Guerrilla marketing from the country that probably invented it

Guerrilla marketing was what came to mind during a visit to Vietnam in March 2012. In these two videos, I use the experience as an illustration of how a small business can try to compete with bigger companies.

Guerrilla marketing through speed rather than big budgets

My point was that a small business could react quickly and find another way. You didn’t have to do everything the way a large organisation did.

I mention technology, marketing and the ability to adjust your work when something new comes along. It wasn’t a call to keep abandoning your strategy, but to be able to move within it.

The second video gave specific examples

In the follow-up, I discuss ads on searches where people are already showing interest in a subject. I compare that with spending lots of money on broad advertising.

I use a current news story about a virus outbreak as a hypothetical example: A small business might be able to respond that same evening, while a bigger organisation took longer.

I also mention PR and show how I used videos from the trip to generate interest in Amino TV. So I had my own business in mind too.

An illustration of competition

My comparison with the war in Vietnam is a rhetorical illustration in a travel video, not a precise historical account. Prices, advertising examples and assumptions about other companies’ response times date from 2012.

The main thing was to see where, as a small business, you could do something differently and respond to an opportunity. It was my approach, not a guarantee of beating bigger competitors.

Guerrilla marketing and a trip down into the tunnels

We’re in Vietnam on our trip to meet Danish entrepreneurs for Amino TV. Our guide shows us one of the little entrances to the tunnels, and later Camilla emerges from the hole like a Viet Cong fighter. Of course Mads is getting up to a bit of mischief too. It’s a family outing, but it also gives me a thought about business.

If you’re an entrepreneur competing with TDC, Novo Nordisk, Mærsk or another big company, thinking like a guerrilla can be an advantage. The big players have plans, boards and lots of money. You, on the other hand, can manoeuvre and react quickly.

I use the Viet Cong’s fight against the Americans as an illustration. In the video, I describe the contrast between tanks, planes and bombing on one side and bamboo, small rifles and ingenuity on the other. It’s my rhetorical comparison from the visit, and my recollection of the dates isn’t a history lesson either.

You need to be agile. Sometimes you can be a Trojan horse or play down your role so the big players don’t see where you’re heading. When they’re charging off in one direction and you discover a new technology or opportunity, consider jumping on it.

That doesn’t mean constantly throwing your strategy away. But you need to be able to move quickly and think smart. Otherwise you’ll be just as inflexible as the big players, only without their money.

Amino, Jubii and the little guerrilla

Lots of people think Amino is just a little portal for entrepreneurs. That suits me fine, because I have other, bigger plans. People can discover those one day. Perhaps I’ve already talked about some of them in another video.

I also look back at Jubii and the competition where, in my own description, we thrashed Yahoo out of Denmark. We sold the company and got a good amount of money for it. That was a kind of victory too. I didn’t think the new owners did everything perfectly afterwards. My explanation in the video is that they were more big corporate, while we were little guerrillas.

Read about guerrilla marketing and find things that don’t cost the earth. Work hard, keep your mind fresh and be ready to turn right or left and think smart where others just spend money. That’s the opportunity I’m trying to show you.

Google AdWords and the news you spot that same evening

In the second video, I’m still in Vietnam and expand on the examples. A big corporation can spend lots of money on TV and radio advertising. Some of it probably works, but I also think a lot of money can be wasted.

With Google AdWords, you can reach people who’ve just searched for something specific. In the video, I give examples of one, two or five kroner. Those are my price examples from 2012. The point is to reach a specific interest rather than just paying for broad exposure. Also read E-pusher about selling and marketing online.

Imagine seeing a news story one evening that’s relevant to your business and audience. You can research keywords and make an ad straight away. If you sell antivirus software, as I do, a new virus outbreak could be a reason to buy ads against the outbreak’s name.

You might be able to react before others spot the opportunity. In the video, I say a large organisation could typically take two, three or four days to respond. That’s my assessment, and of course you need to look at the actual competition yourself.

Passion, PR and keeping the business in the back of your mind

Watch what’s happening and ask: How can I use this? Could I do some PR? If you get a good idea in the evening, you can prepare a press release so it’s ready the next morning.

I’m pretty blunt in my comparison with employees at big companies. My claim is that the owner often has a different passion and keeps thinking about the business, while employees naturally take time off and go on holiday. I also say I’m not trying to bash TDC’s employees. I could have mentioned employees at any big company.

It’s about it being your own business. Even when I’m on holiday, it’s running around in the back of my mind. Or am I actually working when I make videos? I see the Viet Cong tunnels and immediately think about how to use the experience in my work.

This video is my own guerrilla marketing too

I expect several thousand people to watch the video, and along the way I tell you about Amino TV. Some content is free and some requires payment. Perhaps you’ll want to see what I’m doing on the trip.

You watch a couple of free interviews and think they’re great. Perhaps the story of Kai in Australia, who has a hotel among crocodiles. Then you think DKK 99 a month, around three and a half kroner a day by my quick calculation, is affordable, and buy a membership. That’s me doing guerrilla marketing right there.

I encourage you to keep your business in mind almost all the time if you want to get ahead. I know some people say you need to relax too. Sure, but then the rest of us might overtake you. I think you can relax and have fun while thinking about your business.

In the video, I even call someone who only sees thinking about their business as a dreary duty a fucking loser compared with those who are constantly adjusting. You’re welcome to think I’m an arsehole for saying it. That’s the strong opinion I express back then: That commitment and small, ongoing improvements can give the little guy an advantage.

The river and the ingenious solutions

At the end, I go down the steps and show you the river. I talk about what I’ve heard on the trip: Tunnels nine or ten metres underground, some with exits into the river so you could swim in and out, and boats that could be sunk and later retrieved.

I’m fascinated by the stories of coping with bombing, helicopters and machine guns using tunnels and traps made from things like bamboo. I also make an uncertain remark about how far the river goes. I’m trying to share my impressions from the visit along with my point about ingenuity.

Now I’m getting into the boat and heading back to the city. See you.

Also read about the visit to Kai on Goat Island.

Here is the second video from the visit, with more specific examples of guerrilla marketing.

Historical reference from 2012: Here I linked to interviews with Danish entrepreneurs abroad on Amino TV. At the time of this review, the original link leads to Amino TV’s login page.