These days it takes a lot more than luck or a great tagline to get customers interested in a product—especially for major companies who need to rebrand themselves. Companies can send out paper marketing materials like the ones from Absolute Screen Printing in conjunction with their wacky campaigns. The following is a list of five of the most successful guerilla marketing campaigns.
Mad Men Yourself
For the show’s third season, viewers could go online and Man Men themselves, creating a virtual Mad Men character by choosing a body type, hair, facial features, 1960s clothing, accessories (including martini glasses, a gun, a mink stole, broaches and an accordion) and a Mad Men background. Millions of viewers logged on and created a virtual Mad Men character that they could post of Facebook, download to a computer or send to friends.
Doritos Goat Yourself
Doritos Super Bowl slot went to a fan for a few years, and one of the most popular $1 million dollar slots went to a guy who created a narrative around a goat. The commercial tells the story of a man who buys a goat, befriends him and realizes the two have a bit more in common than he bargained for: a love of Doritos. After the goat begins eating him out of house and home, the man puts the goat back up for sale, posting a “goat 4 sale” sign in his yard.
Thresher’s 40% Off Bubbles
This chain liquor store “accidentally” sent 40% off coupons to some of their clients, claiming the vouchers were only meant for select distributors. After plenty of buzz and some slight controversy, the chain actually admitted the whole thing was a marketing campaign, looking to attract more customers to their already discounted bottles of wine.
Ikea Beach Bookshelf
Ikea promoted their stores on the beaches of Australia by creating their own “library” of red book shelves, filled with books for beach bums. People could take a book and leave a book or buy a book with a donation to the Australia Literary Foundation.
Fortitude Polar Bear
Super Bowl ads get better and better every year; with a $1 million dollar price tag, it’s no wonder companies save their best campaigns for February. The 2015 Super Bowl brought a guerilla marketing ad that included a “live” polar bear wandering through London. Two men in a polar bear suit approached pedestrians in the foggy city, looking suspiciously real. The whole thing was for a marketing campaign for a TV show called “Fortitude” that takes place in a land dominated by the great white bears.
Taking your marketing campaign to the next level means thinking outside the box. Get your word out to the masses by creating a viral marketing campaign that gets people engaged and talking about your company.
