Definition:
Street marketing is a marketing technique that brings products or services directly to customers in a public place. Intended to attract attention and create noise, this type of marketing deviates from typical advertising methods and can often be unconventional in its execution. Street marketing can be an effective way to target valuable customers for a company’s strategic plan by going to a specific place frequented by them. It can also be the way for a company to increase awareness of its brand by making a memorable impression on consumers.
There are many different ways to do street marketing. This strategy is actually outdated in a way, as it dates back to the practice in which merchants sold their wares on the street. But the strategies for street marketing have evolved and on many occasions it is confused with ‘ambient marketing’, one of the actions included within what is known as ‘guerrilla marketing’.
Differences between street marketing and ‘guerrilla marketing’
Ambient marketing uses strategies that aim to surprise the potential customer with low-cost actions very close to him, but that do not necessarily have to be developed on the street or in an open space. It takes advantage of the architectural elements and, in this sense, its main difference with the ‘street marketing’ is that the first is usually static and the second seeks interaction with the public with artificially added elements.
Benefits of street marketing
One of the main advantages of street marketing is that it can be directed directly to the target audience. For example, for a restaurant or bar that is trying to attract university students in summer it would be advisable to place some kind of advertisement on the beach during a sunny afternoon, as Sprite did in Brazil by establishing showers with soft drink dispenser design. Knowing the demographics of a particular area allows marketers to set a time and place for optimal impact.
In addition, street marketing is a way for a small business looking to make a name for itself to achieve that goal. Those in charge of carrying it out must be innovative in their presentation while still managing to deliver the necessary message.
The price of this type of advertising is another advantage, since you do not need large budgets to launch a creative campaign and surprise the potential customer.
The drawback of street marketing is that most of the time an advertising campaign can not be limited to this action and generally, when street marketing is done, it must be completed with online advertising, on television, radio, newspapers, etc.