Guerrilla Marketing Replaces Advertising?
Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 10/4/2004
When you think consumer show marketing, you probably think radio and newspapers. These, along with sponsorships, are the most familiar methods consumer show organizers use to promote their events.
But there are some new ideas out there that take traditional methods in new directions.
Eric Udler, president of FSI, said newspapers, banks and cable companies can often be persuaded to sponsor a show. "In exchange for free advertising, a show promoter will attach its name to an event. With a bank, a show promoter could get exposure with inserts in monthly statements," he said.
Udler added that he hangs promotional signs all over the city. "We get fined by municipalities, but the ROI is there," he said.
For those reluctant to incur the wrath of local authorities, there are other ways.
Dick Engebretson, dmg executive vice president of consumer events, still buys radio, TV, newspaper, magazine and billboard ads. But with the ever-increasing cost of traditional media, less expensive guerrilla marketing is beginning to take hold. He said the practice, also known as co-op advertising, isn't new, but is being used increasingly as ad prices escalate.
Guerilla marketing typically involves local partnerships and sponsorships, with show organizers tacking their messages onto someone else's advertising or promotion for greater reach and frequency. The other advertiser typically has more money than the show organizer, and is involved in the show in some way, so both parties can supposedly benefit.
For example, dmg's March 21 Home & Trends Show in Montreal partners with Hudson's Bay, a Canadian department store chain. The store displays a large show poster in its main window and throughout the store, and gives away discount show admission coupons. A similar arrangement is in place with Home Depot.
And dmg partners with the Food Network for its Philadelphia and Cleveland Great Big Food Shows (Cleveland has the Food Network's second-largest number of viewers of any U.S. city). There will be a little bit of promotion on the two shows by Food Network, but that will increase when there are at least four to six shows or more, Engebretson said.
At the shows, the Food Network will be the centerpiece, with tons of identification through dmg's advertising, merchandise sales and the cable channel's exhibit. And, their celebrity chefs (Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray and others) will be cooking on stage.
Such relationships don't work in all instances, since the focus of a cable TV network typically is national, while consumer shows have local audiences.
"We also try to find very local media — like community newsletters and local niche magazines sent to gardeners, women's groups, senior citizens — to advertise more cheaply and effectively," said Engebretson.
Getting your show name, dates and the lead feature or speaker onto fast-food restaurant place mats in a city for the entire month of a show is another method. So is having show information go out as a statement-stuffer to customers of the local power company; getting into a local supermarket's print ads the weekend before the show; and providing 100 free show tickets to sponsor a contest at a radio station.
