Dynamic Marketing Communiqué

PINK Power: See how this brand effectively showcased its dependability in various eating occasions! [Thursday: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]

February 1, 2024

Miles Everson’s The Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, managing their investments, career strategy, and more.

A Note from Miles Everson:

I love guerrilla marketing!

For those of you who are seeking a fresh approach to capture the desired attention for your brand, this approach is for you!

Such an innovative strategy empowers marketers to unleash their creativity and execute campaigns in the most clever and effective ways!

Today, let’s explore an out-of-home guerrilla marketing campaign by a medicine brand.

Read on to discover how this brand engaged with its consumers and encouraged them to consume the product especially when the situation calls for it.

Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing

It’s hard not to eat when you have all kinds of delicious dishes on the table.

Salads…

Pastas…

Pizzas…

Desserts…

Passing up all these kinds of food is really a challenge, especially during special occasions!

BUT…

Have you ever experienced going through heartburn, constipation, indigestion, acid reflux, and the likes due to food overindulgence? What did you do to relieve yourself of such difficulty? Did you just let it go away on its own?

In today’s article, we’ll feature a brand that’s got you covered whenever you’re enjoying your food galore.

Through a summer campaign, this PINK medicine reminded consumers that it can be a reliable companion in seasons of feasting.

The brand’s name?

Pepto-Bismol!

Photo from: Target

Pepto-Bismol is a stomach medicine made by consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G). The medicine contains the active ingredient bismuth subsalicylate, which aids in stomach-related problems by increasing fluid absorption in the intestines, reducing inflammation, calming intestinal spasms, and lowering stomach acid.

The brand’s target market is consumers aged 18 to 49. The problem?

In 2010, 40% of households in the U.S. had Pepto-Bismol at home but hesitated to use it. Just imagine all those pink medicines left unused in people’s cabinets!

In response to this concern, P&G aimed to educate the public on the medicine’s proper usage, particularly during festive seasons and gatherings. The brand wanted to inform consumers that the medicine got their backs if they ever feel any stomach discomfort.

However, conveying this message was not easy. P&G had to think of a clever and effective way to show how Pepto-Bismol could work for target consumers.

So, P&G planned an extensive guerrilla marketing campaign with a strong public relations focus in 2010. The event encompassed out-of-home and print advertising, as well as events that had interactive and retail elements.

The name of the campaign?

“Pepto-Bismol Takes A Bite Out of Summer Campaign!”

Photo from: CBS News

Pepto-Bismol partnered with global public relations firm MSL Chicago and carefully planned a two-phased strategy to reach both local and national television audiences, and gain exposure in daily newspapers, radio, and online publications in the U.S.

The first step in the campaign was announcing Pepto-Bismol’s sponsorship of the 2010 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Here, the campaign team ensured Pepto-Bismol was featured prominently in all media events and broadcasts.

To make the campaign more captivating, Pepto-Bismol worked with Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, a world champion competitive eater, to help remind people to take Pepto-Bismol when needed.

Chestnut admitted that he often suffers from an upset stomach, and so for the 2010 eating contest, he made sure to bring Pepto-Bismol with him.

As the campaign message said…

“If Pepto can work for Joey Chestnut’s upset stomach, imagine what it can do for you.”

Photo from: Flickr

There’s more!

After the hotdog eating contest, P&G partnered with Major League Eating (MLE) to host additional contests in various locations, including the Bite of Oregon in Portland, Oregon; Austin Ice Cream Festival in Austin, Texas; San Francisco Street Food Festival in San Francisco, California; and the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Orchard Park, New York.

Was the “Pepto-Bismol Takes A Bite out of Summer Campaign” effective?

Pepto-Bismol was able to gain attention through the various eating contests mentioned above. The guerrilla marketing campaign had also drawn MASSIVE in-person attention and press impressions.

Below are the results of the guerrilla marketing strategy:

  • The campaign garnered about 1 billion media impressions within three months of its implementation.
  • The campaign was covered by top publishing names such as Wall Street JournalAssociated PressCNNCNBC, and Today show throughout its duration.
  • Pepto-Bismol and its campaign messaging were featured consistently on ESPN live broadcasts during the campaign implementation.
  • The campaign helped generate more interest for Pepto-Bismol, with an increased Google searches for the product and 41,000 likes for the brand on Facebook during the campaign period.
  • Pepto-Bismol’s sales had a 20% increase in New York and a 10% overall sales increase in the U.S. after the campaign.

Additionally, the campaign bagged the following awards:

  • A Merit Award under the Marketing Communication category at the Bronze Quill Awards 2011
  • A Merit Award under the Special Events category at the Bronze Quill Awards 2011
  • An Award under the Product Branding category at the Hermes Creative Awards 2011
  • An Award under the Event Marketing category at the Hermes Creative Awards 2011
  • An Award under the Communication Campaign category at the Hermes Creative Awards 2011

Clearly, this campaign gave people the assurance to enjoy festive seasons and gatherings because Pepto-Bismol got their backs. Kudos to the marketing team for successfully executing this campaign!

*Claps*

One of the ways brands can demonstrate the proper use and essence of their products is by showcasing it to people in real-life events. This was what Pepto-Bismol did, which resulted in people’s awareness, several recognitions, and increased attention.

Moreover, selecting the right brand “representative” is essential for effective marketing. In the case of Pepto-Bismol, Chestnut proved to be the ideal advocate, given his reputation as a world champion in food eating contests. This made him an influential figure to encourage people to take the stomach medicine in appropriate circumstances.

Another thing marketers can learn from this guerrilla marketing campaign is that they can also orchestrate nationwide campaigns or strategies if they wish to engage with a more extensive in-person audience.

Along with that, they can also gain widespread attention through careful planning and organized execution.

We hope you enjoyed reading today’s feature!

Tune in for another mind blowing guerrilla marketing campaign story next week!

(This article is from The Business Builder Daily, a newsletter by The I Institute in collaboration with MBO Partners.)

About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”

Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”

Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.

Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.

Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.

This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.

It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).

Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.

The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.

Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.

This is every business’ or brand’s dream!

Every Thursday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.

Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.

Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.

Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.

Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!

Cheers,

Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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