If you own a business in the Big Apple – whether that’s online or bricks and mortar – standing out among the competition is never going to be easy. Regardless of whether you’re a coffee shop, pizzeria, or vintage fashion store, surviving on loyal customers and word of mouth sometimes isn’t enough. However, there are solutions that are simple enough – one option is to have a higher presence on online search directories, another is to be inspired by some of the most creative guerilla marketing (as in, a total surprise you never saw coming) seen in NYC.
When done in a way that isn’t obtrusive or annoying to any passersby, guerilla marketing works so well to simply make people stop, smile, take and share a photo, and hopefully make a connection to the brand. Take a look at these examples:
Make use of a manhole
New Yorkers are likely familiar with the rising steam coming from manholes across the city, so someone may as well make use of it, right? Folgers certainly thought so, which is why they placed an image of their coffee over a manhole vent, thereby creating a tantalizing real-life freshly brewed coffee. It’s fiendishly simple, but noticeable enough that it may just sway someone into thinking about Folgers in a favorable light.
A bull in underwear?
One of NYC’s best-known landmarks – the Wall Street Bull, was given a makeover of sorts. Men’s underwear company Gold Toe, kindly gave one of their pairs to cover the lower region of the bull. Definitely a pair of underwear bigger than any human is likely to wear, the stunt was a fun and selfie-heavy moment for tourists and locals alike. During the same guerrilla campaign, another famed statue called The Garment Worker was also given a plain white T-shirt to wear… no doubt trying to keep him warm during the coming winter!
Go back in time
While we’ve seen a subtle use of paintwork with Volkswagen’s #pinkbeetle campaign, TV network HBO pulled out all the stops with their guerrilla marketing effort for Boardwalk Empire in 2011. To promote the opening of their hit show’s second season. HBO decked out an NYC subway car</a> to match how it would have appeared in the 1920s (Boardwalk Empire’s time setting). Complete with an army green paintjob, brown leather seats and red floor, the subway car also featured vintage advertisements and sounds as well as posters for the TV show.