Guerrilla Marketing: Examples and Uses in B2B Businesses
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 6:34 am
Whether B2B or B2C, what company doesn’t want to grab the customer’s attention in a creative and highly impactful way ? That’s exactly the goal of guerrilla marketing: to promote the brand and its solutions in an unconventional way to generate a positive — and unforgettable — experience for the public.
Key takeaways from this article:
Guerrilla marketing involves creating creative and unusual marketing actions and campaigns to attract customers' attention and connect them with the brand. It is done online and offline, usually in public places with a large number of people.
The strategy is great for expanding the brand's reach and visibility, selling more, connecting more with the public, building customer loyalty and strengthening the brand.
The main types of guerrilla marketing are: environmental, ambush, experiential, viral and street.
To apply B2B guerrilla marketing, study your target audience thoroughly (preferences, behaviors , habits), have clear objectives, be original and creative, follow trends and integrate the campaign with other strategies in the area.
Download our free e-book: Guide: how to develop a sales process and its steps
The idea behind this marketing strategy is to stand out from the competition in such a competitive market. And although there are many examples of B2C campaigns, it is important to know that the B2B market can and should benefit greatly from this practice. After all, it encompasses both online and offline media , which makes it more accessible.
Want to know how? Continue reading this article and learn what guerrilla marketing is, why you should use it, its main types, real examples and tips for implementing the strategy in your company.
What is guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is a strategy that promotes a brand and its products/services in a creative, engaging and impactful way , which is the opposite of traditional marketing. It can be done online, and can go viral, or offline, usually in public spaces with a lot of people.
Three pillars govern this strategy: creativity, customer experience and viralization.
We remember that online and offline are intertwined: a campaign carried out in physical spaces can go viral on the internet through photos and videos — especially on social media and in the press.
In fact, many guerrilla marketing campaigns are designed to be “Instagrammable.” The goal is to create an innovative campaign that encourages engagement and connection with the brand , that is, to be seen and remembered by the public.
Fun fact: who invented guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing was created in 1984 by writer Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. The concept was inspired by war tactics used by North Vietnam.
Since they had fewer resources than the South's troops, which were allied with the United States, North Vietnam applied combat strategies to surprise and delay their enemies.
Read also: How to use Marketing to scale your sales
What are the benefits of B2B guerrilla marketing?
A B2B company can obtain many advantages by using guerrilla marketing, especially telemarketing leads, egypt telephone number data because, as it has a more niche target audience, the competition is greater. Therefore, the strategy can be the ally that was missing to stand out significantly in the market.
And the best part is that the brand doesn't need to make large investments: all it takes is a creative idea and perfect execution.
In addition to these, learn about the benefits of guerrilla marketing for B2B businesses:
more brand visibility;
expanding the company's reach;
increased sales;
more connection and interaction with the customer;
audience retention and loyalty;
brand strengthening;
low investment compared to traditional marketing;
more return on investment ( ROI );
stimulating organic marketing (word of mouth).
Main types of guerrilla marketing
To understand how you can use guerrilla marketing to promote your business, learn about its different types and purposes.
Environment marketing
This type of guerrilla marketing involves implementing elements in public spaces with a lot of people moving around to interrupt the flow and attract the attention of passersby. Some examples are graffiti, artistic installations, urban interventions, works of art, among others.
Campaigns can be carried out both indoors, such as buildings, colleges or train or subway stations, and outdoors, such as sidewalks.
Ambush Marketing
Plan unusual actions at events, festivals or spaces with high traffic, such as giving out free samples, gifts that make sense for the situation (like a fan at a concert on a hot day) and musical and artistic performances.
Experience Marketing
Although every guerrilla marketing campaign already impacts the customer experience , there is one type that has exactly that purpose.
And, to achieve this, there is investment in interactive games, immersive events or team building activities.
A real example is a Heineken initiative . It placed a large freezer where people could enter and choose their beer in a fully refrigerated environment adapted to the brand's visual identity. In other words, the experience of buying a beer went to another level.
guerrilla marketing
Viral marketing
It focuses on creating shareable content, with a high potential to go viral on the internet, social media and even in the press, reaching millions of people.
Keep learning: Viral Marketing: 4 examples and tips on how to do it
Street marketing
As the name suggests, this type of marketing is done on the street, in busy places, with artistic performances, distribution of gifts or protest actions.
Guerrilla Marketing Examples
To fully understand what guerrilla marketing is and how to do it, see some real examples of companies that broke away from the conventional and used a lot of creativity to connect with their customers.
B2B Guerrilla Marketing Examples
MailChimp
MailChimp , an email marketing platform, sent several creative and irreverent email ads to promote the company, catching customers' attention and strengthening the brand.
Blendtec
Blendtec, which operates in the B2B and B2C market, created a YouTube channel called “ Will It Blend? ” with videos that place different objects inside their blenders, such as iPhones, golf balls, iPads and more.
Due to the creativity and unusual way of showing that its products are of high quality, the brand saw an increase in sales as the videos went viral.
ciser
Ciser set up a marketing strategy with its sales team. Through phone calls and emails, the sales team warned all customers that the company would be carrying out a guerrilla campaign during the last three days of the month. The notice was given a month in advance.
After arousing curiosity, the result increased sales and reactivated old customers.
B2C Guerrilla Marketing Examples
To inspire you with creativity and get ideas to promote your brand in a very unusual way, check out these actions carried out by B2C companies.
Frontline
Frontline, a brand of medicines that combat fleas in cats and dogs, carried out an incredible action on the floor of a shopping mall in Indonesia.
