Guerrilla Marketing 101: Strategy, Examples, and Tips

When attention is hard to earn and even harder to keep, guerrilla marketing helps brands cut through the noise.

In a market as competitive as today’s, with increasingly demanding consumers and a multitude of solutions emerging every day, it is common for marketing efforts to be diluted in a sea of ​​offers. However, there is a strategy that aims to break through: guerrilla marketing.

In this article, we will explore the concept of guerrilla marketing, examples of it in practice, its advantages, and tips for successfully implementing and developing your own campaign.

• What is guerrilla marketing?
• Guerrilla marketing compared to viral marketing
• Types of guerrilla marketing
• Guerrilla marketing examples to inspire you
• Why invest in guerrilla marketing?
• How AI is transforming guerrilla marketing
• 7 tips for implementing guerrilla marketing efficiently
• Your next steps
• FAQs

Guerrilla marketing is an unconventional marketing strategy that aims to attract the public’s attention creatively and unexpectedly, using innovative resources and techniques. It involves bold creativity and, when executed well, it can be a low-cost way to grab attention.

It’s also designed to:

• Surprise or intrigue people using unconventional tactics
• Prioritise bold ideas over big budgets
• Create memorable brand moments that spark interaction
• Encourage word of mouth and social sharing
• Get more attention with less budget

The term comes from guerrilla warfare, a strategy built on surprise and resourcefulness. In marketing, that translates into clever campaigns that cut through the noise and stick with people.

Guerrilla marketing uses unexpected, low-cost ideas to capture attention in physical spaces. Viral marketing is a digital tactic built to encourage sharing, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually “go viral”. It’s simply marketing designed to spark conversation and get people talking about your brand online.

Guerrilla work triggers instant, real-world attention, while viral campaigns aim to get people talking in the digital world. Sometimes, there is some overlap when a clever guerrilla activation is posted online and spreads widely.

Guerrilla marketing can take different forms depending on where it happens and how the brand interacts with the public. Here are the main types:

• Outdoor: Adds something unexpected to a public space, like street art, sidewalk stencils, or bus stop takeovers
• Indoor: Brings surprise into enclosed spaces like malls or train stations, often through pop-ups, flash mobs, or creative billboards
• Event ambush: Shows up at high-profile events without being an official sponsor, capturing attention by association
• Experiential: Builds an immersive, real-world interaction that connects people directly with the product or brand
• Ambient: Places the brand in a spot you wouldn’t expect to see it, like on hand dryers, elevator doors, or receipts
• Viral: Uses social media to spread a clever or emotional message quickly, often with user-generated content or influencer collaborations
• Stealth: Introduces a product in everyday settings without calling it an ad, like a planted recommendation or product placement
• Projection marketing: Projects images or video onto buildings or landscapes to create a high-visibility moment
• Buzz marketing: Builds conversation and excitement through word-of-mouth, often using a mix of authentic community and high-profile endorsements

Below are some surprising guerrilla marketing actions taken by major brands, and some key takeaways you can use to inform your next campaign.

Ahead of the 2017 release of the movie It, people in Sydney began spotting single red balloons tied to sewer grates, paired with a spray-painted message hinting that “It is closer than you think”.

The stunt played directly into the horror film’s storyline, where Pennywise the clown lures children to the sewers. The result of these simple balloons being placed was an eerie, citywide buzz that spread quickly across social platforms.

Key takeaway: Clever context makes a simple visual unforgettable. Using an iconic symbol in the right place can create instant buzz without a large budget.

The Australian mattress startup 10:PM didn’t have the budget for traditional outdoor ads, so they used something already sitting on the streets: illegally dumped mattresses.

The team transformed abandoned mattresses into what they called branded “bed-verts,” highlighting Australia’s mattress waste problem. Each abandoned mattress became a street-level billboard drawing attention to both the environmental problem and the new brand.

Key takeaway: When budgets are tight, repurposing what’s already in the environment can give you visibility and a message people want to share.

In 2012, Red Bull sponsored the late Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space in a stratospheric capsule at an altitude of over 39 km. This extremely radical and disruptive action is in keeping with the brand’s identity, further strengthening the initiative.

It is also worth mentioning that the event was broadcast live worldwide and generated extensive media coverage, creating a huge buzz around the brand.

Key takeaway: Big, unexpected ideas can earn your brand massive attention.

Volkswagen created a fun and interactive brand installation out of a simple escalator by installing a slide beside the railings.

The activation invited people to take the “fast lane”, in line with the brand’s positioning around speed and fun. What started as a small, low-cost installation quickly drew crowds, photos, and social sharing, all because it injected a moment of joy into an everyday environment.

Key takeaway: Reworking a familiar public space with a playful twist can turn ordinary foot traffic into organic engagement and positive brand sentiment.

Without spending a cent on official sponsorship, Australian fashion brand Meshki got in on the F1 buzz with a clever, guerrilla-style campaign during the 2025 Melbourne Grand Prix. The brand launched ‘Real-Time Race Day Looks’, a live billboard campaign featuring F1 WAGs and influencers wearing Meshki at the track.

