35 Bold Examples of Guerrilla Marketing That Inspire

 

What do brands like Spotify, Tesla, and Bottega Veneta have in common? They all know how to create unforgettable moments through guerrilla marketing. These unconventional campaigns spark conversation, generate earned media, and often make a big impact without requiring a massive ad budget.

From citywide stunts to clever cultural tie-ins, guerrilla marketing has become a reliable way for brands to grab attention. And for event leaders, these ideas can inspire memorable activations at conferences, trade shows, and live experiences.

What you’ll learn in this post:

• What guerrilla marketing is and why it works
• The benefits and pitfalls of running a guerrilla activation
• 35 examples of guerrilla marketing campaigns you can learn from
• How to adapt these ideas to your next event strategy

What is guerrilla marketing

Guerrilla marketing is a cost-effective strategy that relies on creativity and surprise rather than large budgets. It uses inventive, sometimes disruptive tactics to catch people off guard and spark conversation about a brand, product, or idea.

Unlike traditional advertising, guerrilla campaigns often blur the lines between promotion and experience, similar to many innovative experiential event ideas that surprise and delight audiences. When executed well, they create buzz, build brand awareness, and generate word-of-mouth and user-generated content.

Why invest in guerrilla marketing

Investing in guerrilla marketing signals that your brand is willing to stand out. These campaigns:

• Increase brand recall by surprising audiences in everyday settings.
• Build community by inviting participation, conversation, and sharing.
• Deliver outsized earned media compared to the spend.

For event leaders, guerrilla marketing can complement your event strategy, drawing attendees in, extending reach beyond the venue, and creating content that lives long after the activation.

The ground rules: do’s, don’ts, and risk checks

Guerrilla marketing looks easy, but missteps can damage a brand’s reputation. Before you start:

• Get permissions where needed — especially for public space or building projections.
• Prioritize safety and accessibility — no stunt is worth risking harm.
• Stay on-brand — the tactic should align with your values.
• Anticipate backlash — test ideas internally and plan responses.

How to measure success without a giant ad budget

Even unconventional campaigns need metrics. Event leaders can track:

• Social reach, shares, and engagement
• Earned media coverage
• Branded search lift
• Leads captured via QR codes, microsites, or event tie-ins
• Direct on-site engagement (foot traffic, participation)

Lightweight attribution tips — often part of a broader field marketing strategy — help connect guerrilla activations to pipeline and ROI.

35 Bold Examples of Guerrilla Marketing

Below are standout campaigns organized by theme. Each shows how creativity can capture attention, along with a key takeaway you can adapt.

Culture and entertainment

1. Spotify’s cosmic playlists

Source: Spotify

Spotify has made a name for itself by turning listening data into cultural moments. Its year-end “Wrapped” campaign is practically a ritual at this point, but the company has also explored more niche plays. In 2019, Spotify teamed up with astrologer Chani Nicholas to create “Cosmic Playlists” based on horoscopes. Each playlist reflected the astrological themes for that month, blending entertainment with personalization. The stunt generated coverage across lifestyle and music media outlets and reinforced Spotify’s brand as culturally attuned and audience-first.

Takeaway: Repurpose successful formats with a creative twist.

2. Hereditary’s creepy dolls

Guests at a midnight screening found eerie dolls outside their hotel doors the next morning, fueling conversation and online buzz. The scare blurred the line between movie and real life, making the film unforgettable.

Takeaway: Lean into your genre — in this case, fear drove awareness.

3. The Nun’s YouTube scare ad

A jump-scare trailer ran as an unskippable ad until YouTube banned it for being “too scary.” Instead of hurting the campaign, the ban itself became the story, sparking conversation across entertainment outlets and social media. The film ultimately grossed over $365 million globally.

Takeaway: Sometimes restrictions amplify attention.

4. Deadpool’s Tinder profile

The anti-hero popped up on dating apps, in bars, and even on spoof posters for other films. The cheeky tone resonated with fans and matched the irreverent brand voice of the movie franchise.

Takeaway: Humor and character-led tactics can extend beyond the screen.

5. Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan campaign (2025)

Instead of leaning on glossy billboards, Chalamet promoted A Complete Unknown through lo-fi tactics that felt authentic. He was spotted riding a rental bike through New York, surprising fans with impromptu appearances, and leaning into the organic nature of paparazzi coverage. These moments went viral, proving that authenticity and spontaneity can resonate more with younger audiences than polished ad buys.

Takeaway: Low-budget authenticity can generate outsized cultural buzz.

