We touched on it briefly in class already but there really isn't a better example I can think of for a guerilla marketing strategy that went completely wrong. To give a little backstory on the situation, in January 2007, little displays (similar to a Lite Bright) of a character from the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force were placed in 10 major cities across the US.
About two weeks after they were put up, there was a massive scare in Boston because of the devices. The bomb squad was called in, major roads and highways were shut down, complete chaos. As a result, the two guys who put the devices up were arrested and charged, Turner Broadcasting Systems paid $2 million dollars in damages, and the head of the Cartoon Network stepped down.
It is pretty interesting to note that it was the Boston Police Department who almost suffered a larger black eye than anyone involved with the actual cartoon. People criticized their overreaction and the fact that it happened 2-3 weeks after the devices were installed.
On one hand, most people did recognize that the devices were either from the show, or clearly not a threat. If you see pictures of the device, it's pretty obvious right away. On the other hand, you have to be very careful with these sorts of tactics these days since everyone is still very sensitive after 9/11.
But the point of a guerilla marketing campaign is to get people talking about the product, and this one certainly accomplished that. So despite all of the fallout, you still can't write it off as a complete failure. That right there, is the power of guerilla marketing.
Personally I feel the most effective campaigns are the ones that get people directly involved. It's one thing to witness a guerilla campaign, but to actually be a part of it is what gets people talking. A great example from some of the examples we looked at on friday is the one for Clue with the blood coloured soap. I loved this. It actually makes me a little angry that I will never get to take part in that. That's something that if it happened to you, you would tell EVERYONE about it. It helps that you are a part of the story.
It's a little less exciting if you just see a building that is painted a certain way. Sure it's cool to look at, but it's not nearly as engaging for the viewer if they don't get to actually interact with it.
I find the more subtle ones work well too. The Clue soap, the cockroach being slid under an apartment door, the dentist papers designed to look like a mouth, these are all great examples of something a little more low key than say, crushing a car with a huge ping pong ball.
I think people like to piece things together. I hate to keep going back to the Clue soap but damn do I ever love it. At first people would have no idea what the hell is going on and it would take them a few seconds to figure it all out. Once they got it, it's all the more rewarding for them. Simply seeing a display on building will get a "hey that's cool", and then that's probably it. It's a lot better for them if they have to work at it for a bit to figure it out.
Another great example is the pictures that made it look like the tires on someone's car had been stolen. At first they would be confused, and most likely angry, then once they figure out that it's all just a joke, they would appreciate it even more I believe.
Overall I think guerilla marketing is a great way to grab attention, whether it's in a positive or negative light. If done right, it can be engaging and involving and will definitely get people talking. I don't think we'll be seeing the end of it for quite some time, or at least until there isn't a single surface left in the entire world without some sort of advertisement on it.
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