When it comes to being seen by your audience, boldness wins attention. Multi-million-pound ad spots and banner ads still have their place, but consumer behaviour has evolved. People are savvier, ad-fatigued, and often immune to traditional advertising formats. That’s why embracing guerrilla marketing can give your brand a real edge.
In this blog, we’ll explore exactly what guerrilla marketing is, why it matters, and share some practical guerrilla marketing tactics you can apply to your brand awareness campaigns that drive real results.
What is guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is the use of creative, unexpected, and unconventional tactics to promote a product, service, or brand without relying on large-scale ad budgets. Coined by marketer Jay Conrad Levinson in the 1980s, the term originally only applied to small businesses using imaginative tactics to compete with corporate giants. But today, it’s just as relevant for digital campaigns trying to cut through the noise.
What are some guerrilla marketing examples?
There are numerous ways in which a brand can make an impact with guerrilla marketing. Some of the most common guerrilla marketing examples that brands use to surprise, humour, and engage their users include:
- Ambient advertising in public spaces – this involves placing branded messages in unexpected environments, such as pavement art, street decals, bus shelters, escalators, lamp posts, or even shadows and reflections.
- Flash mobs and live stunts – flash mobs (typically a large group of people following a public dance routine) and live events invite spectators into a spontaneous, high-energy moment.
- Pop-up installations and micro-experiences – short-term installations, such as murals, interactive booths, and temporary brand takeovers, help to create buzz and foot traffic.
- Projection mapping and building takeovers – this involves projecting visuals onto buildings or other surfaces to turn a certain area into a canvas.
- Surprise and delight giveaways – sometimes the most powerful guerrilla marketing tactic is unexpected generosity as it helps to create an emotional connection with your audience.
- Reverse graffiti (or clean advertising) – this involves brands using power-washing techniques to create eco-friendly ads by cleaning dirty surfaces into branded patterns.
- AR filters and immersive social experiences – augmented reality gives brands the chance to build interactive digital moments that users can try-out instantly.
Why does guerrilla marketing matter for brand awareness?
You might be wondering why these guerrilla marketing tactics matter for your brand awareness campaigns. Well, here’s why they deserve a place in your marketing mix:
1. They’re high impact, but low budget
Because guerrilla marketing thrives on creativity rather than big ad-spend, you can compete with brands much larger than yours by being clever. A well-planned stunt, immersive experience, or a shareable moment can create organic reach for beyond its cost.
2. They’re built for shareability and word-of-mouth
When people engage with something unexpected or memorable, they’re more likely to share it. That means you’re not only building awareness, but creating advocates who amplify your message for you.
3. They cut through the clutter
Traditional ads increasingly struggle to stand out – but with guerrilla marketing tactics, they disrupt expectations and break habitual behaviours. This leads to higher recall and stronger brand associations.
4. They strengthen brand authenticity and emotion
People feel less like they’re being sold to and more like they’re part of something interesting when you utilise guerrilla marketing. That emotional connection can translate into stronger loyalty, especially when the tactic aligns with brand values and audience culture.
5. They complement your digital strategy
While the term ‘guerrilla’ suggests physical stunts, modern tactics often integrate digital platforms, like social media, AR/VR, mobile experiences, and live streams. This allows you to benefit from both offline surprise and online amplification.
5 guerrilla marketing tactics to utilise
If you’re looking to elevate your brand awareness campaigns, here are five guerrilla marketing tactics that you can utilise for your business that mixes physical, digital, and hybrid ideas.
1. Ambient messaging in unexpected places
Consider placing your brand message where your audience least expects it, such as lifts, pavement decals, or interactive street art (with permission of course). The surprise factor will make your brand memorable and encourage people to take photos and share on social media.
For example, if you’re a coffee shop owner and you know the weather forecast is going to be miserable, you could have a poster in a bus-stop that includes a QR code for a free hot drink. A physical surprise like this makes your tactic more memorable with your audience.
2. Combine a live stunt with digital amplification
A live stunt, like a pop-up event, flash mob, or interactive stall, combined with social media integration, like the use of a hashtag, can really engage passers-by and encourage them to create shareable user-generated content (UGC) that you could re-use at a later stage.
A great example would be if you’re a sports apparel brand – you could set up a small obstacle course in your town centre where people compete for free clothing. You could live stream the event, or share pictures of winners across your social media with a relevant hashtag.
3. Influencer micro-activation (not traditional sponsorships)
Rather than paying big-name influencers for generic promos, why not consider involving smaller creators in real, spontaneous experiences that are tied to your brand?
For example, if you’re a travel company, you could partner with micro-influencers who hide ‘mystery experience packages’ in local landmarks and leave clues on Instagram Stories. That way, your followers can join in on the hunt, which helps to create shareable moments across your social channels.
4. Random acts of brand kindness
This surprise and delight tactic means executing unplanned, generous, or whimsical actions that align with your brand. Moments like these are great for generating strong emotional responses with audiences.
For example, a local cafe, bakery, or sweet shop could include a ‘free treat’ voucher to community-facing posters with the message: “You’re doing great. Here’s a treat.” This will associate your brand with friendly generosity and boost your word-of-mouth efforts.
5. Host a pop-up experience
Short-term pop-up experiences in high-traffic areas can create the type of ‘buzz’ that traditional ads struggle to match. Whether it’s a digital AR portal or a physical pop-up shop, the key is to make it immersive and worth talking about.
For example, if you’re a gaming company, you could consider hiring out an empty space in the city centre to host an interactive multiplayer zone for your new game for a short period of time. Ensuring it’s on brand and free to play will allow attendees to share their experience on their social profiles, giving long-tail reach way beyond the event itself.
Want more guerrilla marketing examples?
When done well, guerilla marketing tactics like the ones we’ve highlighted become unforgettable moments that elevate your brand and reach audiences in ways standard ads can’t. By combining strategy, surprise, and shareability, you can craft campaigns that are lean, bold, and memorable.
If you’re ready to inject some guerilla thinking into your next brand awareness campaign, or you’d like more innovative guerrilla marketing examples, we’d love to help. At Fifteen, we craft campaigns that don’t just follow the playbook, but rewrite it. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today to start planning your next memorable moment.
