Several months ago marketers and advertising professionals were raving about the death of the 30 second television spot, and the detrimental effects to the industry. The truth is that these people did not fear the decreasing impact of TV advertising, but rather dreaded the total fall in traditional media approaches. By having the opportunity to create this my blogging project I was able to really tackle this issue as well as the crucial alternative to this potential conflict: guerrilla marketing and word of mouth/buzz advertising. By closely monitoring the industry and keeping up to date with blogs, AdAge weekly, the news, and other media networks, I was able to form my own opinion on whether or not traditional media was dying. More importantly, however, I was able to discover the fields of non-traditional advertising like WOM and guerrilla efforts, and was soon able to notice the power and potential of an ever-changing marketing tool.
Back in the beginning of the year people viewed buzz marketing as less accepted and unpredictable means of advertising, truly undermining the potential of its powers. There were the new trends, like moving billboards, segway advertising, and even bicycle advertisements. But deeper under the surface was a greater potential and creative way to reaching consumers of all markets. Starting around late January, stretching into early February, people had a nice glimpse at the power of this form of marketing/message relaying. Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens created a guerrilla campaign for the Cartoon Network show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which quickly caused the city to seize activity momentarily. This example demonstrated nearly all aspects of what my blog was about. First, the guerrilla campaign was something non-traditional, and much unexpected by the mass public it reached. And when the work was released, an enormous amount of WOM began which spread the story to parts all around the world. It created a buzz, whether positive or negative, which attracted more people to the events, a large portion of which then paid more attention to the station’s show. Even if the effects were an indirect result from the desired outcome, the stunt caused a large increase in attraction to the show.
In other less subtle ways, guerrilla media has started to reach into other popular forms of media, including the Internet and certain social networks. With the help of certain software and programs, marketers have begun to mix guerrilla efforts with interactive consumer content. Blogs, including mine, have become the newest technological socializing method used by millions of people throughout the world. The advantage of this method allows marketers to not only create company blogs, but to also monitor the consumer activity concerning their business on other’s blogs. With consumers, not companies, spreading the messages about certain products and services through WOM, businesses are either sharing positive feedback and return, or negative publicity.
Furthermore, companies are also finding their ways into social networks like youtube, facebook, myspace, and more. Through hilarious video postings and clever company ideas, I was able to discover that this buzz form of marketing has the potential to create a great deal of WOM among consumers and explore several relatively new advertising outlets. What has been scaring marketers, however, is the interactivity involved in this network marketing, and the pull it has on consumers which decreases use of more traditional media choices.
With that said, I have noticed that companies would rather take advantage of this opportunity, rather than neglect and ignore these alternatives to “older” forms of advertising. By having this blog project, I was able to explore one of the newest forms of media: Second Life. This online world filled with imagination, creativity, and endless potential has sprung many ideas for advertisers all over. Companies like Coke and Mercedes have already begun to experiment with advertising in the Second Life world. They have been seen branding islands, creating brand representative Avatars to relay information in world, and even place their products in the “game” to allow people to purchase them. Again, these non-traditional efforts are all part of a campaign that causes greater buzz and attraction among consumers. To expand upon this more, advertising agencies and marketing firms have built in world islands which allow them to express their creative efforts and abilities to prospective clients and employees. Through my blog research I have begun to speculate that Second Life could be what the Internet was to companies several years ago.
Another advantage of this blog project was the ability to witness the advantage of such marketing efforts in this field. I was able to watch Chipotle, a McDonalds franchise spin-off, benefit from these forms of non-traditional advertising. The company was reported claiming that they barely use television spots and other traditional approaches. Instead, they rely heavily on quality customer service leading to increased customer satisfaction, which ultimately leads to more WOM between consumers. And in the end, the power of positive WOM can be worth 1000 television commercials. This is because a friend is more likely to credit and believe another friend who raves about a new restaurant like Chipotle.
Though guerrilla marketing and WOM tend to rely on non-traditional efforts, it shouldn't downplay certain traditional measures still affected in these fields. In fact, a recent incident involving Imus, a popular radio DJ, became so popular in the media that Nike decided to respond in one of the most traditional ways: a Magazine advertisement. The issue involved negative comments released by the DJ about a women’s basketball team, and the news of the event quickly spread through the power of WOM relaying on websites, video postings, and nearly every blog.
But the new trends are what seem to interest me most in this field of the industry. I discovered that with the help of buzz/guerrilla campaigning, certain industries and artists whom would usually reject marketing have now come to embrace these new methods. For example, Nine Inch Nails, a popular industrial band strongly against many forms of media, have taken advantage of such unexpected and untraditional methods. They have recorded certain tracks and hidden them on USB drives throughout their concerts during shows. After fans find these USBs they are encouraged to go to artist-created websites and blogs to review and spread the message of their events. It’s all an intricate plan devoted to increasing consumer (fan) involvement.
The only regret and complaint I have about this blog project is that our time was too limited to discover more about such an interesting field. In other words, I hope to expand my blogging experience and truly discover the fields of guerrilla marketing and buzz advertising. In my opinion, after extensive research and industry watching, I feel that guerrilla campaigns and efforts are the new ways for our generation. We are a tough to reach crowd, and a multitasking, multimedia consuming crowd. Without these unexpected and nontraditional ways, companies messages would be lost in the noise of more traditional displays. With that said, I feel the future of advertising lies within this field of the industry. Through experimentation and trail and error with guerrilla attempts, people have already come up with certain tools like building graffiti, which is yet to become a mainstream form of advertising. Certain uses of this marketing allow for enormous amounts of creativity and endless ways to create consumer buzz. If you don’t believe me, check out the new Justin.tv website, and see the power of WOM on a live feed. It’s going to be interesting to see where the future of buzz advertising takes us, and even more exciting to continue blogging and staying in tune with this interactive world.
