Evaluation.

The reason I chose the topic of Guerrilla marketing is because the subject excites me. I enjoy reading about it, researching it and discussing it. It’s simple really; I chose to write about something I love. What I enjoy about Guerrilla is the way it’s always so cleverly done. There’s nothing more satisfying that seeing a poster which makes you firstly stop and think, and then realise the context and think; “ah now that’s clever”.  I enjoy having to work to understand a poster, allowing me to have fun with something someone has created. Not only does Guerrilla involve humour but it can become versatile and work perfectly for more serious issues. It’s a compatible subject for any business. It’s just about being clever and unique, in unsuspected places.

The search methods I have used range from renting a book from the library, watching interviews and videos and reading through existing blogs to understand what everyone else loves about Guerrilla marketing. I especially find the blogs interesting because it’s good to see what work other people have found and what they think of it. Blogging opens you up to many more creative opportunities in finding work you would never have come across by searching yourself. I have analysed three different referenced sources, such as a text found from a book, an interview and a blog. Fulfilling these tasks has helped me to find information from different sources that I may not have looked at before. The interview in particular I found quite helpful because I actually got to the listen to the words of the creator, not a second hand source.

Some of the blogs I found lacked in written summaries. These types of blogs were great for finding images but not so great for the information I wanted to know about them. This is why I tried to find different types of blogs so that I could have the images I was looking for, then research them, and find out actual facts and information on them. My favourite blogs are ones where they have found random inspiration either in an image or video and shared it with the world displaying their opinions on what they found.

Guerrilla Marketing gone wrong.

Guerrilla marketing can sometimes goes wrong. If an idea doesn’t play out as planned it can have a negative effect. There’s a line that can easily be crossed from funny and clever, to misunderstood and insulting/scary etc. For example Cartoon Network ended up creating a bomb scare in Boston 2007 when they placed LED light boards across the city to promote they’re programme Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They created bomb scares which resulted in closure of bridges. You defiantly have to be careful with the idea you are trying to promote with Guerrilla Marketing.

On the News - Cartoon Network bomb scare 2007.

Guerrilla Marketing defined: Hawkeye card stunt

I found this video from the Iowa - Northwestern game, it's amazing what you can create with a very large and very willing crowd.

Summary of a found text.

So far I have researched Guerrilla marketing, but I now would like to research marketing in a broader sense. I found this book; ‘Successful Marketing for the small business’ in the library, and came across this paragraph of text quite interesting. It explains how a small business can take advantage and become successful without having to be part of a large company. This is what I found out when researching Guerrilla marketing.

I also found that a smaller business has the power to change with the fast moving flow of marketing. It’s like fashion, always changing. It would be easier for one single designer to update their designs compared to a worldwide well known store changing and restocking. This is why Guerrilla marketing is great for small companies; it allows them the small budget and the creativity needed.

Interview analysis.

I have been watching interviews with Jay Conrad Levinson about how he started the Guerrilla advertising trend and why he has been named “The father of Guerrilla”. Levinson talks about how he was teaching at the University of California Berkeley when his students approached him with their dilemma...

“The students in my class all asked if I could recommend for them a book, they all said we have empty pockets but great ideas, how do we get our ideas out to the world. I said I’d find a book for them, but I couldn’t find a book wherever I went. So I wrote them one called 527 ways to market your business. That title was fine for my students but was a horrible title for a book, so that’s when I named it ‘Guerrilla Marketing’." (Jay Conrad Levinson, 2009)

Video can be found at www.youtube.com Jay Conrad Levinson Father or Guerrilla episode 2

I have heard Levinson say these words a number of times when watching interviews with him. It seems that the Guerrilla book started out purely just to help his students, as what they were after hadn’t yet been wrote. This is when the Guerrilla movement took off and Jay Conrad Levinson was named the ‘Father of Guerrilla’.



Audi - creating desire.



Colegate - highlighting health.

Fitness First - aspect of selling business using truth factor.

Kleenex - aspect of hygiene.

The Discovry chanel - using 3D with a difference.

Sharpie - using interaction to sell their product.

The Samaritons - targeting their demographic unexpectedly.

Unicef - highlighting issues we aren't familiar with, in a way we are familiar with.

Swiss skydive - aspects of business.

Jobs in town - aspects of business.

Guerrilla Blog analysis.

I have been keeping my eye on a number of Guerrilla marketing blogs over the last two weeks to see how people comment and discuss adverts they have found; good, bad, imaginative and memorable. I have found this blog: http://www.bootstrappingblog.com very helpful as it depicts 50 different aspects of Guerrilla that you should be following. It mentions tips such as; bumper stickers, top ten reasons to choose you, fish bowl business cards, contests and charity donations. This blog basically helps you out with all the tricks of the trade in getting you on your way to Guerrilla marketing.

