Teen idol Justin Bieber hit the headlines in December last year for all the wrong reasons.
As part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for his single Purpose, Bieber‘s team took to the streets – literally. From New York City to the West Coast, they etched “Justin Bieber / Purpose / #Nov13” on pavements and roads.
At first, people suspected the stencils were done in chalk. However, rainfall in San Francisco failed to rinse away the promotional street art, which led to the San Francisco City Attorney to write a letter to executives from Def Jam Records and Universal Music Group, vowing to “aggressively pursue all available penalties and costs from those responsible.”
Critics on Twitter also pointed out a touch of hashtag-tampering: #Nov13 has been used to commemorate the date of recent Paris terror attacks.
Lessons
This recent guerrilla marketing faux-pas follows a long line of others. From Olympic belly-flops to city-wide bomb scares, brands have been punished with hefty fines, and even modest jail time.
Fortunately, many of these situations are avoidable if you follow some important steps:
Do your research:
There are a lot of laws out there, so you need to know if you might be breaking one, what sort of trouble you could get into, and how much it might cost you if you do.
Know your market (and try not to offend them):
Who do you want to react to your campaign? Direct your efforts towards planning an event at an appropriate time and in an appropriate place.
Yeah yeah, you want exposure and a massive crowd, but you also want the audience to follow-up. If your target audience is largely teenagers, catch them in line for a Bieber concert for example.
Commit:
Commit to your idea and hire people that are just as committed as you. You can be subtle or you can be bold, but regardless it’s important that the plan is thorough and the execution, flawless.
Account for anything that could go wrong and make sure everyone you bring onboard is well-trained. This might be tough if you have to contract out work, but it will be well worth it when it comes to execution.
Have fun:
If you’re having fun, people around you will have fun. And more importantly, people will want to join in the fun! If your plan is visual and you don’t have a crew, try and make people laugh or make people think.
Some of the most effective modes of guerrilla marketing involve displaying data that the consumer can relate to.
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.
