Maisie Lloyd
I'm passionate about recording the world, but most of all driven by creativity and collaborative environments. My experience revolves around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
Guerilla marketing is a bold style of marketing which diverges from traditional marketing methods like print media, TV advertising and audio ads. Instead of relying on conventional advertising channels, guerilla marketing leverages innovative and unexpected tactics to promote a product or service in a fresh and engaging way.
These campaigns are often memorable because they break the mould of standard advertising, particularly for those creating pop-ups, interactive experiences or real-world activations that transcend beyond digital screens and billboards.
Why is guerilla marketing so effective?
Guerilla marketing stands out because of its ability to captivate audiences and spark conversation. Rather than passively exposing people to ads, it creates an experience—one that prompts interaction and engagement, making the audience an active participant in the campaign.
Once people engage with a guerilla marketing campaign, it naturally fuels word-of-mouth promotion. The uniqueness of the experience often leads audiences to share it, generating organic buzz and excitement around the brand. This, in turn, drives traffic, enhances brand visibility, and increases the likelihood of converting leads.
Another advantage of guerilla marketing is its ability to forge deeper connections with audiences—especially when campaigns are interactive and take place in physical spaces. By inviting direct participation, brands can create a more personal and memorable experience for their target audience while also reaching new potential customers.
At its core, guerilla marketing is designed to evoke a response. Whether it’s surprise, curiosity, or delight, these emotional responses contribute to increased brand awareness. As more people talk about the campaign, the brand gains exposure, ensuring a lasting impression on its audience.
What are some examples of Guerilla marketing?
Smile – 2022
Smile, a Paramount horror had a campaign which had a profound impact on audiences, with a campaign of high impact. The campaign saw actors positioned around sporting stadiums adorning the jarring smile (synonymous with the horror). This placement was effective for two reasons in particular.
The first is the attendees of the game, which will generate conversation in the stadium as well as make a lasting connection between the game and the campaign for spectators. The second was the fact the event was being live-streamed to masses of people. This immediately gave the campaign more reach, prompting viewers all over to share their sentiments online.
For this campaign in particular, social media was a catalyst in promoting the film, simply because the campaign generated so much conversation about the jarring technique.
Severance – 2025
Severance, the new Apple TV show made waves in January after the cast was seen acting at a pop-up in a glass box at Grand Central Station. With numerous members of the cast acting as though the show were real, it gave fans an even closer look at the show.
This was a very clever method used to make the surreal show feel all the more tangible for viewers. Everything about the marketing stunt is so well-thought-out, from being located in one of the busiest spaces in New York with a significant amount of foot traffic, and therefore potential spectators.
This pop-up made many people stop in their tracks to pull out their phones and begin to record, which also propelled talks around Severance, which was already garnering a lot of attention from existing fans ahead of the new season release.
McDonald’s Singapore – 2022, I scream, You scream, We all scream for ice cream
McDonald’s Singapore set up a fascinating guerilla campaign, an interactive ice cream machine which prompted customers to scream to earn an ice cream. The interactive machine used sound technology to identify the decibels of participators’ screams, turning the vanilla ice cream on the screen into a chocolate one before rewarding the screamers with free ice cream.
This unique way to promote a product, elicited an emotional and physical response from those who participate, not only making the experience memorable but rewarding them with a free product as a result.
British Airways – Magic of Flying
British Airways took a particularly clever approach to their adverts, creating billboards which ‘interacted’ with the planes in the sky around them. The ad featured a young child running and pointing directly at planes which were in the sky.
The billboard would then have a little tagline about the place, including the flight number and the destination they’re flying towards. This playful technique utilised the child-like innocence and curiosity around planes in the sky and made these interests a proposition to their customer.
It again puts the brand in the mind of the audience, without necessarily forcing them to book a holiday. This natural positioning shows that guerilla tact-tics can be very subtle, yet super effective for positioning a brand and product.
