Getting into Guerrilla Marketing
Advertising can be a costly expense for small businesses, so when you choose to invest in an ad it should be memorable. Anyone can design a basic billboard with a slogan and a logo, but unconventional ads create hype that makes your product stand out without people having ever even sampled it. Guerrilla marketing consists of utilizing low-cost methods to creatively create impactful ads. It’s sometimes difficult to pull off properly. The message needs to be clear from the start or else you risk confusing the audience. Before you have a basic ad designed, consider learning a few lessons from some of our favorite guerrilla ads.
CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT
Make sure you know exactly where your ad is going in the world. It could be somewhere among tall buildings or along a vast road. However, it pays off to think of other high traffic areas to place your ads. Consumers are already visually saturated with billboards and posters, so try to think of an unexpected yet relevant place to put your ad. Mr. Clean showing their whitening power on a crosswalk is a clever, eye-catching idea. The contrast of the faded white lines become a part of the ad, making the environment work as part of the message.
CONSIDER THE MEDIUM
Most of the time, you’re printing things on paper. It lies flat. Not really that exciting. However, the medium can be manipulated in ways that contribute to the strength of your product or services. Take for example, this Allegra advertisement by LG2 Montreal. They almost create a double entendre by having the subject of the ad use the poster as a tissue. The humor incorporated makes the viewer curious about the nature of the ad and who created it. A good laugh will get you far in the eyes of your customers.
CONSIDER THE INTERACTION
People are often amused when engaged in a clever advertisement. They could be walking on top of your ad, right at eye level with it, or driving under it. It’s one thing to catch their eye, but it’s even more valuable to catch their attention. Adidas’s adhere perfectly utilizes audience participation perfectly. Since readers are actively turning pages in the magazine, this motion will cause the person in the ad to mimic the motions of performing exercises. This brings unexpected “movement” into a place that usually contains stagnant pictures. Always think of what your audience is doing in the presence of your ads.
CONSIDER THE PRODUCT
There are things you can do to your product itself that’ll be guaranteed to wow your customers. Limited edition and seasonal packaging are some options to consider, elevating the beauty of your product to appeal to one’s visual appeal. However, it doesn’t always have to be an ornate design. Coca-Cola’s campaign for sharing a Coke with a friend was simple, putting people’s names on the bottle. The personalization caused people to specifically seek out bottles that had their name on it, making them feel a special sort of “corporate hospitality” when finding their own bottles. The campaign might have had its flaws since those with unique names couldn’t find their own in a store, but it definitely created a huge surge in the sales of Coke.
The thing that all these methods have in common is the power of ideation. Standing out in the market is definitely a challenge, which is why design agencies exist. Creative Juice has a team of designers who live for this type of advertising and have the creativity to craft impactful ads for you and your business. We want you to have the best connection to your consumers and are dedicated to creating the best design for helping you achieve your marketing goals.