6. Solange revives BlackPlanet

Solange Knowles brought attention to a dormant social network with artistic videos tied to an album launch.

Takeaway: Sometimes resurrecting old platforms creates new conversations.

7. Aphex Twin’s cryptic logos

The artist teased album releases with graffiti, projections, and blimps in major cities.

Takeaway: Build anticipation with recognizable symbols.

8. Childish Gambino’s ice cream trucks

Ice cream trucks giving away free ice cream blasted Childish Gambino’s ‘Feels Like Summer’ EP, creating long lines and photo ops.

Takeaway: Connect seasonal offerings with shareable experiences.

Food and beverage

9. IHOP becomes IHOb

The pancake house briefly rebranded as the International House of Burgers to promote a new menu. The internet exploded with memes, ridicule, and debates over whether the move was genius or misguided. While the stunt boosted awareness of the burger launch, it also highlighted the risks of tampering with a beloved brand identity.

Takeaway: Big swings grab attention, but weigh brand risk.

10. Burger King’s influencer stunt

Burger King liked influencers’ decade-old tweets to promote funnel cake fries, generating both buzz and backlash.

Takeaway: Consider how participants will react before hijacking content.

11. Wendy’s rap battle with Wingstop

Wendy’s engaged in a playful rap battle on Twitter, showing off social savvy.

Takeaway: A strong social team can amplify low-cost stunts.

12. Carlsberg’s beer caviar

Carlsberg created caviar made from beer during the World Cup, earning global headlines.

Takeaway: Tie products to cultural events in unexpected ways.

13. Domino’s paving for pizza

Domino’s spotted a customer pain point — potholes causing pizza toppings to slide around in delivery boxes — and addressed it directly. The company launched a “Paving for Pizza” initiative, fixing roads in towns across the U.S. The stunt wasn’t just quirky; it was practical, earned national media coverage, and reframed Domino’s as a brand that cared about the entire delivery experience.

Takeaway: Solve everyday problems creatively.

Tech and gadgets

14. Tesla’s $0 budget mindset

Tesla rarely invests in traditional advertising, yet it remains one of the most talked-about brands in the world. Its guerrilla-style approach has included everything from giving away patents to viral fan videos of autopilot tests. In 2018, Elon Musk even launched a Tesla Roadster into space with SpaceX, generating headlines worldwide. While not every company can match that scale, Tesla proves the power of repeated, buzzworthy stunts.

Takeaway: A series of stunts can build a lasting guerrilla reputation.

15. AMD spoils Intel’s party

AMD hijacked Intel’s 40th anniversary giveaway by offering its own high-performance processors to winners.

Takeaway: Use competitor milestones to spotlight your strengths.

16. Mous’ viral drop test

To showcase the strength of its smartphone cases, Mous bought brand-new iPhones and dropped them from buildings and onto sidewalks in busy city centers. Onlookers gasped as the phones survived, and the videos went viral online. By dramatizing a customer fear in public spaces, Mous demonstrated its value proposition in the most visceral way possible.

Takeaway: Turn customer fears into demonstrations of value.

17. Samsung’s Appel giveaway

Samsung gifted Galaxy S9s to all residents of the Dutch town Appel, cleverly riffing on Apple.

Takeaway: Local plays can punch above their weight when tied to competition.

Retail and CPG

18. Payless as Palessi

Payless Shoes created a fake luxury boutique, “Palessi,” stocked it with its standard shoes, and invited influencers and fashion insiders to shop. Shoppers praised the design and paid hundreds of dollars for shoes that normally retailed for under $40. The stunt generated massive media coverage and sparked conversations about perception in fashion. While it didn’t ultimately save the struggling brand, it remains a masterclass in flipping expectations.

Takeaway: Shifting context can highlight product positioning.

19. Lidl’s billboard takeover

Placed ads mocking competitors’ prices right next to their stores.

Takeaway: Strategic placement matters as much as messaging.

20. Vitaminwater’s fake films
Vitamin water ran ads for non-existent movies on Rotten Tomatoes to surprise audiences.

Takeaway: Subverting expectations gets noticed when done playfully.

21. Bottega Veneta’s paparazzi campaign (2024)

Instead of launching a traditional ad campaign, Bottega Veneta dressed celebrities like Kendall Jenner and A$AP Rocky in its new collection and let paparazzi capture the moments. The images circulated organically in street-style media before the brand repurposed them for official campaigns. The result: authenticity layered with strategy.

Takeaway: Earned media can be designed, not just discovered.

Travel, mobility, and urban plays

22. Sixt’s “Sixt Avenue” takeover

Sixt Rent-a-Car briefly rebranded New York’s Sixth Avenue with signs and a car parade.

