Guerrilla advertising

Building art advertising Adidas 'Find Focus'.

Guerrilla marketing is concept marketing without the boundaries of industry standards, and outside the box advertisement of services or products. It focuses on grabbing the attention of the public in more personal and memorable ways.

In a world where billion dollar industries are developed rapidly from one often simple idea, clever and intuitive foundations can take someone very, very far. We no longer have the excuse of lack of resources, if you have a smart phone, you can build a business.

On the Camberwell Road, just around the corner from the Fabrik Brands studio is a wall which every month or so depicts art, advertisements and various quotes. The image above shows how Adidas have used this to advertise their ‘Find Focus’ campaign. Trust me, it’s impossible to walk past and not notice the striking image staring down at you. And that’s all it takes, the all important impression is made.

In my opinion we are becoming much more receptive to simply good ideas. That genius spark which makes you shout, “well that’s just brilliant!” We know that one of the worlds largest and well known brands, Apple, was born in a small garage in Cupertino, California. It’s about thinking outside the box, having buckets of enthusiasm and that one perfect idea.

This expands out from the business itself, and can be reflected in the company’s marketing and advertising campaigns. Guerrilla advertising is just that. Most of the time it’s the simply ideas which spark the most interest, and encourage the greatest amount of discussion. I’d be much more likely to tell my friends or share content about a brand if they have used witty, clever and creative outputs. 

Social media is awash with information, everyone trying to grab people’s attention, if something makes us smile, we share…if something makes us stop and think we share…. if something is clever and admirable we stop and share. What more could a company ask for?

It’s no longer acceptable to blend into the crowd, it’s the groundbreaking that succeeds. This is important not only for upstart businesses, but also to keep well established companies fresh, current and noticeable.

Another huge advantage to guerrilla advertising is how low-cost it is. Of course money can be spent, however it is not entirely necessary. Think of IKEA’s catalogue advertising, hilariously brilliant, insanely simple as well as cheap to produce. 

Especially when considering the Millennial generation. We have grown up surrounded by information, vast amounts of data just a search engine away. It takes something special for company content to stand out, meaning companies are constantly fighting for shares. This is inevitably creating a rapidly moving marketing environment. Mediocre advertising and campaigns are never going to compete, which in turn will continually improve marketing as a whole.

It’s about being unconventional and breaking from what your audience have come to expect, making truly brilliant and memorable advertising is worth its weight in gold.

William Baker
Digital producer
William Baker
Digital producer
As our digital producer, Will regularly contributes to the pages of Brand Fabrik, our online publication dedicated to branding, marketing and design. Will enjoys relaying his enthusiasm for technology and its impact on the creative services sector. He also relishes the opportunity to review the latest design-related products and gadgets.

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