Guerrilla Air
Guerrilla Air
Beyond Billboards -- Wallscapes Capture Attention
Driving down the strip in Las Vegas, there is an abundance of activity that can grab the eye. Distractions and colorful details are everywhere you look -- day or night. The vast majority of these eye catching attractions are advertising messaging in one form or another. But with so many messages crammed into such a small space, how do advertisers ensure their message will be seen?
A hint: bigger is better.
In the past, billboards were the dominant medium for getting an advertising message out to a wide audience. They stood out because they were larger than their surroundings. People saw the message. The idea here is really simple.
However, in a city like Las Vegas, a tall billboard doesn't stand out particularly well against a sea of similar billboards and other advertising media. Even digital billboards can get lost in a sea of glittering and shimmering lights.
Enter the wallscape.
Instead of erecting a billboard to hoist an advertiser's message into the air, the idea behind wallscapes is to take an existing structure (like the side of a building) and attach a message that is hundreds of times larger than an average billboard. The effect is as large as the image itself.
Take an advertiser who uses a popular celebrity as a spokesperson. The average tourist in Las Vegas is not likely to give much notice to a small billboard tucked between towering skyscrapers -- even if it carries the image of the famous celebrity. But if that celebrity spokesperson's image is towering over the city as it occupies an entire wing of the Mandalay Bay resort and casino... people will take notice.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if a wallscape provides a viable option for alternative advertising in a crowded city like Las Vegas, it can work even better in just about any metropolitan area or Designated Marketing Area (DMA).
Of course, wallscapes can be much more than a static image. Many successful wallscape advertisements have included intricate, 3-dimentional constructions and messaging that sprawls across multiple surfaces. From cars magically clinging to the side of a skyscraper, hundreds of feet in the air to bright colored paint, seemingly spilled over multiple buildings and even the cars in the parking lot below, these alternative advertisements will catch the eye of any consumer.
And finally, in addition to wallscapes, there are a number of other alternative advertising options to grab the consumer's attention in a crowded mark
About the Author
Jeff R. Lamb is the president of DOmedia: an alternative media company. DOmedia specializes in connecting asset owners with buyers for all forms of alternative advertising, including billboards and wallscapes. Learn more at www.domedia.com
Interview with Che's General Pombo
During the last three campaigns he shared with Guevara, Pombo drank deeply of the sap which composes the new man: in the Sierra Maestra, in the Congo and in Bolivia. He said that he understands a "different interest" for the figure of Che in Argentina.
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The Wacky Face of Advertising!
Creativity is pretty difficult to judge because it does not have any fixed parameters. What is creative for one person can very well be humdrum for another. But if you are the type that thrives on creativity and is adamant to have advertisements that are as creative as they can get, then you can't go wrong with guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla marketing refers to promotions that that are as unconventional and creative as possible. Time, energy and imagination are the cornerstones of this kind of marketing and it is not limited by a budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing tactics are unexpected and totally off the wall. Consumers are targeted in unusual places, which can make the idea memorable, buzz-worthy and help it to spread virally. The best guerrilla marketing campaigns successfully incorporate a variety of marketing methods, including targeted use of promotional products.
Guerrilla marketing does not have any fixed rules or boundaries but it does have certain principles, identified by Jay Conrad Levinson, who is known as the father of guerrilla marketing. Levinson says guerrilla marketing is specifically geared towards small businesses. Campaign ideas should be based on human psychology, and marketers need to look at their business based on profits, not just sales. To that end, Levinson advises that marketers should focus on one ultimate goal instead of multiple goals at once, remembering to pay attention to their current clients. Guerrilla marketing is an easy option for small businesses because the primary investments are time, energy and imagination. It can be part of a combination of marketing methods.
But these principles are not set in stone. There are exceptions to every rule and it's the same here. Big companies such as Coke, Clorox, Kit Kat and Google have successfully implemented guerrilla marketing campaigns that have worked wonders for them. As an example, Google recently partnered with Virgin America to promote cloud computing (storing data online and working on it via web apps.). They launched an online scavenger hunt that could be played simultaneously on the air and on the ground. Participants were given access to various Google apps and they had to use them to answer the questions and reach the treasure.
Guerrilla marketing is not used only for commercial purposes. Like any other form of advertising, it is also used by non-profit organizations, governments and businesses to promote various causes. For example, HELP University College in Malaysia noticed a disturbing trend among the young adults there. The youth thought nothing about drinking and driving as they had the tendency to feel invincible and the thought of death did not worry them at all. HELP wanted to change this dangerous outlook and point out that there are fates worse than death. So, HELP converted a wrecked car (damaged in a drunk driving accident) into a wheelchair and displayed it in high-traffic locations in Kuala Lumpur. There was a ripped-off car door next to the wheelchair with the words: “Drink and drive and you might live to suffer the consequences.” This stunt got the desired response as innumerable college students signed a pledge to avoid drinking and driving.
But guerrilla marketing can badly backfire if marketers don't understand the principles behind it. In 2007, a guerrilla marketing tactic in Boston resulted in a bomb scare. The promotion was for Cartoon Network and was the brainchild of a marketing company, Interference, Inc. The promotional tactic consisted of electronic devices which lit up to depict characters from an upcoming TV series, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." These LED's were placed in strategic spots in and around Boston, Mass., and were meant to direct people's attention towards the TV series, but instead they attracted the attention of the police and bomb squad. This fiasco ended badly for everyone involved as Turner Broadcasting System, the parent company of Cartoon Network, had to publicly apologize for the stunt; the employees responsible for actually setting up the LED's were jailed; and the head of Cartoon Network resigned immediately afterward. In other words, guerrilla marketing is like any other form of advertising. You have to be your own gatekeeper, and a strict one at that, if you want to prevent any serious repercussions.
The last, but not the least, thing that you have to keep in mind for your guerrilla marketing campaign is that just being creative and organizing an eye-popping promotion is not enough. It's true that just the stunt in itself is enough to create a stir, but you also have to do everything you possibly can to ensure that your promotion is on everyone's lips. One of the best ways to do this is to issue a press release describing the promotion in detail. Doing this will also help in avoiding a fiasco like the one mentioned above.
Another way to publicize is to shoot videos and photos of your stunt and upload it on the Internet. You can also blog about it and use other social media tools (Twitter, Facebook) or publicize it via promotional products. You can upload your photos and videos on your website or blog and give your customers promotional products imprinted with your company name and the URL of your website. But having said that, surprise is the key element of guerrilla marketing, so publicizing your stunt ahead of time might ruin it. The best thing, therefore, is to wait for a day or two before starting your personal publicity blitz. Who knows; if your stunt is eye-catching enough. you might not need to promote it.
Guerrilla marketing is a very effective advertising technique. Whatever else it may or may not do, it will definitely get your business noticed. Remember, the wilder and wackier it is, the more chances your business has of being in the news.
About the Author
Amruta Bhadkamkar is a Journalism major at the University of Kansas and is currently a copy-writing intern at Absorbent, Ink. -- The Promotional Products People.
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