Fake publicity stunt – "you could have people picket your storefront with signs that read 'This business is too nice' or 'Company X is too good at their job'. Theres a million fake publicity stunts, use your imagination and I bet it’ll work no matter how weird or out of the box it seems". (Boot strapping blog, 6).

This quote stood out to me because it highlights the complete truth. Business’ basically lie to get you to buy their products. They will always find a way around a slogan or saying with a slight lie or twist to it, because this is how they draw the desire from customers. Even if what they say is true and “Company X is too good at their job” that’s not guaranteed 100% but it does sound better than “Company X is sometimes good at their job”.

It's all gone Guerrilla.

Guerrilla marketing is used in all different avenues of design. It has been used for things such as child abuse, environmental issues and selling a product or business. Guerrilla doesn’t always have to have a humour factor. Sometimes, with cases such as abuse; the point Guerrilla helps convey is the serious side, the honesty in the matter. Guerrilla is great for charities such as the NSPCC because not only does it cut out the large company budget, but it also gets straight to the ‘nitty gritty’, which is often what you need to see with campaigns about issues that really need your help.

Charities now rely on Guerrilla to reach their audience.

Guerrilla Installation for Fitness company.

Guerrilla marketing affects the way we see advertising now days. It’s so easy to ignore posters and adverts because we see them almost everywhere! However, it’s almost impossible to ignore Guerrilla adverts. When they’re done well, they’re done really well.

So why is it that Guerrilla is more successful than other advertising? Guerrilla often takes the consumer by surprise. By being clever and unpredictable you allow consumers to challenge, and seek fun within their products.

What's so great about Guerrilla?



Guerrilla advert for Dental Insurance.



People see normal everyday and are tired of it. Guerrilla marketing relies on imagination, energy, time and creativity. It's always thought provoking, and that's why it's so effective. You have to grab the viewer’s attention span, in order for them not to look elsewhere. You know when an advert is successful when the consumer not only remembers it, but tells their friends about it.

Not just another 'Coming soon' ad.

How many times in the cinema do you see a glossy poster advertising a film with the main characters, posing in their lovely frocks, Photoshopped up to their eyeballs? This 'Coming soom' advert I found for the next Finding Nemo film certainly stands out from the rest. This Guerrilla style advert sells the film perfectly. It depicts the plot of how the character always falls into trouble and the nature of his surroundings. Even if the viewer hasn’t seen the first film, this poster demonstrates the nature of the film, for a start we can see it will be an animation film and also that it’s a child action adventure genre.



Poster advertising 'Finding Nemo 2'.



This poster caught my eye because of the humour factor. It’s cleverly ironic that the main character is a fish, and is caught and made into sushi. The way they have packaged it is realistic and funny, which makes the advert work well. The use of white space and small collection of colours keeps it simplistic, therefore creating a poster easy on the eyes.

There isn’t much type used in this poster, just the finding Nemo logo and the capital letters coming soon. The designer clearly isn’t drawing attention to lettering or type of this poster; it seems to be more about the image. The type is an ocean blue colour, purely because that’s where the film is set, in the ocean. The colours in the image seem rather vibrant and saturated; I think this is to resemble the colours seen on the character and his surroundings, as he is a tropical fish.

I like the way the advert is laid out. It’s minimalistic and gets straight to the point. Comparing this to other posters you may find in the cinema it’s memorable, which is exactly what you seek for a successful poster.

Guerrilla Mind Map...



My Guerrilla marketing mind map.


I have created this mind map about Guerrilla marketing, explaining how the aspects benefit and inspire business and audiences.

I have thought about things such as brand experience; a way of creating something cleverly unique by engaging the customer and making them work out the concepts behind the advertisement.

I also thought about the influence it has on the public. It targets them in unusual places to make their advertisement memorable and 'out of the ordinary'. By placing their adverts in unexpected areas it’s hard for the public to ignore it. If you were to see a large poster advertising trains outside a train station, you're likely to ignore it. If you see something unique where it's unexpected, it's hard to ignore.

The Father of Guerrilla!

In 1984 Guerrilla expert Jay Conrad Levinson introuduced this book 'GUERILLA MARKETING'.
Guerrilla marketing is a way of promoting conventional ideas in an unconventional way. Levinson started out with his Pyschology degree which led him to advertising agencies. He went on to teach Guerrilla Marketing for 10 years at the University of California Berkeley.

Guerrilla Marketing allows small businesses to compete with large businesses within the marketing field. The great thing about Guerrilla marketing is that it creates memorable outcomes without needing an expensive budget.



The Cover of Levinson's book.