Importance of Experience

This quote says everything about guerrilla and experiential marketing. One of the main objectives when doing these types of marketing is creating that positive brand experience. If done correctly, guerrilla marketing will give the consumer an experience they won't forget, partially because they can't. As mentioned in one of my previous blogs, guerrilla marketing really gets into the consumers head in a way traditional media can not. Just when the consumer thought it was safe, and they could bypass all advertising...BOOM guerrilla hits them and before they know it they are affected. At this point, it is up to the genius of the guerrilla marketing campaign to create the positive experience. It is important to promote who the brand is and what they stand for.

The second part of the quote about giving value to the consumer at every point of contact is also very important to guerrilla marketing. Although not all marketers use it, an incentive for purchase is key, and can be a cost effective way of guerrilla marketing to make sales.

If the brand does not make a positive impression in the consumers mind, and the consumer is getting nothing out of it, what is the point? So maybe this quote is more obvious than I thought. Just live by it. Create an excellent brand experience. Offer a relevant value.

Lets hear it from the man himself... Jay Conrad Levinson

Follow this link and get a few words from the Father of Guerrilla Marketing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idGj0FMZHN8

Hitting the emotions with some experiential

It's all in the senses...

This is where experiential marketing comes in. With experiential marketing it is very important that you are tapping into the senses of the consumer. When done properly, experiential really hits the consumers senses in a way that is almost subconcious. Not only does this form of marketing tap into the mindset of the consumer, but if done effectively should engage as many of the senses as possible. With the growing resistance to traditional forms of media, it is extremely essential that consumers are hit on a different level and the marketing makes an impact. We know that consumers have a short attention span when it comes to advertisements, so experiential marketing is a way capture their attention and really make an impact. Experiential marketing, if done effectively, will really connect with the consumer's mind on many levels including emotion, logic, and other general thought processes.

Inexpensive and Effective

This is an example of some guerrilla marketing that was extremely effective with very minimal cost. Virgin Atlantic's main message they want to communicate is the fact that your luggage is going to arrive to you safe without damage, because that is one of a traveler's main concerns. Now, what better way to do this then literally show your customers how careful you really are. This not only creates buzz and excitement around the company but also is a way to instill trust in the companies current customers and potential customers.

So what to do.. what to do??

You have all these great ideas, no money, and know your target is at the street level... sounds like Guerrilla, specifically wild postings. Wild postings are any type of poster that is plastered to a lamp post, brick wall, bulletin board, really any flat surface. It is important to know that these can be done on many scales; its not necessarily just a 11 by 7 poster. Based on your target, and where you are trying to reach them,different sizes and methods are used. Choose with caution in order to maximize your desired exposure. That said, in some cases its really not the size that matter, its what you do with these wild postings. All wild postings fall into two distinct categories: with permission, or without permission.
Wild postings without permission are for those that are true guerrillas at heart. That said, it is not always the method most encouraged. There are many risks with just going ahead and posting things where ever your heart desires. Some may think that the risk is worth the exposure, but is it worth tickets, fines, and written letters in your mailbox with less than appropriate language? It may be tempting to just post your material where ever you want, permission is a pain, but be aware that there could be some serious consequences.
Wild postings with permission on the other hand are the safe way to go for guerrillas that tend to take a little more caution. Permission is a hard thing to get. Although this method of wild posting is probably the best way to go, you may need help if you plan on getting permission. Sometimes the best way to do this is through an agency or wild posting vendor. The benefit of this is they already have locations that are pre-approved. By going through a vendor, a few painfully long steps trying to get permission yourself will be eliminated.

Wild postings are a very important part of guerrilla marketing. AND if used correctly you could use this street level approach to get in the face of your target market while getting a lot of exposure.

This form of guerrilla marketing costs virtually nothing to produce, yet will most definitely catch the eye of potential consumers. Just get your creative juices flowing and use resources readily available to get some attention and get people talking about your brand.