guerrilla marketing - illegal or not?

[Davidl]

Theres a company out there named obey which started out as street art (posters and spray painting) and now they are a clothing company.

It made me start thinking about the exposure that they got from the street culture and basically having billboard advertising without paying. I don't know if they still do any street installations but if your a street clothing company and you get some street artist to install some big posters on walls, on bus stops, and around busy spots would that cause any trouble for the company.

In general would handing out stickers of the logo and people putting them on their cars, laptops in washroom stalls and where ever be a cheap way of marketing a product and would this type of marketing work best for small companies rather than large companies?

[JC]

I would assume that you would have to have a great product first and foremost so that people would be proud to display it. You could give out free practical things like hats or cups, but that could get pricey. As far as street art, I'm sure you'll still have to pay for a spot to have your ads unless you hope someone will apply it as graffiti which is obviously illegal. There may be neighborhoods, like in Detroit for instance, where the cops don't show up anyway, so you could probably get away with some free advertising there if you're brave enough to go down there. Hope this helps!

[Harold Mansfield]

Theres a company out there named obey which started out as street art (posters and spray painting) and now they are a clothing company.

It made me start thinking about the exposure that they got from the street culture and basically having billboard advertising without paying. I don't know if they still do any street installations but if your a street clothing company and you get some street artist to install some big posters on walls, on bus stops, and around busy spots would that cause any trouble for the company.

In general would handing out stickers of the logo and people putting them on their cars, laptops in washroom stalls and where ever be a cheap way of marketing a product and would this type of marketing work best for small companies rather than large companies?

First and foremost it's illegal. Most cities have ordinances against graffiti, and defacing public and private property. So you have to ask yourself, what's the fine when I get caught and is it worth it? And... do I want to start a company that contributes to a problem and therefore risks the backlash associated with an organized litter campaign, or do I want to have a company that solves a problem and is known for positive things?

I can appreciate your line of thinking outside of "the box", but can't really respect the attitude that since you don't have any money for marketing that you're just going to deface other people's property to get the exposure that you want.

You say this other company started out as street art, but did they really? Or was it an organized marketing plan to make it seem so? Can you be absolutely sure that they didn't get property owners permission to post bills, and paint on walls? Yeah, maybe other people put up stickers everywhere, but are you sure that it was all just a bunch of street kids just plopping graffiti all over the place at random? Because what you just described sounds pretty organized.

Whatever you decide to do, it's pretty likely that if you organize a campaign to deface other people's property that you will likely end up in court at some point.

[Ray]

Theres a company out there named obey which started out as street art (posters and spray painting) and now they are a clothing company.

It made me start thinking about the exposure that they got from the street culture and basically having billboard advertising without paying. I don't know if they still do any street installations but if your a street clothing company and you get some street artist to install some big posters on walls, on bus stops, and around busy spots would that cause any trouble for the company.

In general would handing out stickers of the logo and people putting them on their cars, laptops in washroom stalls and where ever be a cheap way of marketing a product and would this type of marketing work best for small companies rather than large companies?

Obey has some incredible graphics! They really are top notch and offer something completely new and fresh, while still appealing to the demographic that they deliberately chose. I'm not sure if you're wanting to start a business, or even what sort of business, but my personal opinion is that opening a business should be done honorably. Honorable and humble can still go hand in hand though, humble in the sense that maybe you don't have the means to hire graphic designers or advertising agencies, but you will find a way other than illegal.

Just my perspective.

best of luck in whatever your ventures are!

-Ray

[David Hunter]

If you want to learn about Guerrilla Marketing get the No B.S. Grassroots Marketing book by Dan Kennedy and Jeff Slutsky.

Lots of great, and legal, marketing tactics!

[Davidl]

Thanks David Il check it out.

[JonV6]

Defacing public property is illegal. Whether it's being done by a disenfranchised youth on the side of a subway train or by someone wanting to promote the next big (something) brand. However, it can be very effective.

[David Hunter]

What is it you're selling??

One Guerrilla tactic I just started doing is placing business cards (with an offer for a free marketing kit) into the marketing books at the book stores.

[chrismarklee]

I worked for Liberty Tax Services. Their whole marketing was Guerrilla marketing. They did it with Flyers and Wavers etc. They focused on the income tax Cycle. What Liberty did not do was market much doing the off season. I market heavy during the off season with my Facebook Business page. I am building relationships with my customer base. You might want to search Google for how they are now guerrilla marketing on the internet. I think I am going to Google it too. Just an idea.

[billbenson]

Actually, this reminds me of what was going on selling PBX's in NYC in the early 80's. Sales people were actually following Their competitors around to see who they were calling on and then going in and calling on the same person.

[HooktoWin]

Theres a company out there named obey which started out as street art (posters and spray painting) and now they are a clothing company.

It made me start thinking about the exposure that they got from the street culture and basically having billboard advertising without paying. I don't know if they still do any street installations but if your a street clothing company and you get some street artist to install some big posters on walls, on bus stops, and around busy spots would that cause any trouble for the company.

In general would handing out stickers of the logo and people putting them on their cars, laptops in washroom stalls and where ever be a cheap way of marketing a product and would this type of marketing work best for small companies rather than large companies?

Hi Davidl, There's one big thing I've noticed with most guerrilla marketing campaigns.

Most of them focus on tactics (e.g. flyers, pens, squishy balls, etc.) yet they ignore strategy. They miss the intangible elements that matter most. Intangibles like...


Matchmaking. Your guerrilla marketing needs to be presented to the people who want (and are able to pay for) your offer. Most campaigns I've seen shotgun it all over their city or town (e.g. bars, parking lots, bus stations).
Psychological triggers. There are 7 triggers (e.g. mystique, prestige) that attract people - instantly - when it's done well. Smart guerrilla marketers use these triggers as the cornerstone of their campaign.
Leverage. The best guerrilla marketing campaigns create leverage. The campaign multiplies your efforts, ideally getting readers to take on and share your message for you.
Virulence. The concept or idea you're sharing needs to be something people are willing and likely to share. If your ad or marketing piece conveys the right emotions (in specific ways), people will share it. It will be viral.


Here's why these 4 items matter.

They guide your tactics and your delivery mechanism. They show you when, where and how your message needs to be delivered.
Choosing the right tactic is much, much easier when you have this message, it's also more likely to be effective.

Master these 4 elements and it's easy to get a lot of people talking (and buying) quickly - assuming you have the basic elements in place.

Hope this helps,

Andrew