The evolution of Guerilla marketing

The evolution of Guerilla marketing The aim of this research proposal is to critically evaluate how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved to cope with the ever diversifying marketing environment in the current economic recession. This proposal will analyse the effects that the recession has had on Guerrilla Marketing and its applications within the marketing community. The project will deal specifically with the topic of Guerrilla Marketing and how it has evolved to cope with the diversifying marketing environment in the current economic recession, so there must be a series of objectives that will demonstrate how best to achieve the projects aim. Through this research: the effects of the recession on marketing and its trends will be evaluated. the issue of Guerrilla Marketing increasing in its applications naturally over time will be considered Or whether it has increased in correlation to recession and the effects that it has brought to the marketing community will be investigated The extent to which Guerrilla Marketing has or has not replaced existing or more traditional techniques in the current economic climate will be explored. Saunders comments that research objectives are more generally acceptable to the research community as evidence of the researchers clear sense of purpose and direction. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) This will be achieved through a demonstration of why the research is important and has to be conducted. The Literature Review will provide an awareness of preceding literature, a critical review of the literature concerning Guerrilla Marketing in the recession and the key issues arising from these works regarding the aim of the proposal. The Research Methodology will identify how best to conduct the research itself, whether it be through primary or secondary research and how best to analyse and interpret the results. The Proposed Time Scale will detail a timetable for conducting all aspects of the research proposal and project. From this it hoped that there will be a better understanding of how the current economic recession has impacted on the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing, whether it has had to evolve at a faster rate in order to combat the ever changing marketing environment and whether possible changes in marketing budgets that companies have available have had a direct impact on this. Through the implementation of the objectives stated previously, this should be an achievable research project. Importance of the Research Jay Conrad Levinson is widely regarded as the father of Guerrilla Marketing. He has written several books on the topic. He is a former Vice President and Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson Advertising and Leo Burnett Advertising. He is also the chairman of Guerrilla Marketing International. Guerrilla Marketing is defined as Tactics available to every small firm to compete with bigger firms by carving out narrow, profitable niches. These tactics include: 1) extreme specialisation, 2) aiming every effort at favourably impressing the customers, 3) providing service that goes beyond the customers expectation, 4) fast response time, 5) quick turnaround of jobs, and 6) working hours that match the customers requirements. (Business Dictionary 2009) With the tough economic climate, companies are increasingly having to use more cost effective marketing techniques to stay ahead of the competition. This research will expand upon Levinsons previous work and relate the applications and evolution of Guerrilla Marketing to a marketing environment in a recession. Significant Prior Research/ Literature Review The review of the literature on significant prior research is crucial when carrying out a research proposal. In this case, it is important to be aware of studies or research that have been carried out previously on the topic of the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing to cope with the ever diversifying marketing environment in the current economic recession. The analysis of the literature will show that people may support or disprove a particular theory or hypothesis. It is essential in the literature review to be critical, as an argument cannot be made if it just supports one standpoint. It must therefore reflect all sides and aspects of the research topic. The choice of literature to be reviewed is extremely important. It is crucial that all the sources referenced are relevant to the topic area and that they are of suitable academic standard. Several sources of previous literature will now be examined. Guerrilla Marketing During Tough Times is written by famed Guerrilla Marketing author Jay Conrad Levinson. The book is directed at business owners. This book has particular importance as it demonstrates the need for Guerrilla Marketing in increasingly tough economic environments. It comments on the need for there to be better creativity in marketing in times when there are stricter restraints on time and budgets for marketing. He comments that the guerrilla lives by different rules during tough economic times than during boom times. The guerrilla attacks when the competition retreats and the attack is concentrated where the guerrilla offers specific service or product advantages. Levinson goes onto say that retreating companies leave a void in the market, which is an ideal niche for guerrilla marketing companies. (Levinson 2006) Levinson further highlights the necessity for distinction and making the marketing unique. This book is of significance due to the importance Levinson places on being