Mobile phones in Guerrilla marketing

The increase of use of smart mobile phones and mobile internet access have enabled marketers to design campaigns that are highly targeted and can use similar interactive tools that are commonly applied in traditional internet content created for computer users. By knowing the identity or a user profile of the cell phone owner one can use this information to carefully choose time, a place, a method and an occasion when the advertising message is delivered. Mobile phones may be used for guerrilla marketing purposes in several ways by using different kind of technologies and processes. As the secondary research revealed, there may be used following methods of using the mobile phones for business-related marketing messages relevant to the guerrilla marketing online:

• Bluetooth proximity marketing
• Using SMS, MMS for sending vouchers and discounts
• Mobile photos in internet competitions, introduced in an example

These three types of technologies are described further.

Bluetooth Proximity Marketing

Bluetooth proximity marketing (BPM) is a tool how to communicate directly with consumers as they pass within a cca. 100-foot radius of a store, booth or event, according to (Jennifer Kellogg, 2007). It instantly engages them in the particular campaign. Such campaigns can be more effective and user-friendly than billboards or other large-scale advertising tools and bringing the element of a surprise from an unknown communication.

Using SMS, MMS for sending vouchers and discounts

Short Message Services (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) can be used for business purposes relevant to internet marketing as a tool for increasing loyalty of the customers by giving them something for free. Using mobile phones as a holder of important information always available to the phone owner give the marketer a full scale of opportunities for customer relationship management and customer service marketing campaigns.

SMS or MMS may be for example sent to the cellular phone at the time a website visitor fill in contact information to the webpage of some service provider. The business gets valuable information about the customer and the customer can get a message containing a voucher for a 25% discount of a service when order in a particular brick shop. The solution is cheap, simple and technically not especially demanding. However, it cannot be clearly stated that this kind of campaign fulfil all of the common criteria of guerrilla marketing campaigns because it may lack the element of unexpectedness, surprise and drasticity. The campaign execution is in this particular example crucial for guerrilla marketing campaign objectives fulfilment.

Creative concept #7
Young Professionals Forum: Come again for free next time!

The Young Professionals Forum (YPF) is a networking organisation devoted to providing young professionals with the skills, contacts, and opportunities to help them succeed and become active members of the business community in Prague. There is an opportunity for YPF to increase the loyalty of the members by giving them invitation for upcoming events free of charge within the particular events. Additionally, any invitations that have been sent are automatically registered in the online Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for easy project management and accounting purposes.

Image 24 Mobile phones usage in Guerrilla Marketing, Invitations sent to mobile phones, designed by Vit Horky, photo by Istockphoto: Photo by Istockphoto.com, graphically edited by Vit Horky

Using a Bluetooth technology for automated sending of invitations to mobile phones of those guests interested in next YPF clearly increase the attractiveness of the events and it also decreases the cost of printing and sending invitations with unique numbers registered on guest list. Similar campaigns using Bluetooth technology may be applied to different industries as well, for example sending a vouchers for free coffee cup next time the customer come to the coffee shop etc. The example show a campaign with characteristics of presence marketing which use Internet as a medium for managing the content, target audience database and feedback received from the mobile users.

By using such untraditional tools for communicating with the target audience increase of attention, desire and conversion (action) is expected and given as a desired outcome.

This campaign should be used only after proper research of the target audience and their possibilities and skills of using mobile phones for this type of activity requiring particular technical experience and positive attitude to such activities.

Creative concept #8
The competition: Baťa shoes like no others

Using a cellular phone as a mobile camera has become usual for many people and it is possible to use the widespread of the modern mobile technology for business objectives. Here is an example of using mobile phones with a camera for an online competition.

Bata is one of the world's leading footwear retailers and manufacturers with operations across 5 continents, according to the Bata international website. The Bata company may organize a new competition for its customers with a business objective to increase sales and learn customers about the different models of their shoes. The key process of the competition is:

Image 25 Using mobile phones in Guerrilla marketing online, The process of a model campaign for Bata company, created by Vit Horky, photo by Istockphoto

The campaign includes principles of the guerrilla marketing by using unexpected technological process and motivates to join community of active Bata customers who are competing to win reward. The objectives of the campaign are to increase the attractiveness of the brand, increase attention on the products and increase sales. The campaign uses principles of presence marketing to stimulate the target audience to learn about the differences between Bata products and products of other manufacturers. Limitations of the campaign can be identified in the technical demands for comprehensive system for managing all relevant data and promotion of such campaign that would consequently increase the budge for marketing activities of the company.  

Guerrilla marketing can work well in online gaming. How?