Image Source: Newsweek
Being noticed by your target audience in the crowded arena of digital marketing is difficult, but necessary.
This is where guerrilla marketing strategies can help.
You can try something new while still sticking to your brand’s image with just a little bit of inspiration, imagination, and bravery.
Let’s look at some of the top guerrilla marketing examples that succeeded on social media!
#1: Fiji Water’s Fiji Girls
Fiji Water unexpectedly took its marketing efforts to the 2019 Golden Globes.
Along the red carpet, models representing the company and dressed in the signature blue of Fiji Water took up strategic positions. Any attendees who might be thirsty could get some of the branded water from the trays they were holding.
Image Source: Bravo TV
While this might have been good enough to attract attention, one model, Kelleth Cuthbert, showed some ingenuity by figuring out how to insert herself into the background of celebrity pictures.
As these images spread on social media, it was soon apparent that Cuthbert was capturing viewers’ attention. She quickly gained the moniker #FigiGirl, giving the company free press and increased brand recognition.
#2: Fyre Fest “Orange Tiles”
One thing the creators of Fyre Fest were good at was getting attention. Hundreds of notable Instagram influencers posted an orange tile with the hashtag #FyreFestival in December 2016. Instagram users went insane. These same supermodels had previously shared images of their lavish Bahamas trip, complete with yachts, private jets, and swimming with pigs.
Image Source: SLBPR
This clever marketing strategy led fans on a quest to discover how they, too, could wallow in the magnificence and luxury of the Fyre Festival. Many twenty-somethings were paying upwards of $100,000 for a shot at this pipe dream.
Influencers are an excellent marketing tool for this reason, and influencers can benefit brands when used correctly. They have captive audiences who believe in their judgment and can craft personal narratives around businesses. The marketing for the Fyre Festival takes advantage of this trust. Thousands of people bought tickets to an event that had never happened before just because they trusted strangers.
#3: Starbucks “Tweet-a-coffee”
The ‘Tweet-a-Coffee’ campaign allowed customers to easily offer a $5 gift card to a friend by tweeting both ‘@tweetacoffee’ and a friend’s handle. The coffee was obviously not free, so users had to link their Starbucks account to Twitter (and create one if they didn’t already!) and their payment card to the account.
Image Source: Delightful Communications
More than 27,000 individuals tweeted a coffee in two months. The campaign was estimated to have brought in roughly $180,000 worth of coffee.
#4: Deadpool’s Tinder Profile
When none other than comic book anti-hero and legend Deadpool appeared on some users’ Tinder, they were taken aback. To meet potential moviegoers before the movie’s Valentine’s Day premiere, Deadpool shattered the fourth wall with “cheeky” photos and clever profile wording.
Image Source: Equinet Media
A link to buy tickets was sent to the Tinder user who “swiped right” and “matched” with the character.
Tinder isn’t the best way to spread the word because it only reaches a small portion of users, and you’re not supposed to use the app to promote anything. Nevertheless, screenshots of this joke swiftly spread over social media and received tons of attention.
#5: Burger King’s Instagram “Public Breakup”
The stories of a couple splitting up in the comments on Burger King’s Instagram may have caught your attention, but it turns out that everything was probably fake.
Image Source: The Cut
Everything started when an Instagram user commented on a Burger King Instagram photo about his “girl” ordering food from the fast-food chain.
“My girl legit took 20 minutes ordering in the drive-thru last night; those whoppers were worth it too lol,” @jordan vonsmith86 commented.
Many speculated that Burger King staged the entire interaction when the comments went viral. And if it was, what a clever way to bring your brand into the popular spotlight.
It stands to reason that this attracted more attention to its social media presence, at least on this platform. People may have already been monitoring the brand on Instagram.
#6: Felix Baumgartner’s Supersonic Freefall
With its guerrilla marketing campaign, Red Bull took their brand to the next level.
The ‘Red Bull Stratos’ campaign featured Felix Baumgartner and took the brand to the very edge of space. Baumgartner broke the world record by flying 127,852 feet above the Earth.
The jump was sponsored by the energy drink company Red Bull.
Image Source: Abakcus
The brand with the phrase “Red Bull gives you wings” reached approximately 7 million people via social media, with over 685,000 Facebook likes and 245,000 Twitter followers. Furthermore, the live stream of the skydive attracted an astounding 8 million viewers, providing the Red Bull brand massive exposure. Not only was it widely publicized at the time, but the YouTube video of the jump today has 47.4 million views.
#7: Oreo Super Bowl Blackout Tweet
Some guerrilla marketing ideas are quick reactions to current events, such as Oreo Cookies did during the Super Bowl; their web advertising agency (360i) was ready and posted at the perfect time.
At around 8 p.m., an electrical relay device failed during the Super Bowl, resulting in a blackout and leaving TV watchers in the dark. Oreo Cookies immediately posted the following ad:
Image Source: CatapultX – Medium
People used Twitter to look for information when the Superdome went dark. With this advertisement, Oreo made headlines by linking the dunkable cookie to one of the year’s most important sporting events. The outcome was a beautiful, uplifting message that gained over 15,000 retweets and 20,000 likes on Facebook. It reminded everyone that Oreos are wonderful comfort food.
Today, brands need to find ways to stand out and establish a good first impression.
One creative way is to use guerilla marketing strategies, which may be applied to the digital environment and effectively reach people in unconventional and surprising ways.
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