What do you imagine if I say, “Guerilla?”A giant gorilla in a zoo? Undoubtedly, anyone would imagine the real gorilla. However, this guerrilla is not something ordinary but a type of marketing called guerrilla marketing that entrepreneurs and businesses should know about. Even the big companies, such as KitKat, McDonald’s, IKEA, Coca-Cola, etc., used this marketing to promote their products and services. You might be wondering what exactly guerrilla marketing is, and what makes it so popular that the big organizations use it. Well, it was in the market when digital marketing was not born. But first, start with its concept.

What is Guerrilla Marketing?

Guerrilla marketing is a marketing strategy in which the companies implement a surprise or ambush for promoting their products and services by using unconventional methods. Furthermore, it is basically a low-cost marketing technique that gains exposure for the brand and its products and services. It is an effective way for gaining publicity and increases engagement. It is neither like traditional marketing involving TV, radio, etc., nor like digital marketing involving search engine optimization, social media, or email.

The term “guerrilla marketing” was introduced in 1984 by Jay Conrad Levinson, who wrote many books on guerrilla tactics. In his books, he added many cost-effective, inexpensive marketing ideas for small entrepreneurs and businesses. Levinson introduced this marketing mainly for the small business so that they don’t go unnoticed.

7 Most Popular Guerrilla Marketing Examples

Here are the seven most popular guerrilla marketing examples that every business-person and marketer should know about. Moreover, by using this type of marketing, brands promoted their products and services at a low cost and gained profit. Let’s check out the top ten examples of guerrilla marketing.

1. UNICEF’s Dirty Water Vending Machines

In 2009, UNICEF collaborated with an advertising brand, Casanova Pendrill/McCann, to implement Dirty Water Vending Machines. It grabbed global media attention in just a few minutes. The vending machines had different water flavors, such as cholera, malaria, typhoid, dysentery, dengue, hepatitis, salmonella, and yellow fever. Basically, this publicity is done by UNICEF to show that approximately 4000 children die every day because of drinking contaminated water. 

Furthermore, the vending machine offers a bottle of contaminated water for a donation of $1. According to the New York Times reports, “Every $1 donated means 1 day of clean water for 40 children.” UNICEF had different methods of payment, such as cash and online.

2. Burger King’s “Whopper Sacrifice”

Burger King is one of the most popular fast food restaurants that is basically popular for its Whoppers. So, in 2019, Burger King gave a surprise to its users by doing a marketing stunt by titling it a “Whopper Sacrifice.” Under this stunt, the Facebook users get a coupon to use. If a user unfriends 10 of their friends on Facebook by using the accompanying app, they will get a free Whopper. However, later Facebook banned the app for privacy and security concerns. By that time the users have successfully unfriended 233,000 friends.

3. Red Bull’s Rubbish Bins

Red Bull is a brand that shows creativity while doing any marketing strategy. In the late 1980s, Red Bull did a bizarre marketing campaign by putting empty cans of Red Bull outside the clubs and partying areas in London. Moreover, they offered free samples to DJs and asked them to leave the can at the place. When the nearby people noticed the bin full of cans, they thought it was for a reason. Red Bull gained consumers who were influenced by one another, which led the brand to earn more value and money. 

4. Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Machine”

Coca-Cola is the world’s leading soft drink brand. However, in January 2010, Coca-Cola, along with Definition 6, was ambushed at St. John’s University by installing a vending machine of Coca-Cola. Furthermore, the students were unaware of the strategy and simply purchased Coke. However, later they realized that the machine was dispensing extra bottles of Coke. Along with a Coke bottle, the machine also offered bouquets, subs, sandwiches, pizzas, and more. Later, Coca-Cola itself shared the news on different social media platforms. In the video, it is clearly shown that the students were surprised and happy with unexpected gifts. 

5. Adidas’ Giant Shoe Box

Adidas, a popular shoe brand, launched its giant shoebox in London. This is because of the return of Stan Smith. Furthermore, the giant shoe box was actually a pop-up store where people could get in and explore. Along with exploring the store, they also get to learn to create 3D prints, design portraits on the sneakers, and more. When Adidas launched their giant shoebox, it became one of the best guerrilla marketing campaigns in its history. 

6. MacFries Pedestrian Crossing

McDonald’s is also a leading fast food company that used to do marketing campaigns to make their presence in the market. In August 2010, McDonald’s painted the pedestrian crossing and gave it the shape of MacFries. In 2010, when Switzerland was celebrating its biggest public festival, the Zurifest, MacDonald planned to give a surprise to its consumer. They used the pedestrian crossing to promote their most demanding product. Basically, they replaced the white pedestrian crossing with a yellow one, which gave them a shape of fries. 

7. KitKat – Have a break, have a KitKat

KitKat is among the most popular chocolates worldwide. It is not the first time KitKat has used guerrilla marketing. However, this advertisement for KitKat was very popular. So, this time KitKat showed its creativity. They used KitKat’s tagline of “Have a break, have a KitKat” and implemented this marketing. Furthermore, they used the city area as a place to relax and chill by hanging swings. It is an effective way to grab the public’s attention.

The Last Line

Guerrilla marketing is among the most popular marketing that can be done at the lowest budget. Furthermore, it is better than traditional and digital marketing. The term was coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984. In this marketing, the brands promote their products and services by involving unconventional methods publicly. In the history of marketing, some of the best examples are UNICEF’s Dirty Water Vending Machines, Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Machine,” MacFries Pedestrian Crossing, and Adidas’ Giant Shoe Box.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Ques: Why does Coca-Cola use guerrilla marketing?

Ans: Coca-Cola used guerrilla marketing to promote the “Open Happiness” theme by installing vending machines in colleges. 

Ques: Why is guerrilla marketing good?

Ans: Guerrilla marketing is good because it is engaging and does not demand high costs for its implementation.

Ques: What is a weakness of guerrilla marketing?

Ans: There is only one major weakness of guerrilla marketing, which is that the outcomes are unpredictable. 

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