Check out these blogs!

Tammy : Advertising Won't Kill You
I found here an interesting part where Tammy mentions smoking on the screen, which was also supported by reasearch. There is a link that connects you  to the article and I have to say that this blog is really worth reading. Click here.

Karolina : Product Placement
Karo's blog actually informed me about the issue of product placement which was adapted in Slovakia in 2009, so thanks to her blog and thanks to her comments I made some research and obtained new information about this topic. You can find the article here.

Beatrice : Negative Aspects of Portraying Women in Media
I believe that every single woman would find this blog to be interesting. I liked it because Beatrice is mentioning also current situation which is "hot topic" all around the Slovakia and Czech Republic in the section with Slovak moderatore Tina. The part where I have found this article is here.

Shakhlo : Celebrities and Mass Media
Great topic, what I like the most is that Shakhlo is defending the life of celebrities what I found very useful, because we tend to hold many prejudices against famous people and this blog provides information, research and examples where the media destroyed their life even though they did not deserve it. Click here.

Kate : The Role of Media in Eating Disorders 
Similiar blog as Beatrice has. Kate points out on eating disorders, bulimia and anorexia. I feel there are mostly other crucial factors that influences such a health condition, but the media plays here some role as well. Anyway it was useful to read and see also other reactions to this particular topic. You can find it here.

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my blog Guerrilla and Buzz Marketing!

Bzzzzzzzzzzz...

I have decided to use a hot topic which is included in many marketing stategies – Guerrilla and Buzz Marketing. These two forms are the most popular trends in the world of promotion and advertisements.

Many of you might think that they bring a huge number of benefits to each advertising and marketing agency. Of course, they do, because each form of marketing and promotion might be considered as beneficial in a certain way. But I have decided to take it from the different, more challenging view. My blog is going to focus on the risks, negative sides and effects of Guerrilla and Buzz Marketing on potential customers and target audience.  I am going to use some examples and provide a websites where those of  you who are interested in this issue can find more detailed information.

I hope that you will find this blog interesting!

I am looking forward to your reactions.

Nika

Something about Guerilla and Buzz...

The whole issue about Guerrilla and Buzz Marketing is very controversial because more people believe these forms are beneficial.  But we should be little bit critical and ask wether it brings just those benefits about which we read on Internet. It might be challenging to fight against these forms of marketing, so I rather just point out why I think that Guerrilla and Buzz brings risks and negatives as well.

Guerrilla marketing is promoted  in public places, intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. The term was defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. It has become the most popular part of advertising and we are surrounded by its forms nearly everywhere. As Jay Conrad Levinson claims: “Guerrilla marketing is needed because it gives small businesses a delightfully unfair advantage: certainty in an uncertain world, economy in a high-priced world, simplicity in a complicated world, marketing awareness in a clueless world."( from gmarketing)

But it is important that a particular company which uses Guerrilla marketing actually understands what its exact meaning, because in some cases there are no beneficial effects but rather negative. As I have already mentioned in some cases  (articles below) Guerrilla marketing becomes expensive, not time saving and misunderstood by society where was used. There are cases where Guerrilla marketing uses non-ethical issues as you can see on the pictures near the text. Guerrilla marketing using the image of drowned kid in public swimming pool and a real woman packed in the suitcase at the airport is not really what society would considered as an art or attractive advertisement. Sometimes it is crucial to set a boarders and understand what would be really beneficial and what would be not.

Buzz Marketing might have negative effects in terms of presenting the information. As I have already mentioned, most common form of Buzz is distribution via Internet. For companies who wants to use Buzz marketing is important to understand its rules as well, because buzz campaigns usually ends in negative buzz which is very harmful for the company and most of the companies cannot deal with it in proper way. But I think that Buzz marketing is usually promoting false and distorted information. If is something promoted just via Internet then it is questionable whether we can trust it or not. As I said in the Ikea article, which you can find below, I have not find any evidence about the people who actually received their furniture for free. And I really think that interested customers received the product in a way it is distributed. 

Anyway, you might think that I am strongly against these two forms of marketing, but I have to mention that I do think that they bring some benefits but on the other hand I believe that they are harmful and their negative effects have to be discussed and pointed out.


Material used:

http://www.gmarketing.com/articles/4-what-is-guerrilla-marketing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Conrad_Levinson

Check out these websites!

Wether you are or you are not a fan of Guerilla and Buzz Marketing, I have uploaded few articles with an oposite arguments and negative examples.

Morality in Advertising – this Blog website promotes the idea of morality in advertising. You can see few examples that I have used as a negative Guerilla Marketing. They might be considered as offensive and unethical. Advertisers took a huge risk with promoting these ads at public places. The reaction of society was negative.

Personal Experience - example of Guerilla Marketing used by Idocomtech company after computer exhibition. Here we can see how Guerilla Marketing  destroys all pisitive feeling about the product

 Negative Buzz – this website presents examples of negative buzz marketing of particular companies which were not succesfull and recieved negative responces from their target audience.

