What the modern day “snake-oil” salesman will do, is slither and slide down the store aisles, appear in media or the Internet to push their goods. What these genius marketers do for a living, is slyly peddle their particular brands to the consumer.
This in a world that’s already over saturated with advertising to buy this or that. So because of this excess, marketers are always searching for new angles to advertise.
This approach is known as guerrilla marketing. These are the accusations made by the paranoid and conspiracy theorist consumers, who are fed up with these tactics.
They now just ignore these aggressive ad campaigns, from those dastard capitalists.
What the majority are now doing, is sheltering themselves from the gnawing teeth of influential advertising.
They do so by ignoring or turning off the deluge of ads that they’re constantly fed, this by mainstream and online media sources.
What we the consumer have been conditioned to, is don’t trust them, as we learn to turn a blind eye to all forms of promotion.
The belief being, all marketers will blatantly solicit their products at every opportunity they can, this for the almighty dollar. To squeeze out a profit.
New Methods Of Marketing
One option marketers now employ instead of flagrant brand advertising, is commissioning a network of “agents” to do the marketing for them.
These agents are usually well known public figures, the “celebrity” types who you trust or see on a daily basis.
This can be your hairdresser, server, blog authors, webmasters. 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 over coffee.
These are people 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, common consumers like you and I who are instead incentivized to promote a certain brand, product or service. This from a nonthreatening “advice” standpoint.
This is innovative marketing refined, as these undercover agents can also be interesting individuals you’d like to meet.
You strike up a conversation with them, and are suddenly entranced by a subtle sales pitch.
For instance, actors are hired as fake tourists, who’ll ask others to take photos from their brand new digital camera they’re representing.
These brand ambassadors are present at trade forums or fashion shows, posing as regular people, complimenting you to like or try their merchandise.
The Long Arm Of Secretive Marketing
There are consumer panels in a meeting room of seemingly other consumers just like you, where you are asked to offer your opinion on certain products.
Unknown to you, the entire panel are paid employees or actors attempting to sway your opinion.
Like in poker, if you can’t spot the “sucker” at the table in the first 15 minutes, you are the sucker.
The participants aren’t there to provide or offer their opinion, but are “planted” agents there to influence you. Their intention is to completely sway your opinion.
Often, well known actors are hired by big brands, to pose near their logo for a photo op. They’ll stand near a new car for instance, 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 as you talk about them.
What they’re providing is “social proof,” just to peer-to-peer promote the worthiness of a product.
Sponsorship Marketing
These uncover advertisers will suddenly conjure up “flash mobs” to admire, praise, and then profit from. 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.
They will unabashedly plaster their logos on cult hero’s or favorite athletes, projecting the illusion 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 and profit.
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. It 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 they have over their followers.
This type of behavioral control is conducted anywhere 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.
What this commands is emotional control which encourages fear, guilt, phobias. The up and downs of a roller coaster.
To Influence A Brand
What these shrewd marketers develop is a following like a religion, stressing exclusivity, the us against the world mentality.
They become brand ambassador 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. Yes, they certainly can be.