Guerrilla Marketing: Innovative, Effective and Here to Stay
Noah Boswell and Teddy Kincaid of Sponsor An Exotic.com
Sponsor An Exotic at Mosquito Bar, Harrington Street, Raleigh
Ambushed by Rent a Razzi
Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term 'guerrilla marketing' in his 1984 book of the same name. Best suited for small business owners and entrepreneurs, this promotional system utilizes vehicles like imagination, energy and time to attract consumers rather than large, traditional marketing campaigns. Think viral, word-of-mouth brand awareness that costs little, yet is able to embed an idea into our culture faster than any high-cost, cross-spectrum commercial ever could.
Over the past 2 decades, guerrilla marketing has ranged from attractive women striking up conversations with men in bars about Sony Ericsson's T68i phone in 2002, to a campaign that involved paid actors asking passers-by to take their pictures in front of tourist attractions using the phone, to create buzz about the product.
Engaging consumers in a 'memorable experience with brands' by using interactive ads and performance stunts, and even coded messages is becoming easier and more effective at reaching out to consumers.
Though this buzz does not come without opinions from senior execs on taste, tactics and appropriateness, guerrilla marketing nonetheless works and is here to stay. One local entrepreneur team has been using it as its main form of advertising since 2007.
Sponsor an Exotic.com, headed by 23-year old Noah Boswell and his partner, 26-year old Teddy Kincaid, currently runs spots using a red Lotus Elise to turn heads to their client's ads. The 'real estate' of the car varies in price, with clients purchasing the right to place their logos on the hood, doors and rear of the car at competitive prices. The Lotus is driven to local hotspots, high-traffic shopping areas and car shows, giving their clients plenty of face time with savvy consumers, the ones who easily tire of pop-ups and cheesy television ads.
"We are not only a unique guerrilla marketing type of company. Sponsor an Exotic is a solution to other companies that perform high end elite forms of guerrilla marketing," commented Boswell in May 2008.
One Saturday evening, Boswell and Kincaid took their guerrilla tactics to the next level. Arriving at Mosquito Lounge in downtown Raleigh's warehouse district, they were greeted by an aggressive paparazzi group shoving to get a picture.
Having a publicist contact Rent a Razzi, Raleigh's newest form of luxury attention grabbing, the two utilized the attention caused by having the photography group create a buzz before and at the time of their arrival.
"We chose Mosquito," said Boswell, "because this lounge appeals to a high-fashion, beauty-conscience type of crowd." The type of crowd Sponsor an Exotic's clients, like Dan Hadley Photography, Look to the Right Internet Marketing, Lotus of Durham and Magnolia Motors of Durham aim to target. What's next for this pair? "Maybe X-Box in the car or making it a WiFi hotspot?" speculates Boswell. You can check them on Facebook or spot them driving around town. - Jay Jordan, Lifestyle Correspondent
Check out the latest photos at: Sponsor An Exotic.com
Rent a Razzi: Angel Wright-Feldman, CEO