An unconventional marketing tactic that gives maximum results, generally at a low cost.
India is one of the most consumer-driven markets in the world. Thanks to the burgeoning middle class in the country, which is driven by aspirations of a better lifestyle, brands are adopting all means to reach out to their target customers. They have to try newer methods for promoting their products in order to keep pace with their competitors in the ever-expanding consumer goods market. One of the most popular advertising strategies adopted by companies is Guerrilla Marketing.
It is an extremely effective way to get people to talk about a brand without spending a fortune out of the advertising budget of the company. After undertaking a guerrilla campaign, the companies resort to aggressive social media activity to generate a buzz around it. These small scale promotions tend to be more effective than traditional advertising, and thus, companies use them to make a greater impression. The guerrilla marketing campaign is designed to catch the onlooker off guard so that they get swayed away by the mind-blowing idea of the advertisement. The mantra is that quirkier the idea, more effective it is!
Here, we bring to our readers a collection of the most ingenious and trend-setting guerrilla marketing campaigns from 2018 that are sure to evoke an emotion!
Kansai Nerolac Paints displayed its creative best via a campaign at Kolkata Airport by converting a luggage conveyer belt into a shade card. The innovative idea took passengers by surprise and they were delighted to see the unusual promotion. The moving shade card made the people aware of various colour options offered by the paint major, and would surely remain etched in their minds for a long time to come. A similar activity was undertaken by the company in 2017 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
Jeevansathi.com, a leading online matrimonial site, turned bus shelters into fancy ‘mandaps’, creating a scene directly out of Indian weddings. Around 10 such mandaps were created in some of the busiest parts of the national capital. These shelters were decorated with flowers, vinyls and LED lights to catch the attention of all those passing by. The campaign was made popular using social media extensively. The mandap at Saket was built for a day-long activation in collaboration with Red FM, and radio jockey Kisna kept the shoppers and residents of Saket engaged by discussing the idea of marriage in modern society.
The concept of hoarding was given a new twist by Adidas India as it created a 3D display of their brand ambassador Paul Pogba protruding out of the billboard. The innovative OOH campaign was designed for the company’s flagship product ‘Predator’. It was targeted specifically at soccer players and fans across all age groups. Media formats like billboards, bridge panels, and unipoles were used to create impact for the multi-city campaign. The campaign created significant buzz around the product and achieved desired exposure of the brand launch in the Indian market.
Jeep Compass literally made a ‘big’ impact in the world of advertising by erecting India’s largest ever billboard on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The installation is 253 feet wide and 100 feet tall, while the Jeep logo is 164.6 feet long and 65.8 feet tall. The billboard is placed strategically at the top of a hill next to the Expressway and weighs a massive 80,000 kilos.
Stressing on the need for cleanliness and hygiene, Lifebuoy launched Germ Nashini campaign in select Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati. Apart from the ten hands of goddess Durga, the eleventh hand that dispensed liquid handwash blessed the pandal visitors, helping them to keep germs at bay. The dispenser in the shape of a hand was placed near the points where ‘bhog bitoron’ or distribution of the warm khichdi takes place.
High impact viral campaigns have the capability to set world records too! This is clearly evident from the way Bajaj Allianz Life executed its highly successful #36SecPlankChallenge campaign. It was meant to encourage people to follow a healthy lifestyle, and prompted them to take up the challenge to do a plank for 36 seconds. Later, the company ended the campaign in a finale event called Plankathon. The viral campaign saw participation from sports stars including Saina Naiwal, Geeta Phogat and Deepa Malik, several CEOs and corporate leaders from all across the country. The event saw a huge number of people doing abdominal plank simultaneously for a whole minute at Pune’s AFMC Ground. The event got registered in Guinness World Records.