able to market in a way that is more cost effective and time sensitive than competitors. This is all made relevant to the increasingly tough economic climate he comments on which is at the heart of this research proposal. Guerrilla Marketing Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits From Your Small Business is another book from Jay Conrad Levinson. This is a significant piece of literature as it highlights in great detail how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved. The book was published in 2007 and is a seminal piece in the analysis of how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved in the 21st century in relation to traditional marketing methods. The book highlights how in the current economy Guerrilla Marketing combats smarter and more sophisticated competition. (Levinson, Levinson Levinson 2007) It details how to develop a Guerrilla Marketing plan to best deal with competitors. He further highlights the need for innovation and how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved on an ad-hoc basis through various new media such as the internet. This text supports his literature mentioned previously and is central to the aims and objectives of this proposal. Even More Offensive Marketing by Hugh Davidson provides a basis for how marketing strategies have evolved over time. It stresses the need for there to be constant innovation in marketing. Davidson comments that Offensive Marketing requires a dedication to both strategy and planning. (Davidson 1997) This book details how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved out of necessity in order for marketers to be pioneering and ahead of the competition. Although the book makes no direct reference to Guerrilla Marketing, it does provide the foundation for how it has come to play such an important role in current marketing strategies and shows the need for constant innovation in marketing. Ethnography for Marketers is a journal article from Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. This journal is a significant piece of literature as it describes how marketers have become increasingly more reliant upon Guerrilla Marketing techniques through methods such as Ethnography Marketing. It details how the marketing community is increasingly having to adopt new techniques to cope with an ever changing marketing environment. (Desai 2008) Guerrilla marketing is a journal article written by Andrew Ashwin. It is a relevant source for the proposal as Ashwin highlights the fact that guerrilla marketing is an unconventional approach to marketing and has become increasingly popular over recent years. He highlights the link between it and the fact that there are somewhat limited marketing budgets for companies, particular smaller ones. This will draw upon the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing into the recession. (Ashwin 2006) Guerrilla marketing for information services is a journal article from Guido Baltes and Isabell Leibing. The article describes how Guerrilla Marketing is an unconventional strategy. It details major differences in it from traditional marketing methods, such as cost effectiveness and the applications of Guerrilla Marketing towards information services which as time moves further into the 21st century, becomes increasingly more important. (Baltes, Leibing 2008) The IPA Bellwether Summary 2009 from WARC provides up to third quarter information on marketing budgets for the 300 biggest UK companies, it gives reference to the market break down as well. This is a very good source of information. (Whiteside 2009a) Hairy need not apply is a scholars article from Marketing Research which shows the practical applications of Guerrilla Marketing in the current economic climate. The article gives information on a campaign by Air New Zealand that used a Guerrilla Marketing technique in order to speed up queues at check-in order to reduce the layover time in airports, which would make the airline more cost effective. (Grapentine 2009) In order for the literature review to be comprehensive and critical of all aspects of the aims and objectives, other sources of literature that may conflict or appear critical to the literature already listed must be examined. Essentials of Marketing by Jim Blythe is a book of relevance to this research proposal as it describes the essential aspects of marketing. Blythe goes into detail regarding the marketing environment in which companies operate through methods such as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) analysis. (Blythe 2008) This provides a comprehensive account of the factors that may affect or influence which particular style of marketing companies may adopt in light of the economic recession. An example of this would include the Political and Economic effects the recession will have on the evolution or use of Guerrilla Marketing as a marketing strategy. Through the various forms of analysis Blythe can be critical of the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing. Levinsons message behind Guerrilla Marketing is about crushing the potential impact of competition by staying ahead of the competition, yet Blythe comments that there should be more cooperation and not as much fighting between competitors which is contrary to the previous literature from Levinson. Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning by Graham Hooley et al. is a book that is not essentially critical of the increasing use of Guerrilla Marketing as a weapon for marketers in the recession, but rather highlights alternative confrontation marketing strategies. The alternative strategies include Frontal Attack, Flanking Attack, Encirclement Attack and Bypass Strategy. (Hooley, Saunders Piercy 2004) This source is of relevance as it serves to demonstrate that Guerrilla Marketing strategies are not the only option for marketers who wish to have a high impact campaign and that there may not be a direct correlation between the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing and the recession. All the literature that has been mentioned is of direct relevance and importance to the research proposal and the aims and objectives of the report. Research Methodology This section of the research proposal is very important as it indicates how the research on the topic (A critical evaluation of how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved to cope with the ever diversifying marketing environment in the current economic recession) will be carried out. The approach adopted to the research focuses on the aims and objectives. The amount and type of data collected and through what means, will be described and its relevance to the topic clarified. The methodology provides the avenue through which results can be analysed and interpreted. Phase 1 The first phase of the methodology is to conduct a literature review. The literature review shows what prior research has or has not been carried out. It shows the extent to which research has been carried out and will help to formulate a structure for the collection and analysis of data, whether it be primary or secondary sources of data. The literature review was carried out previously, there are several seminal pieces of literature that are of specific importance to the research. Levinson has written several books on Guerrilla Marketing. He makes particular reference to the diversifying nature of the marketing environment and how Guerrilla Marketing is used as a method for attracting and keeping customers. Several other sources mentioned highlight the practical application Guerrilla Marketing with particular reference to the effect of recession and the effects it is having upon existing or traditional marketing trends. However in order for the literature review to be objective, sources have been examined that are critical of the standpoints taken by Levinson and other authors in regard to Guerrilla Marketing. The nature of this research will be inductive as it will provide the basis to fulfil the aims and objectives of the research project. The nature of the research topic is such that no clear hypothesis can be made. The data will be collected and examined and patterns will be sought within the data. The inductive approach will allow for the adoption of different research techniques that will enable the research to cater for the restrictions on time, access to information and types of analysis used to interpret the results. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) The research onion below can help to show which research strategies will be used and why. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009, Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009, Levinson, Levinson Levinson 2007) Phase 2 In order to fully understand the research project and make it accurate, the proposal must centre on the questions that need answered and the objectives of the research. The aims and objectives are essentially the research question: The research project will deal specifically with the topic of Guerrilla Marketing and how it has evolved to cope with the diversifying marketing environment in the current economic recession. So in order to fulfil the aim of this project there must be a series of objectives that will demonstrate how best to go about achieving the aims. Through this research an evaluation of the effects of the recession in marketing and its trends will examined. Has Guerrilla Marketing increased in its applications naturally over time? Or has it increased in correlation to recession and the effects that it has brought to the marketing community. The examination of the extent to which Guerrilla Marketing has or has not replaced existing or more traditional techniques in the current economic climate. Therefore the design of the research to be carried out must reflect the type of data that will be collected and how the results will be analysed and interpreted. Extracting the right answers lies in the design approach. (Jankowicz 2005) This research will be an exploratory study of the evaluation of how Guerrilla Marketing has evolved to cope with the ever diversifying marketing environment in the current economic recession. Adams and Schvaneveldt comment that exploratory research can be likened to the activities of the explorer or traveller. The major advantage with such an approach, is that it is flexible and adaptable to change. This research design allows for freedom to change direction in the light of new data or information that may appear. (Adams, Schvaneveldt 1991) Whilst the initial direction of the study may be broad, it will become narrower as the research process continues. Phase 3 The Research Strategy must address the aims and objectives of the proposal. The objectives of the proposal (below) will help to determine what level of secondary data must be analysed and interpreted in order to best show what type of primary data should be collected. Through this research an evaluation of the effects of the recession in marketing and its trends will examined. Has Guerrilla Marketing increased in its applications naturally over time? Or has it increased in correlation to recession and the effects that it has brought to the marketing community. The examination of the extent to which Guerrilla Marketing has or has not replaced existing or more traditional techniques in the current economic climate. In order to fulfil the aims and objectives of this research proposal, (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) comments that it is prudent to reanalyse data that has already been collected for some other purpose. This data is known as secondary data. Secondary data can include figures, reports and published work. With the nature of this study in relation to the recession, comparative data available from databases will be crucial. Secondary data has many advantages; the data is of high quality i.e. is peer reviewed, it can be comparative and longitudinal thus helping to show possible trends over an extended period of time. