What Is Guerrilla Marketing? Low-Budget, High-Impact Advertising

Guerrilla marketing is an approach that relies on creative ideas rather than a large media budget, aiming for high impact with limited resources. In the traditional marketing mindset a certain budget has to be committed; in guerrilla marketing what decides the outcome is not money but imagination. Striking results are possible with small amounts of spend.

Where does the term “guerrilla” come from?

The word “guerilla” first appeared, as you might guess, in the context of war. It is Spanish in origin. The concept was first used during the resistance the Spanish waged against the French occupation between 1807 and 1814.

Guerrilla, meaning gang warfare or irregular struggle, can fairly be called the weapon of the weaker side. Tactically it was used to repel and neutralize an enemy without ever being seen as a conventional “soldier.” Guerrilla tactics were introduced to Europe largely through Ernesto Che Guevara.

Those tactics were rational and built to turn disadvantages into advantages. The aim was to wear the opponent down psychologically and keep them permanently on alert without a minute’s rest. The other side could never predict when or from where the next move would come.

How did guerrilla tactics enter marketing?

The use of “guerrilla tactics” in marketing and advertising first appeared in the mid-1960s in America. The Vietnam War of those years, and the successful use of guerrilla tactics by the people there, influenced the marketing sector as well. Companies began pursuing more aggressive policies to grow their revenue.

If the guerrilla spirit had to be described in a few words: patient, stubborn, perceptive, generous, energetic and open to change.

Which methods are used in guerrilla marketing?

The most commonly used guerrilla marketing methods for promoting a company include:

• Sending direct mail cards
• Running email campaigns
• Building a website that offers free information
• Joining relevant forums and communities
• Using physical channels such as vehicle advertising

What these methods share is that they lean on an idea that attracts attention and gets talked about rather than on a large media budget. The same logic applies today across digital advertising channels.

What is the goal of guerrilla marketing?

The aim of guerrilla marketing is to maximize interest in a company’s own goods, services and offers while minimizing the resources and expenses spent on that effort. Like a guerrilla fighter, it draws attention in an unexpected direction. The policies applied along the way are unusual, surprising, original and entertaining. Everything happens on a small budget, and the approach can be used in any sector.

Guerrilla marketing was initially used only so that small companies could compete better against large ones. For that reason Jay Conrad Levinson, one of the pioneers of the idea, describes the approach as an “attrition” attack.

Why does flexibility matter so much?

Flexibility is one of the critical points in guerrilla marketing. Companies must stay flexible against every situation, just like a guerrilla, to keep their reach, profits and activities from shrinking. They must be able to redirect resources toward new opportunities quickly and effectively. To anticipate what might happen in the market and to survive in an intensely competitive environment, they need to analyze their own position well.

Companies also have to pay close attention to pricing policy when building a guerrilla marketing strategy. The products and offers they present should be surprising and bold.

How does the message spread?

Another important aspect of guerrilla marketing is spreading the message to as many people as possible in the most effective way. For that, an internet reaching billions of users is an invaluable field of application.

The intended message spreads effectively through blogs, online newspapers and magazines, chat and forum pages, and social media channels. One sub-branch worth mentioning within guerrilla marketing is “mosquito marketing” — called Moskito Marketing in German and Mosquito Marketing in English.