Gearing up for guerilla marketing

Guerilla marketing, a term coined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his popular 1984 book of the same title, has been loosely defined as a body of unconventional ways of pursuing conventional goals. Simply put, this strategy deals with the objective of maximizing profits by minimizing costs.

Initially aimed at helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with little or no marketing budget to speak of, guerilla marketing proved so effective that even large businesses have increasingly adopted these tactics.

Although it has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon, the art of guerilla marketing has only produced a few master trainers in Levinson’s lineage. One of them, William Reed, will showcase and discuss this technique this week before a Philippine audience.

“Traditional advertising, marketing and sales methods are not as effective as they used to be. Though these cost more, the results are increasingly ineffective due to the clutter factor created by various media and messages vying for our attention. Guerilla marketing, however, provides a solution to clear the clutter of marketing messages, by gaining mindshare and standing out in a memorable way,” Reed said.

Guerilla marketing, therefore, banks on creativity and innovativeness rather than a big marketing budget, he said, adding that it is particularly suited to small business and entrepreneurs although it is also being applied by large corporations to increase the effectiveness of their marketing.

But while guerilla marketing has become a sort of household word for many businessmen, putting it to practice is another ball game. Hence the need for a guerilla marketing coach and Reed is certainly one of the world’s best. In fact, Levinson has described Reed as “a winner in every part of life, including his uncanny ability to transform others into winners as well. Anyone who is coached by him will emerge a better person in every way.”

Reed, who has lived in Japan for more than two decades, also has a 7th degree black belt in aikido, which is a martial art that is known for using an opposing force work for your advantage. He has used his deep knowledge in the martial arts in his line of work. As a business artist, he consolidates his experience into powerful shortcuts which have direct applications to success in personal and professional life.

He currently lectures, teaches, and coaches guerrilla marketing to business organizations throughout Japan, and also teaches entrepreneurs overseas in Asia and the United States. He is an opinion leader within the Guerrilla Marketing Association, and also an active member of XL Results Foundation, the largest entrepreneur’s organization in the world. His clients include AIG Korea, DHL Japan, Nippon Boehringer-Ingelheim, Citibank Japan, Nokia Japan, Toshiba, German Chamber of Commerce of Japan, Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo and many others.

Reed will hold a one-time afternoon session on guerilla marketing on Thursday, Jan. 31, at the RCBC Plaza, Level 5 Podium 4, of the RCBC Towers in Ayala Ave., Makati City.

A must for franchisors, franchisees, entrepreneurs, marketing, advertising, and even training professionals, the seminar is organized by the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA). For details, call 687-0365 to 67 or email at [email protected]. The seminar is sponsored jointly by IBM Philippines, The Philippine STAR, Business World and the Business Mirror.