On the ground, it was just a picture of a dog scratching itself. However, on the second floor, the people walking around the photo looked like fleas crawling out of the dog's fur.
Key takeaways from this article:
Guerrilla marketing involves creating creative and unusual marketing actions and campaigns to attract customers' attention and connect them with the brand. It is done online and offline, usually in public places with a large number of people.
The strategy is great for expanding the brand's reach and visibility, selling more, connecting more with the public, building customer loyalty and strengthening the brand.
The main types of guerrilla marketing are: environmental, ambush, experiential, viral and street.
To apply B2B guerrilla marketing, study your target audience thoroughly (preferences, behaviors , habits), have clear objectives, be original and creative, follow trends and integrate the campaign with other strategies in the area.
Download our free e-book: Guide: how to develop a sales process and its steps
The idea behind this marketing strategy is to stand out from the competition in such a competitive market. And although there are many examples of B2C campaigns, it is important to know that the B2B market can and should benefit greatly from this practice. After all, it encompasses both online and offline media , which makes it more accessible.
Want to know how? Continue reading this article and learn what guerrilla marketing is, why you should use it, its main types, real examples and tips for implementing the strategy in your company.
What is guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is a strategy that promotes a brand and its products/services in a creative, engaging and impactful way , which is the opposite of traditional marketing. It can be done online, and can go viral, or offline, usually in public spaces with a lot of people.
Three pillars govern this strategy: creativity, customer experience and viralization.
We remember that online and offline are intertwined: a campaign carried out in physical spaces can go viral on the internet through photos and videos — especially on social media and in the press.
In fact, many guerrilla marketing campaigns are designed to be “Instagrammable.” The goal is to create an innovative campaign that encourages engagement and connection with the brand , that is, to be seen and remembered by the public.
Fun fact: who invented guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing was created in 1984 by writer Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. The concept was inspired by war tactics used by North Vietnam.
Since they had fewer resources than the South's troops, which were allied with the United States, North Vietnam applied combat strategies to surprise and delay their enemies.
Read also: How to use Marketing to scale your sales
What are the benefits of B2B guerrilla marketing?
A B2B company can obtain many advantages by using guerrilla marketing, especially telemarketing leads, egypt telephone number data because, as it has a more niche target audience, the competition is greater. Therefore, the strategy can be the ally that was missing to stand out significantly in the market.
And the best part is that the brand doesn't need to make large investments: all it takes is a creative idea and perfect execution.
In addition to these, learn about the benefits of guerrilla marketing for B2B businesses:
more brand visibility;
expanding the company's reach;
increased sales;
more connection and interaction with the customer;
audience retention and loyalty;
brand strengthening;
low investment compared to traditional marketing;
more return on investment ( ROI );
stimulating organic marketing (word of mouth).
Main types of guerrilla marketing
To understand how you can use guerrilla marketing to promote your business, learn about its different types and purposes.
Environment marketing
This type of guerrilla marketing involves implementing elements in public spaces with a lot of people moving around to interrupt the flow and attract the attention of passersby. Some examples are graffiti, artistic installations, urban interventions, works of art, among others.
Campaigns can be carried out both indoors, such as buildings, colleges or train or subway stations, and outdoors, such as sidewalks.
Ambush Marketing
Plan unusual actions at events, festivals or spaces with high traffic, such as giving out free samples, gifts that make sense for the situation (like a fan at a concert on a hot day) and musical and artistic performances.
Experience Marketing
Although every guerrilla marketing campaign already impacts the customer experience , there is one type that has exactly that purpose.
And, to achieve this, there is investment in interactive games, immersive events or team building activities.
A real example is a Heineken initiative . It placed a large freezer where people could enter and choose their beer in a fully refrigerated environment adapted to the brand's visual identity. In other words, the experience of buying a beer went to another level.
guerrilla marketing
Viral marketing
It focuses on creating shareable content, with a high potential to go viral on the internet, social media and even in the press, reaching millions of people.
Keep learning: Viral Marketing: 4 examples and tips on how to do it
Street marketing
As the name suggests, this type of marketing is done on the street, in busy places, with artistic performances, distribution of gifts or protest actions.
Guerrilla Marketing Examples
To fully understand what guerrilla marketing is and how to do it, see some real examples of companies that broke away from the conventional and used a lot of creativity to connect with their customers.
B2B Guerrilla Marketing Examples
MailChimp
MailChimp , an email marketing platform, sent several creative and irreverent email ads to promote the company, catching customers' attention and strengthening the brand.
Blendtec
Blendtec, which operates in the B2B and B2C market, created a YouTube channel called “ Will It Blend? ” with videos that place different objects inside their blenders, such as iPhones, golf balls, iPads and more.
Due to the creativity and unusual way of showing that its products are of high quality, the brand saw an increase in sales as the videos went viral.
ciser
Ciser set up a marketing strategy with its sales team. Through phone calls and emails, the sales team warned all customers that the company would be carrying out a guerrilla campaign during the last three days of the month. The notice was given a month in advance.
After arousing curiosity, the result increased sales and reactivated old customers.
B2C Guerrilla Marketing Examples
To inspire you with creativity and get ideas to promote your brand in a very unusual way, check out these actions carried out by B2C companies.
Frontline
Frontline, a brand of medicines that combat fleas in cats and dogs, carried out an incredible action on the floor of a shopping mall in Indonesia.
On the ground, it was just a picture of a dog scratching itself. However, on the second floor, the people walking around the photo looked like fleas crawling out of the dog's fur.