These real-time images appeared on digital screens across tram stops, plus a wrapped tram, complete with QR codes to shop the outfits instantly.

Key takeaway: You don’t need a sponsorship deal to own the spotlight. Instead, you can make your budget go further with smart timing and visibility in the right places.

In 2019, Burger King pulled off a bold stunt called the ‘Whopper Detour’. The brand used location tracking to unlock a deal for customers, but only when they were near a McDonald’s. Anyone who opened the Burger King app within 600 feet of a McDonald’s got an offer to buy a Whopper for just $0.01, and then was redirected to the nearest Burger King to claim it.

The campaign went viral, drove app downloads, and boosted in-store traffic, all while cheekily turning McDonald’s locations into part of the promotion.

Key takeaway: Smart use of technology can turn a competitor’s presence into your own traffic, especially when the deal is compelling and easy to redeem.

Playing it safe isn’t a viable digital marketing strategy coming into 2026. Eighty-nine per cent of marketers say they need to innovate constantly just to stay competitive.

Guerrilla marketing is a great form of innovation, and it’s been increasingly used by companies looking to differentiate themselves in the market and gain greater visibility with a low investment.

Investing in guerrilla marketing can bring several benefits to a company, such as increased engagement and interaction with customers, expanding the brand’s reach, and increasing sales.

Let’s check out some reasons to invest in this strategy:

The creative nature of guerrilla marketing campaigns has great potential to generate buzz on social media and other media, which expands the brand’s reach.

Shares, comments, and likes can make the campaign go viral and reach a large number of people without the company having to invest in paid advertising. This increases the brand’s visibility and strengthens its image among the public.

The creative nature of guerrilla marketing campaigns has great potential to generate buzz on social media and other media, which expands the brand’s reach.

Shares, comments and likes can make the campaign go viral and reach a large number of people without the company having to invest in paid advertising. This increases the brand’s visibility and strengthens its image among the public.

One of the main advantages of guerrilla marketing is its low cost compared to traditional campaigns. Instead of investing large amounts of money in advertising, you will focus on aspects such as creativity, planning, and execution.

The idea is that, with this change in perspective, your action will generate more results and impact more people than with traditional advertising. A successful guerrilla marketing campaign can generate a much higher return on investment than a conventional campaign.

Successful guerrilla marketing campaigns convey the brand’s identity clearly and consistently. By investing in this strategy, the company has the opportunity to reinforce its image among the public, which can strengthen its identity and create a positive impression.

Finally, investing in guerrilla marketing can generate a significant increase in a company’s sales and, consequently, in its return on investment (ROI).

Creative and unusual campaigns can attract the public’s attention and encourage the purchase of products or services. In addition, the buzz generated by the campaigns can increase brand visibility, attract new customers, and consolidate the existing consumer base.

Guerrilla marketing gives smaller businesses a way to compete with bigger brands. Instead of relying on budget, they can use creativity, timing, and location to generate the same (or greater) level of attention. A well-executed idea can outperform traditional ads because it feels unexpected and genuine, helping emerging brands show up in places their audience doesn’t normally expect to see them.

For instance, our previous example of Meshki. Typically, only luxury brands with huge budgets would get a presence at the F1, but with clever marketing, they were able to push themselves into a space that would typically be unattainable.

Since guerrilla marketing happens in public, the audience’s reaction is immediate and unfiltered. You can observe how people interact, what catches their attention, and which elements drive conversation.

These real-time cues reveal far more about an audience's behaviour than your standard digital campaign. Using people's reactions, you can refine your messaging, decide on a new creative direction, and build successful activations in the future.

Guerrilla marketing works because it catches people off guard in a positive way. When someone stumbles across something clever or unexpected, the moment sticks in their mind. Unlike when they scroll past their hundredth ad that day. Their genuine reaction helps the brand feel more rooted in their day-to-day life and builds a stronger connection.

AI is opening up a new wave of creative possibilities for guerrilla marketing, especially for brands aiming to deliver real-world moments without relying on big budgets. It gives you access to data, prediction, and automation that help your campaigns land at the right time and in the right place.

Used well, AI can improve guerrilla campaigns in several practical ways:

• Smarter location decisions: AI tools can analyse real-time foot traffic and movement patterns to pinpoint exactly where an activation will have the most impact.
• Hyper-relevant messaging: Teams can monitor trending topics and local sentiment to align street messaging with what people are talking about that day.
• Interactive real-world touchpoints: AI chatbots at pop-ups, kiosks, or temporary booths can answer questions, run quick games, or offer personalised rewards on the spot.

• Dynamic installations: Smart projections and AR overlays can shift visuals based on crowd size, weather, or time of day, creating a living experience instead of a static display.
• Predictive timing: AI alerts can notify teams when key topics spike in certain areas, making it easier to deploy street teams or mobile activations at the perfect moment.

The way AI is used, however, makes all the difference. The Melbourne Royal Show is a recent example of when things can go wrong.