 False and Misleading Advertising Online – the article talks about the streering, buzz marketing and dishonesty that could be experienced by potential client. It discusses the right of the customer to know exact and  truthful information about the product.

Buzz Misleading Marketing?!

Buzz marketing is another new trend in the world of advertisemets. Its goal is to be distributed as fast as possible via social networks nearlly for free.  As a Buzz marketing  we might understand for example those “spam emails“ which we ignore everyday. There are many forms of Buzz marketing, but as I have already mention the most common are those which are distributed via Internet.  Buzz marketing might be negative in a way when the customers recieves wrong information about the product. Customers usually recieve information which are somehow manipulated and they easily rely on the veracity of the informations. Because it is being spread so fast, it is easy to devaluate promoted info. I personally do not believe that there is a product distributed by Buzz Marketing that was actually delivered to the interested customer in thw way it was promoted. Click on this link and this site to read about some Buzz Marketing articles.

It goes fast, from one to another...

Ethical Problems in Guerilla Marketing?

I am not sure if I want to take a ride in this bus...

Guerilla Marketing has become one of the most populat trends in the world od advertisemets. Its goal is to attract the audience, evoke a shock and  promote a memorable experience. One of its rules is to make a huge promotion for a little ammount of money. Many people are often higly attracted to these forms of marketing because they are catchy and much more different than the rest of the advertisements they usually see.  But as the time goes by it starts to be little annoying and audience and in some cases Guerilla Marketing advertising breaks the law. There is already an issue going on which is focusing on some ethical problems in guerilla advertising, especially those which include fear-appeal.  It is important to realize that also new trends in marketing might have negative sides and that is why it is importat to mention them and try to identify them, because it might be very useful in terms of understanding the proper meaning corectly. Here is an interesting educational article which focuses on ethical problems in Guerilla Marketing.

If you are not sure weather you understand what Guerilla Marketing is, check this video, it gives you the idea.

Facebook offers Buzzzzz!

Buzz and Ikea Facebook Campaign...

Ikea, the Swedish furniture and accessories Company, is a great example of Buzz Marketing. Their famous campaign “Ikea Facebook Showroom“ became one of the most popular campaign worldwide.

The rules are very simple. Each week there is new picture of certain room (living room, bedroom, kitchen...) added to their Facebook profile and the person who tags himself or herself as a first on the picture, wins the furniture and accessories used. People are posting these links to their walls and promote Buzz Marketing for free via Facebook. 

But is it really effective? People started to be addicted, and they ask for more and more images and waiting all days and nights just for tagging themselves on the pictures. They know that Ikea uses a Facebook for promotion. But this form of Buzz marketing via Internet is just virtual, passive, they promote the name, but no service and is it really true that people would receive the complete furniture from one picture and one “virtual promise“?  I have not seen anyone from the winners who actually made some evidence about his or her win. So I think that Buzz Marketing may be negative buzz as well, and negative buzz can bring a huge negative impact on the brand name. 

Moreover I do not think that this form of Buzz Marketing is effective in a way of visiting the Ikea store itself. Internet advertising and viral marketing might provide misleading information in terms of furniture quality, the size and measurements.

Do you really think this is effective? Do you really think that you get the furniture for free?

Ice Hockey brings Guerilla!

 Guerrilla Marketing in the street of Bratislava during 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship....

As an example of current event I would like tso point out the situation in Slovak Republic. As we all know, Slovakia is a host country for the World Ice Hockey Championship.  But unfortunately, the capital of Slovakia - Bratislava was not prepared for such an event very properly. The old buildings, dirty underpasses full of trashes, damaged walls of old buildings and overall poor impact was not really pleasant attraction for visitors from abroad.

But the experts decided to use the Guerrilla marketing and Bratislava became a town where building started to be covered with the national flags promoting the country, huge billboards presenting different products, the old walls became covered with the street art graffiti presenting different companies etc...
But Guerrilla Marketing strategy explains that this part of marketing means to reach a lot with little cost. And I really do not think that this actions cost a little. 

Slovak experts did not use Guerrilla Marketing in the very effective way. They spend enormous amounts of money and this "shock" is going to be used just until the end of World Championship. High expenses, no long term effects, not effective (Guerrilla marketing was used in just in those parts of town which connect the main station with the ice hockey stadium) and overall design shock for the town (various techniques used, traditional, hyper-modern, old, new...)

Next time I would rather prefer more beneficial solution for the city. If they thought or did some brainstorming before their acts, the city would have a completely different “face“. Slovakia would have enough time to be worthily prepared for World Championship and rather take actions which would bring a long term effects and costs nearly the same as high expenses for Guerrilla Marketing. Reconstructions of the part of the main station, old buildings, subways and other parts would be more beneficial and would bring effective long term goals.

For more pictures visit these website : graffiti and buildings