What has happened to guerrilla marketing, in particular intercept marketing? Right-clicking the synonyms drop-down menu for ‘guerrilla’ to see if they’ve changed the meaning of the word, I find the following: rebel, revolutionary, insurrectionary.
As I digest these words I wonder, what is rebellious, revolutionary or insurrectionary in a branded pleated pant or golf shirt? Or better yet, a cheap-ski-jacket-with-billboard-sized-logo-on-the-back-wearing perky twentysomething co-ed?
After traversing the country last year and attending a multitude of bar promotions, outdoor festivals and major sporting events, I’m neither entertained nor enticed by programs supposedly delivering street-level guerrilla marketing. Maybe I’ve been in the wrong place at the wrong time, maybe I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid at the last marketing conference love-in, but I’m not seeing the evolution and creative thought that pushed this tactic into vogue.
Think of the last time you were accosted by a smiling promo person on the street or at an event handing you a sample of something saying, ‘Isn’t this product great?’ Take it, take two even, and this useless trinket, to remind you of this incredible experience you have had with this particular brand at this important marketing touchpoint.
Whether you have been branded by a bar promo tattoo pixie, hydrated by a human portable-refreshment-machine-laden drink bandit, or handed samples of all packaged goods that can be placed in cute miniature giveaways, the question remains: Is risk avoidance pulling guerrilla intercept marketing closer to the traditional marketing noise it was designed to break away from?
The use of this tactic must be executed with creativity, relevance, and entertainment value that leaves the participant with an experience to share with his circle of influence, and a prompt to purchase.
Four key fundamentals:
Fish where the fish are biting
The target market has to be in the mind-set to try new things. I cringe when I see a promo team set up on a busy metropolitan corner during morning rush hour. How was this sold to the client? Engaging a person en route to the office when their sole goal is to cut the commute time as close to the wire as possible isn’t an open invitation to a discussion on the benefits of any particular brand. I’m surprised there haven’t been more promo people attacked by commuters who have yet to have their caffeine injection.
In contrast, the FCUK fragrance launch we orchestrated at MASEV Communications last fall saw intercept teams engage people who were standing in line for major entertainment events. They were already primed for an evening of fun, and FCUK was only adding to it.
Link the product with the senses
Keep it simple, and make it fun, humorous, impactful and interactive. The more you elevate the senses, the more the message will stick.
Nestlé’s Nesquik Grab, Gulp and Go promotion by Weber Shandwick Worldwide comes to mind. A 20-foot bottle replica that doubled as a climbing wall was impactful and eye-catching. Contestants chugging Nesquik and then climbing the bottle was interactive (who doesn’t like the thrill of competition and the agony of defeat?). Ringing the bell at the top of the bottle was a fun reward, and as simple as Pavlov’s theory itself. Watching milk come out the nose of happy, smiling contestants was pure humour and, again, impactful. Add to that the strong PR elements and this was a hit in all areas.
Provide value to the customer
A promotion that’s in the right place at the right time can still go wrong with lame premiums, a mediocre experience, or worse, failure to deliver the marketing message. The misfire signals are the overflowing trash bin of samples or premiums 10 feet from the intercept team, or the dreaded premium/sample as a projectile hurled at the stage of a live event by uninterested consumers.
One added-value success was West 49’s Tech Deck miniature skate park, which allowed customers at their events to imagine they were grinding the same rails as their pro skateboard heroes. It provided value as an entertainment feature during event intermissions and a teaching tool to demonstrate skateboard tricks to a learning-hungry demographic. The ability to add some element to an experience that elevates the perceived value by a participant is a true winner.
Differentiate
Posters, temporary tattoos and banners have been done to death. Drinking establishments on special events nights are minefields of these tactics. Stand still too long and you will be wrapped in common roll banner, tattooed and hung on the wall to complete a dog’s breakfast of boredom.
Coors Light raised the bar over the past two years with a partnership with Maxim magazine that delivered the Coors Light Maxim Club tour, Canada’s search for the Coors Light Maxim Girl, as well as the Coors Light Maxim Golf Experience. No need for more explanation – you wouldn’t believe me anyway.
The gauntlet has been thrown down to take a more rebellious, revolutionary and creative approach to this proven tactic. Let’s hope this year brings us the next jaw-dropping thrilla in guerrilla.
Darcy Taylor is the recently-appointed VP of Action Sports, a new Vancouver-based youth marketing division of sports and entertainment marketing firm IMG Canada. Taylor was formerly president and co-founder of Vancouver youth marketing firm MASEV Communications. He can be reached at dtaylor@imgworld.com.
