Guerrilla marketing is aggressive, targeted, subversive and street-level promotional type of marketing which is aimed towards producing unexpected and sudden results by outstanding encounter between the customers and a company’s products or services. It is a low cost marketing technique that applies surprise or shock for product or service promotion.
The road to success in business is mined with mind traps from the competitors’ marketing strategies. The marketing guerillas can differentiate between the realities from myth. Yet in the market you would come across many well-known and prevalent myths that could take you miles away from reality. It could be fun to read those myths, but in reality they are harmful when it comes to the marketing campaign. Out so many marketing myths making rounds in the market, let’s see some of the very common ones:
Myth no. 1
It’s safer to use short copies as people do not prefer to read long copies.
Reality
People do read long articles, books and letters provided they are interesting and informative. The more interest they get reading anything, the more they would read it. If you provide the people with more information, either they would buy it or leave it! According to a study the marketing materials are dropped out after 50 words, but readability is higher from 50 to 500 words. This clearly shows that genuine readers would read each and every word with interest and would not hang up in between.
Myth no. 2
The more the amount of white space in brochures, printed materials and advertisements, the better would be the response.
Reality
Genuine customers and readers welcome more information about your company or brand rather than plenty of white space in the background. They are interested to know what you can offer them, not that you afford to give loads of white space. Too much of white space creates negative marking in the minds of the readers, they tend to think that you lack fertile imagination and list of ideas. The core element of attraction should be the substance not the emptiness. It implies that keep provision for white space but in required amounts.
Myth no. 3
Sizzle should be sold not the steak.
Reality
Here the concept should be to sell the solution to a problem rather than selling the sizzle. People usually look out for the solution of any problem rather than sizzle. If you market the sizzle than you are in the wrong direction of guerilla marketing.
Myth no. 4
It’s very costly to buy television time.
Reality
Before some years this myth was a reality, but in the times of satellite and cable TV the cost of running a commercial ad in prime time on television has brought down drastically. Different channels and cable TV operators offer very lucrative offers for television time purchase for running a commercial.
Myth no. 5
Successful marketing would amuse and entertain you.
Reality
Marketing and show business are two different things. Entertainment and amusement is a part of show business, whereas marketing all about selling your offerings to the target customers. Yet many companies live by this myth and respond their marketing strategies with glitz and glamour.
These were some myths associated with the concept of guerrilla marketing in the management arena. We would see remaining top 5 myths surrounding guerrilla marketing in the next part of this article.