Guerrilla marketing on Facebook: A mixed-method study on the effects on brand image and content sharing intentions

Authors

Keywords:

guerrilla marketing campaigns, unconventional marketing, ambush marketing, ambient marketing, invisible marketing, Facebook user behavior, publicity

Abstract

Guerrilla marketing is an alternative way to communicate with customers, by using creative and unexpected messages and channels to stand out in the marketing communication crowd. Despite practitioners’ growing interest on the topic, the contributions in the literature are still scarce. This study aims to explore the impacts of guerrilla marketing campaigns on Facebook on brand image and content sharing intentions. A mixed method research was adopted. The first phase had a more exploratory nature and used focus groups to analyse customers’ perceptions and responses towards guerrilla marketing campaigns. It was followed by a quantitative study of 256 Portuguese consumers that answered an online survey after being exposed to a guerrilla marketing campaign on Facebook. Results suggest that customer interaction with guerrilla marketing on Facebook depends on content’s characteristics, namely the message appeal. While humour appeal enhances the relationship with customers by increasing the level of interaction, negative appeals (e.g., perceived as offensive) generate adverse reactions. This study also shows that frequent Facebook users have a greater predisposition to interact with guerrilla marketing content.

Author Biographies

  • Belem Barbosa, University of Porto

    Belem Barbosa received her PhD in Business and Management Studies - specialisation in Marketing and Strategy from the University of Porto, Portugal. She is Assistant Professor at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Porto. She is a member of GOVCOPP, the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy. Her research interests lie primarily in the area of consumer behaviour and internet marketing.

  • Anabela Rocha, University of Aveiro

    Anabela Rocha has a Master Degree in Probability and Statistics from the University of Lisbon and a Ph.D in Mathematics - Specialization in Probability and Statistics from the University of Aveiro. She is Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Accounting and Administration of the University of Aveiro and collaborator with the Probability and Statistics research group of the Center for Research & Development in Mathematics and Applications (CIDMA). Her research areas are robustness, simultaneous equations models, computational statistics, and multivariate statistics.

  • Leandro Pina, University of Aveiro

    Leandro Pina earned a MSc in Marketing from the University of Aveiro. His professional career is devoted to digital marketing communication.

References

Beatty, W. (2018). Decision Support Using Nonparametric Statistics. Cham: Springer.

Bryman, A. (2016). Social Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Castronovo, C., & Huang, L. (2012). Social media in an alternative marketing communication model. Journal of marketing development and competitiveness, 6(1), 117-134.

Chadwick, S., & Burton, N. (2011). The evolving sophistication of ambush marketing: A typology of strategies. Thunderbird International Business Review, 53(6), 709-719.

Chun, J. W., & Lee, M. J. (2016). Increasing individuals' involvement and WOM intention on Social Networking Sites: Content matters! Computers in Human Behavior, 60, 223-232.

Dahlén, M., Granlund, A., & Grenros, M. (2009). The consumer-perceived value of non-traditional media: Effects of brand reputation, appropriateness and expense. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26(3), 155-163.

Derbaix, C., & Vanhamme, J. (2003). Inducing word-of-mouth by eliciting surprise: A pilot investigation. Journal of economic psychology, 24(1), 99-116.

Dimmick, J., Ramirez Jr, A., Wang, T., & Lin, S.-F. (2007). Extending society': The role of personal networks and gratification-utilities in the use of interactive communication media. New Media & Society, 9(5), 795-810.

Dinh, T. D., & Mai, K. N. (2016). Guerrilla marketing’s effects on Gen Y’s word-of-mouth intention: A mediation of credibility. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 28(1), 4-22.

Finne, Å., & Strandvik, T. (2012). Invisible communication: A challenge to established marketing communication. European Business Review, 24(2), 120-133.

Holbrook, M. B., & Batra, R. (1987). Assessing the role of emotions as mediators of consumer responses to advertising. Journal of consumer research, 14(3), 404-420.

Hutter, K. (2015). Unusual location and unexpected execution in advertising: A content analysis and test of effectiveness in ambient advertisements. Journal of Marketing Communications, 21(1), 33-47.

Hutter, K., & Hoffmann, S. (2011). Guerrilla marketing: The nature of the concept and propositions for further research. Asian Journal of Marketing, 5(2), 39-54.

Keiningham, T. L., Rust, R. T., Lariviere, B., Aksoy, L., & Williams, L. (2018). A roadmap for driving customer word-of-mouth. Journal of Service Management, 29(1), 2-38. doi:10.1108/josm-03-2017-0077

Ladhari, R. (2007). The effect of consumption emotions on satisfaction and word?of?mouth communications. Psychology & Marketing, 24(12), 1085-1108.

Levinson, J. C. (1984). Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Levinson, J. C. (2007). Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Levinson, J. C., & Gibson, S. (2010). Guerrilla Social Media Marketing: 100+ Weapons to Grow your Online Influence, Attract Customers, and Drive Profits. Irvine: Entrepreneur Press.

Levinson, J. C., & Rubin, C. (1995). Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet: Complete Guide to Making Money on-Line. London: Piatkus.

Olney, T. J., Holbrook, M. B., & Batra, R. (1991). Consumer responses to advertising: The effects of ad content, emotions, and attitude toward the ad on viewing time. Journal of consumer research, 17(4), 440-453.

Rosengren, S., Modig, E., & Dahlén, M. (2015). The value of ambient communication from a consumer perspective. Journal of Marketing Communications, 21(1), 20-32.

Sajoy, P. B. (2013). Guerrilla marketing: A theoretical review. Indian Journal of Marketing, 43(4), 42-47.

Strutton, D., Taylor, D. G., & Thompson, K. (2011). Investigating generational differences in e-WOM behaviours: For advertising purposes, does X= Y? International Journal of Advertising, 30(4), 559-586.

Verma, J. (2012). Data Analysis in Management with SPSS Software. New Dehli: Springer.

Yan, R. L. S., Rashid, R. A., & Mohamed, S. B. (2017). A Systematic review of unconventional advertising strategies for business proliferation. International Journal of Applied Business and Economic Research, 15(15), 545-551.

Downloads

Published

31.07.2023

Issue

Section

Business/Management: Research Papers

How to Cite

Guerrilla marketing on Facebook: A mixed-method study on the effects on brand image and content sharing intentions. (2023). Tourism & Management Studies, 18(3), 37-47. https://www.tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/1684

Most read articles by the same author(s)