Leech Marketing Labeled as “Creative” and “Guerilla”
Leech marketing has been an issue for event marketers forever. There’s a serious perception problem out there because posts like this that tout that “You, too, can get edge on the cheap” are completely oblivious to the long-term ramifications of their actions.
One way to counter this thinking is to offer sponsorships at all budget levels that allow even small companies to participate in the event. But it’s also up to us to educate companies within the industry we serve about the fact that if everyone hosted “a massive tailgate outside the venue in a Airstream draped in your logo,” eventually there would be no event left at which they could be “creative.”
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm |
Hi, Tim – I appreciate your point of view. Chris and Ponzi do a great job with their events. It’s a reason why in large part we did the road trip to Gnomedex. We wanted to get people to Gnomedex and provide a way for attendees to see Gnomedex in even higher regard than they already did. Chris and Ponzi greeted the Gnomedex bus upon our arrival. We took attenedees out after the end of the sessions on the first day. We came back and went directly to the Gnomedex party. We were mindful of returning to allow more than plenty of time to enjoy the Gnomedex festivities. The people on the bus loved it. They were all Gnomedex attendees. They said they got more out of the event than they ever expected. We did not interfere with any of the sessions. There was no tailgate party. We took people up on the bus from Portland, had a little field trip during the conference free time and drove the attendees home.
I see your perspective but I think there is a distinction between “leech” marketing and activities that celebrate the show in the main tent. Our goal was to enhance Gnomedex, create new connections and embark upon a journey that was memorable for all.
November 1st, 2008 at 4:04 am |
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January 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pm |
Was it a creative idea? Yes.
Was there excitement? Was it effective? Yes. Yes.
The disagreement is what happens if EVERYONE were to do this at trade shows. It would be pure anarchy, a marketing circus that might not end as we might imagine in the idealist guerrilla marketers’ world.
Working for a tradeshow company, I’m actually NOT a huge fan of the regulations and expense that many of the convention halls today. There are plenty of creative things you can do, however, to have a cost-effective trade show experience. The spirit of this story is rich, but by the same token that we can’t ALL act this way, NOT EVERYONE WILL. I think the lesson is, start thinking of guerrilla tactics in terms of trade shows.
Beyond that, there isn’t anything really fresh about the linked article. What’s this “Spacebook” you speak of?