Grabbing people’s attention and making an impact is the name of the game in the world of marketing. And that’s why guerrilla marketing and media stunts really make an impression in today’s overcrowded brand battlefield. But just because this style of campaign is all about creativity and originality, it doesn’t mean that anything goes. As we’ve previously blogged, publicity and guerilla marketing are a very different ball game. With the former you can argue that it’s OK to cause a little controversy, but guerilla marketing shouldn’t provoke people in a negative way. You want to create something that people will enjoy and ultimately share.
Is this where Morrisons went wrong recently? The supermarket chain has been forced to apologise for turning the Angel of the North into a giant advert for French stick recently. The store, which is feeling the competition from budget brands Lidl and Aldi, used a projector to beam a 175ft-long baguette onto the famous artwork (oh, and they didn’t get permission from the artist beforehand). The piece of bread, which had a the phrase ‘I’m cheaper’ beamed on to it to reflect recent price cuts, angered lots of people, who thought it devalued the artwork.
OK, so they got a negative response to their stunt, but how else have Morrisons failed when it comes to guerilla marketing? They got people talking, granted; it was unconventional and unexpected, tick; but it was also just a bit too random. Like all good marketing you need strategy and context to get results. There was no backstory behind the stunt and no call to action; so although it was certainly newsworthy, the concept didn’t take people anywhere. So it just ends up as a shameless plug.
This was also the problem with Vodafone’s 2002 streaker stunt. The telecomms giant got two men to streak across the field during a major Australian rugby match, wearing nothing but the Vodafone logo painted across their backs. The streakers were fined and many fans were upset by the disruption (which potentially caused a game-winning kick to be missed).
So, although your ultimate goal is to get media attention you also want to make a positive connection with your consumers. Guerilla marketing shouldn’t be wildly abstract or seen as a simple street stunt like Morrisons recent efforts, because this will limit what you can do for your brand. Inspire people to take action of some sort so you can track results and start to enjoy the real benefits of this marketing style. In your quest for creativity you should never lose sight of your goals.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
