The Perpetual Conflict Machine
Guerilla Marketing
Carole Lyn Zeleny
cz812701@ohio.edu
Media and stakeholder groups have accused public relations practitioners of being spin doctors and describing a reality that suits their purposes. This attitude is encapsulated in the descriptor that an activity is merely a "PR ploy", a "PR maneuver" or a "PR effort." Practices such as "flogging" (fake blogging), "astroturfing" (fake grassroots lobbying), and "stealth marketing" (fake promotions with actors masquerading as private citizens) have come under criticism.
Of all the word-of-mouth marketing techniques, stealth marketing is particularly efficient. In a digitized world, it might be surprising to learn that word-of-mouth marketing can often give content marketing and email marketing a run for their money. To learn how effective this organic method is for spreading the news about a product check out these figures. There are 2.4 billion brand-related conversations every day in the US with over 90% of them happening offline and 66% are positive.
Every year, Starbucks the coffee brand releases a unique design for their holiday cups and in 2015, the design was thought by some to be very understated, too plain and not Christmassy enough! Pundits, consumers and critics made their voices heard and their opinions known about the lack of elaborate cup design. The whole ordeal created a massive media buzz about the product across the entire planet. Much later the news leaked that the cup controversy was fake. In fact only very few people actually hated the cup, but the stir caused Starbucks’ sales to soar.
The massively popular TV show “Game of Thrones” suffered a so-called “blooper” when a Starbucks cup was visibly left on the table in one of the scenes. Obviously, this wasn’t really a blooper, but the unexpected appearance of the object got the people talking online and offline. This was a well-thought-out publicity stunt that captured the attention of viewers across the world.
In line with the Axe body spray brand’s commercial messaging of men becoming irresistible to the opposite sex when using Axe body spray, their new guerilla marketing campaign created a new narrative as well as a story about the traditional exit sign. In a classic guerilla/stealth move, Axe made a modification to a traditional “exit” sign used in places such as garages and public buildings. Then Axe body spray added customized stickers in the same style to that of existing exit man sign; however, they then added women figures chasing after the man figure.
Released in 2003, "The Italian Job" was a re-make of a much-loved film. The 2003 version used some key elements from the 1969 original such as the title, a once in a lifetime robbery, and the Mini Cooper to inspire a story about revenge and payback set in LA. Movies are a commonly used media for product placement and this movie turned into a big screen ad for the Mini Cooper brand.
Undercover marketing stirs up conversations to bring consumers closer to the brand and get better acquainted with their products. In the process, it ensures significant perks for the marketers using it. Stealth marketing advantages include the fact that it creates pre-launch interest, promotes without advertising, boosts brand image, identifies ideal customer profiles and saves money.
Stealth marketing does have potential pitfalls and downsides, such as damaging the brand image. Instead of building a positive brand image, stealth marketing campaigns can backfire dramatically. In 2006, Sony’s online video and fan site campaign promoting the PSP console took a turn when consumers discovered that the enthusiastic fan from the videos was really a paid actor. While this did not impact PSP sales negatively, it did some damage to Sony’s reputation through negative buzz about the brand. Certain stealth marketing acts and practices fall into the gray area of legality in certain jurisdictions. In the European Union, for example, numerous stealth marketing strategies are forbidden by law. A business that considers using undercover marketing first needs to be aware of local laws regarding this type of advertising.
Image by PR Week
In Japan, the term "stealth marketing" is used to describe the failure to disclose promotional material in the media as such, or the presentation of paid content or advertorials as legitimate editorial coverage.
Image by Board Effect
Recent investigative reports in the Japanese business media around so-called ‘stealth marketing’ tactics led by PR firms have sparked questions as to whether the industry needs to draw up more stringent regulations to ensure greater transparency.
When in doubt as to whether an act is moral or not, apply the categorical imperative, which is to ask the question:
"What if everyone did this deed?"
Hi Carole,
ReplyDeleteI don't drink coffee :) But I found the piece you wrote about the Starbucks Christmas Cup very interesting. I wonder how the whole issue started? Did their PR put out a comment on Social Media about a backlash regrading the red cups in hopes that it would take off? It is kind of brilliant but at the same time incredibly divisive. Once the far right's attention was captured, the red cup turned into some outlandish attack on religion. https://www.eater.com/2015/11/10/9705570/starbucks-holiday-red-cups-controversy-history Thank you for the post. Shannon
Hello Carole,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. I loved all your examples. I think I am pretty desensitized to stealth advertising. I rarely notice them. In recent years, I have never watched a movie or show and thought "I need to start buying that because it is in my favorite movie" However when I was a small child I recall wanting Reese's Pieces after watching E.T. In that case Hershey didn't pay for the plug, but they certainly benefited from it.