They slide and slither in the store aisles, those genius marketers pushing their brands to the consumer. This in a world that’s already over saturated and bombarded with ads to buy this or that. Marketers advertising their products are constantly finding new angles.
There’s an approach that’s referred to as guerrilla marketing. Accusations made by the paranoid and conspiracy theorist consumers, who’s become fed up with these tactics, attempting to make themselves immune from these ad campaigns from the capitalists.
What the majority has now learned is to shelter themselves from the biting teeth of influential advertising, this by ignoring or turning off the deluge of ads that they’re constantly fed, this by traditional and online media sources.
What we’ve been conditioned is to distrust and ignore all forms of advertising, any marketer who blatantly peddles their products at every opportunity they can get, this for the mighty profit.
Advice Marketing
What the marketers now employ instead of flagrant brand advertising, is commissioning a network of “agents” to do the marketing for them. These agents are those expert in service, who you trust and talk to on a daily basis.
They can be your hairdresser, server, blog authors, webmasters, and especially those with a professional designation such as a doctor, dentist, lawyer, or accountant. They’re referred to as “Brand Ambassadors.”
Sales Agents In Disguise
This form of marketing isn’t anything new. This type of influential marketing can be school kids selling cookies for a fund raiser, or your next door neighbor selling cosmetics.
These are anyone who you trust, who you seek advice and information from. This is peer to peer, word of mouth advertising at its grassroots level, hustling goods on the street.
How This Deceptive Marketing Works
These can be ordinary folks you know, other consumers who are incentivized to promote a certain brand, product or service, this from a nonthreatening advice standpoint.
This is innovative marketing refined, as these undercover agents could be interesting individuals you’d like to meet. You strike up a conversation with them, and are suddenly involved in a subtle sales pitch.
Actors are hired as fake tourists who’ll ask others to take photos from their brand new digital camera. These brand ambassadors are present at trade or fashion shows, posing as regular people, complimenting you to like or try their merchandise.
The Long Arm Of Secretive Marketing
You could become involved in consumer panels where you offer your opinion on certain products, where the entire panel are paid employees attempting to sway your opinion. Like in poker, if you can’t spot the sucker in the first 15 minutes, then you are the sucker.
The participants aren’t there to provide or offer their opinion, but to be influenced by the planted agents. Their intention isn’t to canvas, but to completely alter opinions.
Often, well known actors are hired and then staged by big brands to pose near their logo. They’ll stand near a car in places where they know their target market frequents.
Employees in clothing stores will pose as customers, striking up spontaneous conversations regarding particular trendy “must have” items.
Sports hero’s, opinion leaders, community trendsetters are given products to “test,” such as cars, while being frequently photographed or getting them to regularly talk about them. What they’re providing is “social proof,” the worthiness of a product.
Sponsorship Marketing
These uncover advertisers will suddenly conjure up “flash mobs” to admire, praise, and then profit. Others will turn into staged campaigns who are eager to picket or petition, boycott or boo.
Big brands will create and sponsor events such as sporting competitions, with their product prominently displayed, or will plaster their logos on cult hero’s or favorite athletes, projecting the illusion that it was their choice.
There are those who speaks on behalf of the silent majority, the voice for the people, while having their own agenda, representing a product.
They’ll easily command time as the masses will listen, for those who are articulate or curious. What the brand is awarded with is publicity, all in the name of sponsorship.
Undercover Advertising Techniques
What these savvy astute marketers are fascinated with is the contagion, the rapid viral uncontrollable spread of habits, trends, and slogans which are embedded in their logos. What they do is infect others.
These are usually the largest coolest most influential industries and brands in the world, but can also be done by anyone with the right product at the right time, capturing the right message.
What they’ve done is engineered and precisely formulated word-of-mouth advertising, first by making it a science project and then an art form.
To Develop A Following
What some have known to develop is a loyal brand following, this by actually dissecting and then studying the tactics of cults, especially the trance like control that they have over their followers.
This type of behavioral control is conducted in anything from food to finance, and any product or service in between. They use strict informational control by using clever peer to peer based data to connect, instead of the old fashioned propagandist media techniques.
They use thought control methods using influential chants which are backed by the continual indoctrination of a faith healer. Emotional control which encourages fear, guilt, phobias, the up and downs of a roller coaster.
To Influence A Brand
What these guerrilla marketers develop is a following like a religion, stressing exclusivity, the us against the world mentality. They become ambassadors by spreading social love to their friends, while some claim it’s just good old fashioned deception.
So is there grounds for paranoia, is every mystery shopper a paid actor. Is your plumber, hairdresser, or doctor paid to recommend certain products. Most likely yes.