8. Guerrilla Marketing

Ryan Van Horn11 Creative Ideas for Event Marketing

Autism Bag Example

Bag: “Reach out to children with autism.”

Sometimes it’s not easy to reach your target audience in traditional places. You might need to think of creative ways to reach them in their own environment. For example, a vodka company came up with a clever stunt to reach corporate executives who work 80-hour weeks in high-rise offices. The company had someone pose as a window washer in a business suit. He used giant flashcards to communicate a funny, effective message (watch the video clip here). Although this type of stunt may be slightly out of your budget, the idea of going to customers in their environment is still a useful one.

This is the eighth of 11 Creative Ideas for Event Marketing, a free eBook.

Create a unique business “card”
There are many creative ideas for business “cards” that will make you stand out. For example, every employee at Lego® has miniature figurines featuring their name, phone and email. If you’re in the music industry, a guitar pick could be your business card. Think of inexpensive ways to generate word of mouth while ensuring people hang onto your “card.”

Transform your packaging into an ad
Your customers can be walking advertisements for you if you give them the tools. Food wrappers or bags that draw attention to your customers as they walk the street are great opportunities for you. If you use unique packaging, it entices customers to tell their friends or post pictures on social media. If you’re a retailer who uses bags, get creative and make them serve as more than just a container.

Use the element of surprise
A key element of guerrilla marketing is catching people off guard. The Discovery Channel used a great visual to surprise for beachgoers. They placed washed up surfboards along the shore, all of which had giant “shark bites” taken out of them. Printed on the boards was information about the upcoming Shark Week.

The idea is to surprise people so they’ll take notice, tell their friends about it, or snap photos. Think of something that relates to your event and let your imagination run wild!