Small objects, BIG impact: Find out how this guerrilla marketing campaign helped generate buzz for a film! [Thursday: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
Miles Everson’s Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, career strategy, and more.
A Note from Miles Everson:
Have you ever witnessed a clever marketing tactic that was so simple but incredibly impactful?
That’s guerrilla marketing!
According to Jay Conrad Levinson, campaigns of this type leave a lasting impression that enable people to actively remember a brand.
Today, we’re excited to share an example of a clever guerilla marketing campaign for a film.
Keep reading to know how a creative campaign helped a movie about a lesser-known character attain box office success.
Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute
Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing
Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man” is a 2015 film about Scott Lang, a thief who steals a suit that enables him to shrink in size while increasing his physical strength. Throughout the movie, audiences get to witness Lang’s transformation from a felon to a superhero.
Despite having a relatively simple plot and lower stakes compared to other Marvel Studios films, “Ant-Man” received positive reviews from both critics and fans. However, that’s not the only noteworthy thing about the movie since it stood out in how it was marketed to viewers as well!
Before “Ant-Man’s” release, Marvel Studios was hard at work coming up with ways to market the film to both casual and hardcore moviegoers.
Even though notable actors like Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), and Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne), starred in the film, not everyone was familiar with the world and characters of “Ant-Man.”
Due to this, the marketing team behind the film had to come up with a clever and catchy campaign that could effectively capture the attention of those who weren’t familiar with the film.
The marketing team’s answer to this challenge?
Tiny billboards and bus shelters!
Photo from Little Black Book
In April 2015, several tiny bus shelters and billboards were scattered all over Australia as part of the lead up to “Ant-Man’s” release. These displays were clever and playful references to the superhero’s ability to shrink in size.
The guerrilla marketing campaign was held in places like bus shelters and sidewalks—areas commuters and pedestrians frequently visit, thus making it easy for these people to notice the tiny objects.
Photo from Adweek
Based on the discussion above, it seems that lots of thought was put into the guerrilla marketing campaign.
One question remains though: Was the guerrilla campaign successful in generating buzz for the film?
YES!
The social media posts about the tiny billboards and bus shelters went viral on social media websites like Reddit. In fact, one of the first posts that talked about the guerrilla marketing campaign reached over 16,000 upvotes on the popular website!
Aside from going viral, the guerrilla marketing campaign was featured in notable publications like Entertainment Weekly, TIME, New York Magazine, Adweek, Fortune, and Vulture.
Being featured in these news outlets helped expose the film to a wider audience.
Based on these results, it’s no surprise that “Ant-Man” achieved TONS of success during its theatrical run!
At the end of its box office run, the film earned over USD 515 million in gross profits against a budget of USD 130 million.
That’s nearly 4 times the cost it took to make the film.
Now that’s what you call an effective guerrilla marketing campaign and a massive return on investment!
—
The positive reception to the tiny billboards and bus shelters campaign for “Ant-Man” proves the effectiveness of guerrilla marketing. Tactics like this remind us that thinking outside the box can produce great results.
The guerrilla marketing campaign for “Ant-Man” successfully generated buzz for a film about a character and a world that not everyone has heard about.
The main takeaway?
Whether you’re promoting a brand, service, or product, it’s important to find creative ways that would allow you to effectively capture the attention of your target audience.
This is especially important when you’re marketing a brand or offering that lots of people aren’t familiar with.
So, the next time you’re coming up with your own marketing campaign, think about how you can creatively and effectively capture the attention of your target market!
(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
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com