Their AI-generated billboards rolled out across the city, and while the campaign definitely attracted attention, the distorted visuals were widely criticised and labelled “nightmare fuel”.

This stunt ultimately weakened people's trust in the brand. The issue wasn’t the use of AI itself; it was the decision to let AI replace creatives instead of using it as a tool to support them.

Guerrilla marketing works best when it’s part bold creativity, part careful planning. These tips will help you build a campaign that surprises your audience and delivers results.

The first step to creating a guerrilla marketing campaign, as with any other marketing strategy, is to know your target audience well.

• Run surveys or use social listening to uncover what really grabs your audience's attention.
• Use a CRM and the data within it to segment your audience by location, interest, and behaviour.
• Build detailed personas to help guide your creative direction.

Only by knowing the demographic, behavioural, and psychological characteristics of your consumers will you be able to create an effective and relevant campaign for the public, increasing your chances of success.

One example of a brand showing up when it matters is The Wests Group, an entertainment business in Newcastle that used Salesforce to unify fan and member data across venues and events. That insight helped them deliver location-based SMS on game days, sending kickoff reminders and tailored offers that made their campaigns more personal and timely.

Once you know your target audience, the next step is to define the campaign’s objectives and plan its execution.

• Set SMART goals, define specific outcomes like foot traffic, app downloads, or social shares.
• Use dashboards to monitor real-time performance.
• Make sure your campaign supports broader marketing and business goals.

One example of a brand aligning creative with clear goals can be seen from the beauty company, MECCA. Through their Beauty Loop program, they send customers in-store alerts to collect their yearly box of free beauty products, driving foot traffic into their store.

Don’t forget that guerrilla marketing is a strategy that relies on creativity and innovation. That’s why it’s important to think outside the box and create campaigns that are unusual and surprising.

• Run creative workshops with your team and encourage exploring bold, unusual ideas. Put no limits on your brainstorming.
• Think about your audience’s daily environment. What would stand out?
• Test small-scale activations before committing to a full rollout.

Originality and impact are essential to the success of this strategy, so you need to invest time and resources to create something truly different and memorable.

Digital platforms allow you to create interactive, personalised campaigns with great engagement potential. In addition, technology allows you to measure and monitor campaign results in real-time, which helps you assess the success of your strategy and make adjustments when necessary.

• Add QR codes to physical spaces that link to digital offers or landing pages.
• Set up automated follow-ups in Agentforce Marketing for anyone who interacts.
• Personalise messages based on location, timing, or behaviour.

One brand doing this well is TripADeal. It launched a virtual travel consultant at a public activation in Sydney, letting thousands of people plan trips on the spot. It was a creative way to draw a crowd, spark interaction, and show off the tech in a real-world setting.

Guerrilla marketing is a strategy not based on following market trends, but instead getting ahead and creating something new. Tapping into the right moment makes your campaign more likely to land and be shared.

• Use social listening and analytics tools to spot what your audience cares about.
• Plan ahead for seasonal or cultural events that align with your brand.
• Be flexible with your messaging if something more relevant comes up.

Campaigns in tune with what actually excites their audience are more likely to attract the public’s attention and generate buzz on social media. Just don’t forget your target audience; there is no point in running an action on TikTok if your audience is not there.

Guerrilla marketing works best when it’s part of a bigger plan. The idea might be bold, but it still needs to connect to the rest of your brand. For example, if you are a brand that cares about sustainability, you won’t want to do a campaign that is at odds with that belief.

• Make sure your campaign ties into what you're already doing across email, social, and paid.
• Use Customer 360 to keep your messaging consistent across every channel.
• Loop in marketing and sales teams using Slack so the full experience is smooth.

When your guerrilla campaign aligns with your wider brand strategy, it feels more authentic and has a better chance of turning attention into action.

Finally, measuring the campaign’s results and making adjustments when necessary is essential. This involves monitoring audience engagement, campaign reach, and return on investment. Based on this data, you can assess the strategy’s success and take any learnings forward for your next campaign.

• Set up dashboards in Agentforce Marketing to track reach, engagement, and conversions.
• Collect feedback from people who experienced the campaign, online or in person.
• Use what you learn to tweak future campaigns.

One way to extend the value of in-person activations is to capture content as it happens. Get photos, quotes, or video from participants and repurpose them across your digital channels to keep the momentum going.

Ultimately, guerrilla marketing is an increasingly important strategy for companies that want to stand out in the market and build customer loyalty. With creativity and innovation, it is possible to create impactful and memorable campaigns on a small budget.

Guerrilla marketing is all about getting your brand into the world and making a bold impression. To do it well, you need a clear strategy, smart use of technology, and a strong understanding of your audience.

Salesforce’s Agentforce Sales and Agentforce Marketing can give you the tools to plan, launch, and track campaigns that stand out for all the right reasons. With the right software, you can start building experiences that are creative, connected, and grow your brand.

Our blog and resource centre are always up-to-date with news and content about CRM (including our free, all-in-one CRM built for small businesses), marketing, and sales. For further insights, check out these related articles:

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