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Marketing is not what it used to be. The internet keeps evolving and the old tricks don’t work anymore. That’s when you should turn to unconventional marketing. Whether you’re building a brand, seeking to attract attention, boosting your sales, or trying to stay relevant, thinking out of the box won’t hurt. Let us show you how you can realize unconventional marketing strategies and achieve more.
What is unconventional marketing?
If you came here for a definition, here it is:
Unconventional marketing is about using innovative, original, and unexpected tactics to achieve brand awareness, sell better, and build the brand’s image.
The key here is in the approach that you’re using to reach your target audience. Unconventional marketing can be both traditional and digital.
Whether you’re doing offline campaigns or trying your best digitally, unconventional marketing begins when you are getting out of your comfort zone and trying means that are not usually tried.
Unconventional marketing lives and breathes on creativity. It seeks to escape the ordinary and makes your company stand out. Such an approach allows you to boost the brand’s image more effectively and turn more eyeballs.
What is guerilla marketing?
Traditionally, it’s guerilla marketing that’s considered to be the most popular mean for realizing unconventional campaigns.
According to Hubspot, guerrilla marketing is “a way to drive publicity and, as a result, brand awareness by promoting using unconventional methods designed to evoke surprise, wonder, or shock.”
Investpedia states that guerilla marketing:
– relies on personal interaction
– has a smaller budget
– emanates from an original idea to engage the target audience
– focuses on smaller groups of promoters that are responsible for getting the word out in a particular location or locations rather than through widespread uniform marketing campaigns.
Basically, in recent years the term “guerilla marketing” has become synonymous with unconventional. But worry not, there’s nothing illegal in it. “Guerilla” in the name is used only to invoke the image of not playing by the rules. This approach is a smart way to act in the digital world.
You can achieve cosmic exposure without huge budgets. It’s the creative idea that matters.
Pros of unconventional marketing
Money-saving
You can save as much as 90% of your budget by turning guerilla. While both traditional and digital marketing are costly, running a smart guerilla campaign can be a sweet spot between expenses and results. Virality is one of the main aspects of this type of campaign, so you can have enormous exposure with boosted income as a result of it.
Memorable in the long run
Building a brand is hard. Some companies never actually achieve a truly recognizable brand image. Well, going unconventional can give you that. In the world of social media one successful campaign can turn you in an audience darling and set the ground for recognition. Great campaigns are loved by the media and respected by competitors.
Programmed for virality
The whole essence of guerilla marketing is attention. And when there’s attention, there are posts on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Once you’re hitting the For you page, you’re unstoppable. And all it took was one graffiti, one poignant billboard, or several smartly placed leaflets. Virality comes naturally when you go guerilla.
Engaging on a different level
You can nurture a feeling of a deeper connection with your audience through unconventional marketing campaigns. This will help you boost loyalty and become more authentic to the people you’re selling to. Also, such campaigns bring you two closer in a way as going out of the conventional is always regarded as a feature of “rebels.”
Getting emotional
Guerilla campaigns can aim at the emotions of the people. When you make someone feel something with your marketing, this effect is much more durable than, say, a regular billboard announcing the launch of your new line of jeans.
Risks of unconventional marketing
Every marketing tactic comes with a risk and guerilla marketing is not an exception. The thing about launching a campaign is that you should have a thorough understanding of what you’re doing, who you’re doing it for, and what outcomes you expect.
If you have prepared accordingly, you’re unlikely to feel any substantial cons or risks of an unsuccessful marketing campaign.
However, if you didn’t do your research, misinterpreted the feelings of your audience, or get controversial where it’s not supposed to be controversial, there might be negative repercussions for your business.
So the cons of unconventional marketing are:
Unpredictability
When you’re not playing by the rules things may go south. There’s an inherent risk in launching a guerilla campaign, it doesn’t play safe, it goes an extra mile in terms of creativity and challenging what’s conventional. That’s why your audience may not be ready for this and those who are not your audience may criticize it.
Controversy may come
Some guerilla campaigns are made to stir the pot of public opinion, that’s what makes them viral. But when some just touch the borders of the real controversy, others traverse the dangerous waters of the point of no return. We live in the times of cancel culture and one misstep can sink your brand. That’s why it’s always important to think twice before launching every potentially controversial guerilla campaign.
Examples of unconventional marketing
We write extensively about the best creative projects around the world. Many of them use unconventional marketing ideas.
Like this 33-foot hologram of Lee Min Ho to announce the new collection by BOSS in London. Or the “frozen” billboards with items inside them for True Detective promotion by HBO.
Pop-ups do the job too. Like the “fluffy experience” by Max Mara or the experiential Squid Game promotional game immersion by Netflix.
But few can top the futuristic Asgard’s Wrath 2 hologram that pierced the sky over the Games Awards in Los Angeles in 2023, which was for the marketing books.
