So what is Guerilla Marketing?

I have realized that many companies misuse Guerilla Marketing and label many of their activities as such to find loopholes in Marketing Contracts.

I was recently requested to place promotional flyers on doors in select neighborhoods as part of the promo tour.

Now this is not something that was discussed as part of the contract and they are trying to justify it by calling it Guerilla Marketing. As far as I am concerned and can remember that is a traditional form of advertising and doesn't have much to do with mobile marketing.

I would like to hear from different Guerilla Marketing Experiences and points of view.

OMG! Door hanging?

We are truly in a event marketing DePRESSION for you do to that!

Guerilla marketing is so unprofessional and demeaning for the client's product it is so embarrasing!

What guerilla marketing is very simple = ILLEGALLY TRESSPASSING ON PROPERTY TO GET THE CLIENT's product out! Cient is also too cheap to actually be professional and PAY to be at an actual event!

I refuse to do guerilla marketing. It is dangerous and illegal. Don't do it unless you are willing to get arrested and have a record.

There are forms of guerilla marketing that are not illegal. Lets not jump to that extreme a position. BUT.....

The OP is right, door hanging is a form of traditional advertising. Most ad agencies bundle it in the same category as traditional mailers, postcard programs and the like. It was a program that one of my old ad agencies offered as a service up sell bundled with print product design.

Normally those jobs are then contracted out to companies that purely staff those type of programs. To be honest, those subcontractor companies usually use illegals to do the door hanging, not right really, but its the industry reality anywhere there is a significant illegal population.

To ask staff on a mobile tour to do that is really outside the scope of what most people think they are signing on for. Gives you a good reason to specifically ask - what type of guerilla marketing might I be asked to do before taking the job though.

If you sign up to do guerrilla marketing, you should understand that there is no bought event space or time that you are participating in. You have no "permission" from anyone to be there. Most street teams are a form of guerrilla marketing. If it upsets the people who's business you are near, leave and apologize. Most times with guerrilla marketing you will not be bothered unless you are trying to be obnoxious. I wouldn't really consider door hanging guerrilla marketing, but I guess it could be. If you were uncomfortable with it, you should call your booker, explain this was not a part of the job description, and asked to be excused from the event. Guerrilla marketing can be a very effective and cost efficient type of marketing for companies, but there should be some research done by them into what is acceptable in the area they are doing it in, as well as what is expected of their talent.

I agree with Kathryn and also wanted to point out that in my experience (11 years of event marketing) that guerrilla marketing is basically.. ILLEGAL. You are trespassing when you work a guerrilla marketing job and are subject to arrest, especially on college campuses!
If you are stationed across the street from a festival or fair passing out your flyers, the city may ask for a permit, especially if the event organizers see you there!

Guerrilla marketing is really a dishonest way of companies to promote their product = they are way too cheap to pay for the event site fee and would settle for trespassing on property or nearby property to promote their product. It is shameless.

Enjoy guerrilla marketing if you want to potentially get arrested!

Thank you all for your posts. Your opinions have really given me a better idea of what to reasonably expect from a field marketing job and what not to work with.

Needless to say that I am no longer with that company! It was only a matter of time until they started making more outrageous demands, labeling them as Guerilla Marketing and putting my safety on the line. I guess to a certain point it is the sign of times, with the bad economy a lot of marketing companies are taking advantage and trying to save a buck, every which way they can.

Funny thing is its a double edged sword for the company because they save some money but lose valuable and quality candidates because they don't know how to take care of them. And therefor lose clients in a highly competitive and poor market.

How can you really be expected to do guerrilla marketing? It is illegal from the definitions provided so ... an employer can do require you to do something illegal....not that most gigs are hired as traditional employees, but also a contract to perform an illegal act is unenforceable/illegal....