The definition of guerrilla marketing is innovative, unconventional, and low-cost marketing techniques aimed at obtaining maximum exposure for a product. Recently big and small business have used guerrilla marketing. Although it is a technique historically associated with small businesses. If a small business can execute it well, it can be low cost but reach a high percentage of a targeted audience. Some examples of successful guerrilla marketing campaigns are The producers or the Blair Witch film, they created so much buzz about the movie. Then created a website and fictitious story line for the character The Blair Witch. They were just 4 college students who created this movie. Another successful guerrilla marketing campaign is Coca-Cola's Happiness campaign where the video was shot at St. Johns University, where cameras were hidden, to catch the reactions. The machine dispensed more than cokes. In fact the Happiness Campaign has been so huge for Coca-Cola that they are still using it now.
The point is although guerrilla marketing can be a great way to gain brand recognition for small businesses, if big businesses use this type of marketing thy stand a greater risk of a bigger failure and they have more to lose. They could lose billions for a campaign gone wrong. Whereas smaller business that get less exposure can quickly bounce back from a bad campaign. And even a bad campaign might still get their name out in the public for being so bad. I think big business should leave the guerrilla marketing to smaller business that do not have such a high marketing budget.
This week we learned about public manipulation or as I consider it the effects of propaganda. The video showed how in the late 1950's there was a stigma against women smoking. The nation felt that smoking was a mans 'thing' and it showed that he had power. Well tobacco companies began to make print ads and commercials with women smoking, the video even showed a clip from I Love Lucy of Lucy smoking. Back then it was a sign of power for women as well. Towards the end of the video we saw how even public relations affected president Eisenhower's decision to consider Guatemala a threat to America. Even though this was a very small country with limited resources, through public manipulation the President came under pressure from the American people to handle the Guatemala situation.
The power of manipulation is still used today, although I think our mind sets as Americans have changed to not follow a crowd,but to be independent thinkers. We are still manipulated through print ads, main stream media, and radio broadcast.
I really enjoy the marketing aspect of business. My previous college required me to take 2 marketing classes. I fell in love with it, we were required to create Powerpoint presentations and a group business idea. We created flyers weekly for a specific business idea. As of now I am only pursuing my Associates Degree so there is really mo degree plan that has an emphasis on Marketing. But when I graduate and find employment I will highly likely go back and obtain my Bachelor's degree with an emphasis/ major in Marketing. This is the passion that I have found for my life. I even find myself creating flyers when we need something at work. Or making my sons projects for school better by including a Powerpoint presentation with them.