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) The literature mentioned in the literature review will provide a foundation for the research. Several of the works relate directly to the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing. They are known as Documentary Secondary data. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) The opinions and standpoints that scholars and experts take on the area of research play a huge role in the development and refinement of the research. The quality of the data that is analysed will have a huge bearing on the validity of the research. These literary sources will provide information on the evolution of Guerrilla Marketing against traditional marketing techniques. A Keynote report Direct Marketing 2009 is a very useful source of secondary data as it gives a large amount of information on the market size of the marketing industry, what sectors have been affected by the recession, how budgets have been altered and how trends have been affected by the recession. (Keynote 2009) Another Keynote report which is of great value to the research is Direct Marketing Services 2008. It gives the accounts filed for 3 years of marketing companies and agencies up to April 2007. This report will provide a lot of accurate and up to date information on marketing activities leading up to the recession. For companies to be included in the report they must generate 50% of their turnover from activities relating to the report and be of significant size within the industry. (Keynote 2008b) B2B Marketing 2008 from Keynote gives information on marketing trends and how B2B marketing compares to B2C marketing. This report will highlight possible trends that can be drawn from the research. (Keynote 2008a) The IPA Bellwether Report 2009 from WARC provides up to third quarter information on marketing budgets for the 300 biggest UK companies, it gives reference to the market breakdown as well. This is a very good piece of secondary data. This report will help in the drawing of conclusions from the research. (Whiteside 2009a) Recession Marketing again from WARC provides a series of articles on Recession Innovation, Consumer Behaviour, Consumer Recovery, Better Budgeting and Plans for the Downturn. These articles give particular reference to the effects of the recession on marketing trends and the evolution of offensive marketing techniques. (Whiteside 2009b) The collection of secondary data within this study should ultimately lead to the collection of primary data. The collection of primary data will be achieved through interviews. But who will be interviewed, why and what topics will be covered in the interviews relative to the aims and objectives of the research? The importance of the interview is to gather qualitative information on the research topic. A qualitative interview is a term used for unstructured and or semi-structured interviews aimed at gathering qualitative data. Qualitative data is data that does not have a direct numerical value as it has not been quantified. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) In order to gather information of the highest validity and reliability, a wide range of interviews will take place. With this in mind, the degree of access to possible interviewees plays a huge role in the interview selection. The sampling strategy for the interviews is very important. It will not be feasible to interview every marketing company within the UK or every company that has used Guerrilla Marketing within the UK. As such, the interview sample will be a non-probability sample. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) This is because for the research to be of the highest possible validity and reliability the interviews will not be selected statistically. Since the sample must be reflective of the aims and objectives of the research, it will be a Purposive sample. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) Two representatives from the Chartered Institute of Marketing have been contacted and are willing to give interviews. These representatives will give valuable insight into the developing trends within marketing. M2S Consultancy from Portadown will provide valuable insight into the area of B2B planning and marketing in Northern Ireland IAS Smarts is an advertising company that has carried out notable advertising campaigns within the non-profit sector in Northern Ireland A representative from Invest NI from will be able to provide data on the effects of offensive marketing strategies for companies in Northern Ireland and information on possible correlations within marketing in the recession Millward Brown, a marketing company in Northern Ireland that has a contract with Newtownabbey Borough Council, will provide valuable insight into the extent to which Guerrilla Marketing is a feasible marketing strategy for public sector organisations. A representative from The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising can provide valuable insight into whether the applications of Guerrilla Marketing have evolved naturally over time or in correlation to the recession. A representative from Virgin Atlantics marketing department can give information from the aspect of a company that has used Guerrilla Marketing techniques in previous campaigns . The extent to which the campaigns have been a success or failure will be relative to possible turnover figure and quarterly reports. The interviews will be non-standardised and semi-structured in format. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) This format will allow for information on a wide a varying topic area to be gathered from participants who have wide ranging areas of expertise and can provide information covering the aims and objectives of the proposal. The semi-structured format will allow for the omission or inclusion of particular topics relative to each interviewee. The qualitative nature of the interviews will provide the ability to probe for in-depth information and gain a better understanding of the research collected previously from the secondary data. For the interviews to yield the best information a pilot of the interviews will be run with two representatives from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a representative from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. From the pilot, feedback will be gathered and possible changes made to interview structures and topic areas covered before the fina l interviews are carried out. The interviews will cover a broad range of topics that are ethical to the research. The topics areas will allow for the interviewees to expand on topics depending on their particular area of expertise. The topics covered will be relative to the aims and objectives. Here is a broad outline of the topics to be covered: The extent of their involvement in marketing Their role within said organisation What the organisations role is The extent of their knowledge of Guerrilla Marketing and its applications Opinions on Guerrilla Marketing in the marketing community The evolution of marketing strategiesnaturally or as a correlation with the restrictions. The extent to which traditional marketing techniques have been replaced by Guerrilla Marketing The longevity of Guerrilla Marketing Strategies The extent to which it has helped said organisation Possible marketing strategies, post-recession The effect the recession has had on said organisation and what marketing strategies have been adopted. From this qualitative research it is hoped that a sufficient amount of data can be gathered, along with the secondary data, that results can be formulated and the aims and objectives of this inductive study can be met. Phase 4 The next phase of the methodology is the analysis and interpretation of the results using the data gathered previously. The structure and nature of the secondary sources is such that, it is hoped possible trends or correlations may appear. This research is based upon qualitative research and although it has no direct numerical value, the data still needs to be interpreted and understood. The first stage is then to transcribe the interviews. The interviews will be audio recorded and then word processed. The nature in which the interviews are going to take place will require that notes are taken on interviewee appearance, attitude and facial expressions when talking about certain topics relative to the study. As the research is following an inductive and exploratory approach it is not necessary to have clearly defined theoretical framework. Instead relationships can be identified between the data and hypothesis developed to test these. Theory emerges from the process of data collection and analysis. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) go on to highlight three main ways of grouping data: Categorisation of meanings The structure of meanings, using narration The condensation of meanings. Using the three types of data processing mentioned earlier along with analytic aids such as summaries or a researchers diary, this should enable the qualitative data to be reliable and valid. From the data there should be a comprehension of the results, an integration of related data drawn from different sources, key or recurring themes should be identified for further exploration, theories should be tested based on these patterns and conclusions drawn from the results gathered. (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill 2009) Timetable In order to conduct the research project to the highest possible standard a timetable for the completion of each stage of the research process is crucial. The timetable has to be realistic considering the amount of work to be completed, the amount of access to data and data processing. Week 1 4th January 2010 (1 week) Formulate Research Idea Week 2 11th February 2010 (1 week) Outline Aims and Objectives of Research Week 3 18th January 2010 (2 weeks) Literature Read Week 4 25th January 2010 Week 5 1st February 2010 (2 weeks) Start writing Literature Review Week 6 8th February 2010 Week 7 15th February 2010 (2 weeks) Collect Secondary and Primary Data Week 8 22nd February 2010 Week 9 1st March 2010 (2 weeks) Write up and Analysis of Data Week 10 8th March 2010 Week 11 15th March 2010 (1 week) Finish and submit draft for feedback Week 12 22nd March 2010 (1 week) Submit finished and corrected project The timetable should provide a rough outline for the completion of the project and will allow enough time to complete each section of the report.