“We’ve gone from being exposed to about 500 ads a day back in the 1970s to as many as 5,000 a day today,” Jay Walker-Smith, Yankelovich Consumer Research.
This is a staggering statistic and one that obviously varies from person-to-person. However, if you consider you might spend 8 hours a day sleeping, according to this statistic, you will be exposed to more than 5 advertising messages a minute in the hours you are awake.
When you take this into account it’s probably not surprising that the first instinct for most people when exposed to advertising is to zone out completely. This means communicating your message effectively has become increasingly difficult and the need to stand out from the crowd is more important than ever.
Enter – ‘Out-of-the-box’ promotional material aka guerrilla marketing.
If traditional marketing is the slow, even subconscious, absorption of material then guerrilla marketing is a slap in the face. It’s designed to shock, awe and generate bulk brand awareness or actions in a short space of time. Think quirky billboards with 3 dimensional objects protruding from them, painted sidewalks that create mind-bending optical illusions or interactive shop windows that draw a crowd. At their very core they are designed to get your attention and they can work very well.
For us mere business mortals the idea of taking over a city sidewalk is probably out of the question but the concept is still relevant – out-of-the-box marketing really works in grabbing attention and increasing brand or product awareness. It doesn’t have to be a big expensive process and in-fact can cost a lot less than traditional marketing methods.
At Kwik Kopy we offer a large range of promotional and customisable products that can help your business stand out from the crowd. Desk pads, calendars and mouse mats are a great form of advertising that you can give as gifts to valuable clients/customers to help create loyalty. Other products can help promote your brand outside of the office environment like umbrellas, magnets, wine boxes and branded bags along with many more.
Whatever your business, whatever your budget the principles of guerrilla marketing can help you stand out from the pack. At the end of the day, the best ad in the world means nothing if it isn’t seen by your target audience. Below are our top 5 ‘out-of-the-box’ marketing tips.
- Do the best with what budget you have available
- Use emotion where possible – Humour can work well
- Choose ideas that work for you – Don’t copy anyone else
- Tie it into larger campaigns – It shouldn’t be a once off
- Promote your promotional material – Use social media to show off your new material
If you would like to discuss unique marketing ideas to suit your business, contact Kwik Kopy today!