Takeaway: Location-based wordplay can be amplified visually.

23. Floating barge billboards in New York

Ballyhoo Media gained attention but were shut down due to legality issues.

Takeaway: Always check local regulations before launching activations.

Sports and national moments

24. Caltex becomes CahillTex

Caltex rebranded gas stations in honor of footballer Tim Cahill during the World Cup.

Takeaway: Tap into fandom with bold tributes.

25. Fiji Water’s red carpet photobomb

At the Golden Globes, model Kelleth Cuthbert, nicknamed “Fiji Girl”, appeared in the background of celebrity photos while holding trays of Fiji Water. The images spread across social media and news outlets, turning the water brand into the unexpected star of the night. Fiji didn’t pay for ad space, it leveraged positioning.

Takeaway: Strategic placement is as powerful as the message itself.

Hospitality, restaurants, and local buzz

26. A&E Supply Co.’s chalk logos

Brooklyn restaurant A&E Supply Co. tagged sidewalks with chalk in Brooklyn to promote the restaurant. Locals viewed it as vandalism.

Takeaway: Guerrilla stunts can backfire if they feel intrusive.

27. Chipotle’s burrito baby shower

Chipotle turned a spontaneous birth in its parking lot into a PR-positive celebration.

Takeaway: Seize authentic moments and make them brand-relevant.

Nonprofits and advocacy

28. PETA’s anti-Canada Goose campaign

PETA used shocking visuals in downtown Toronto to draw attention to animal cruelty.

Takeaway: Sometimes shock tactics are necessary for advocacy.

Art, publishing, and surprise placements

29. Author’s rogue posters
An author plastered Penguin Random House’s windows with ads for his own book.

Takeaway: Align your tactics with your brand story.

30. GoldToe’s statue fashion week

GoldToe dressed New York statues in underwear during Fashion Week.

Takeaway: Playfully remix cultural icons for maximum visibility.

Telco, finance, and unexpected stunts

31. Circles.Life’s $3 vending machine

Data provider, Circles.Life, dispensed $50 bills for $3, creating massive buzz in Singapore.

Takeaway: Money grabs attention, but crowd control matters.

32. Homie’s political-style signs

Real estate brand mimicked political campaign posters, which led to legal pushback.

Takeaway: Politics is risky terrain — tread carefully.

Quick-hit micro stunts

33. Subway’s subliminal sandwiches

Subway projected giant sandwich images onto buildings in Chicago.

Takeaway: Ambient visuals can surprise urban audiences.

34. Anytime Fitness’s purple bikes

Anytime Fitness placed purple bikes around town to spark curiosity.

Takeaway: Small touches with consistent branding can deliver local impact.

35. Gigil’s award-winning stunts (2024)

Philippines-based agency Gigil has become a creative powerhouse, producing guerrilla-style campaigns that spark national conversation. In one campaign, vending machines dispensed cheeky surprises linked to a brand message; in another, billboards were cut around landmarks or simply electrical poles. These playful, award-winning activations showed how smaller markets can generate global buzz through smart creative.

Takeaway: Global inspiration can shape your local strategy.

How to adapt these ideas for B2B events

While many of these examples come from consumer brands, the same principles apply to B2B event leaders. These consumer-style stunts can be translated into B2B brand activation ideas:

• Conference surprises: Add unexpected interactive installations in hallways.
• Trade show activations: Use playful projections or live art to stand out.
• Executive experiences: Offer exclusive “easter eggs” for VIP attendees.
• Community plays: Launch social media challenges tied to event hashtags.

For example, adding corporate event entertainment ideas like live art or interactive performances can extend guerrilla-style engagement into formal events.

A simple planning checklist

Before running a guerrilla activation, confirm:

• Permissions and permits
• Safety, accessibility, and crowd management
• Props, staffing, and contingency planning
• Social toolkits for amplification
• Metrics for measuring reach and impact

Don’t forget interactive tools like event gamification, which can turn guerrilla activations into measurable engagement.

Recap: make small budgets do big things

Guerrilla marketing proves that memorable ideas don’t need massive budgets. When done right, these stunts drive buzz, amplify events, and deliver ROI. The best campaigns are bold, surprising, and true to the brand.

Bring bold ideas to life with Bizzabo

Ready to put guerrilla ideas into action? Bizzabo helps you design experiential activations that grab attention, capture leads, and prove ROI across every touchpoint. Request a demo today.

FAQs about guerrilla marketing

*This article was originally written in 2021 and has been updated for content accuracy.