Guerrilla Marketing

by Bill Gallagher Ph. D.

Over one hundred and fifty years ago, Henry David Thoreau, commenting on the human experience, wrote: "The mass of mankind lead lives of quiet desperation." Fifty years ago Helen Keller wrote: "Life is either a wonderful bold adventure or it's nothing." For most of us, life is pretty much nothing and most of us are still living lives of quiet desperation! This is important for you to understand in order for you to become a powerful marketer.

As Guerrillas, we're not trying here to change the world. Even though that would be a wonderful idea. We are simply coming to a clear understanding of how people are and of how to best approach them, where they are, as they are. All this in order to serve them better with our products and services designed to make their lives fuller, richer, and better.

But how to reach them? The human mind appears to be organized in layers much like an onion. As marketers we need to penetrate the outer layers and get our message through to the sub-conscious where all buying decisions are made. The big key appears to be in repetition. Say your clear message over and over again consistently and you'll find great marketing success.

How do you do this? In your sub-conscious buying message, of course. Your sub-conscious what? Buying Message. That is, your slogan, your motto, your jingle. Remember stuff like:

• Just Do It.
• . . . Is It.
• You Can Do It.
• You're in Good Hands with...
• Reach Out and Touch Someone.
• Oh, I Wish I Were an . . . Weiner!
• When You Care Enough To Send the Very Best.
• Be All That You Can Be.

Why can we remember these phrases years and years after the marketing campaign ended? It's because these messages were repeated to us in "delicious" ways over and over again. "Delicious" means accompanied with vivid, beautiful images, lovely music, and great dramatic, memorable themes.

Let's look back at some famous slogans with respect to the needs of different psychological groups. Try to figure out your own best-customer psychological group before you develop your own slogan.

• For very basic physical needs: "Soup is Good Food." and "Only ... Gives You a Total-Body Workout."
• For safety, an "ego" prospect needs: "Air Bags Are Standard." and "When You Can't Sleep."
• For belonging, a "pleaser" client needs: "When Was the Last Time You and Your Husband Met for Lunch?" and "... Brings the Computer Age Home."
• For self-esteem, an "authority" customer needs: "Isn't It Time You Owned a ..." and "For People who Know the Difference."
• Appealing to mature self-actualization principled needs: "Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life." and "Be All that You Can Be."

Selecting a slogan represents a lot of work; however, once selected it should almost never be changed. Remember you'll always be in "Good Hands" with what's-his-name.