached to the side of a downtown building in Houston. Wikipedia notes that the company paid a city fine and earned front-page coverage in the Houston Chronicle.

Lesson: some brands treat a fine as part of the budget. That is a calculated risk, not a plan to copy without legal advice.

Example 6: Nintendo's Wii post-it notes (Italy)

Nintendo Italy promoted the Wii by sticking post-it notes shaped like video game characters on city streets, like small billboards, under the slogan "Wii not forget".

Lesson: cheap, everyday materials can carry a brand when the idea and the slogan line up.

Example 7: The warning, Boston 2007

On 31 January 2007, battery-powered LED signs showing characters from the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force, part of a guerrilla campaign for the show's film in ten US cities, were mistaken for explosive devices in Boston. Parts of the transit system, two bridges and a stretch of Interstate 93 were closed. Turner Broadcasting and the agency Interference, Inc. agreed to pay $2 million, and the general manager of Cartoon Network resigned on 9 February 2007.

Lesson: what looks clever to a creative team can look threatening to the public. Think through how a stranger, a police officer or a city official will read your stunt.

What can B2B marketers take from these examples?

Guerrilla marketing is not only for consumer brands. In B2B the audience is smaller, so the stunt can be too:

• Trade fairs and conferences. Do something unexpected near the entrance, on the coffee cups or in the queue, rather than only at your stand.
• Your prospects' surroundings. A surprising delivery or a clever message near a target company's office, done tastefully, can open a conversation.
• Make it shareable. Decision-makers post on LinkedIn too. Design the moment so it is easy to photograph and explain.
• Tie it to the product. Like the balloons and the fries, the best ideas show what the product is or does.

How to avoid getting guerrilla marketing wrong

• Get permission for anything in public space. Wikipedia notes that street campaigns generally need authorisation and that many skip it, which can lead to fines.
• Test the idea on outsiders. If it could be mistaken for a threat, litter or vandalism, change it.
• Clean up. Decide before launch how and when you will remove everything, especially materials that could end up as litter.
• Be honest when asked. Stealth tactics that are exposed can turn the conversation against you.
• Plan the follow-up. Capture the moment on video and decide in advance where people should go next.

For more campaigns that spread by word of mouth, see our viral marketing examples and buzz marketing examples.