To secure the branded event, a marketer must create an iden-
tity both graphically and descriptively. The first phase is creating
a logo. Today, corporations can spend upwards of a million dol-
lars to create a logo. They do this because a logo creates an image
that one respects and understands, and this helps brand the event.
The public may stay away from something unfamiliar. Just look at
the success of McDonald’s and T.G.I. Friday’s. Although they are
popular in all their locations with respect to product, they deliver
consistency in a package that large numbers of people want. The
same can be said about events and festivals. If there is a success-
ful branded event in one area or during a specific time of year, the
public will come to trust in the event, guaranteeing the longevity
of the enterprise.Guerrilla Marketing of
Festivals and Special Events
Guerrilla marketing involves the use of unorthodox and some-
times unusual methods whereby marketers try to get attention for
their events in front of a built-in audience. Since there are so
many efforts to reach the target markets of events by using tradi-
tional media, you have to look for unique ideas to draw attention
to the festival or event. Consumers are assaulted by hundreds of
advertising messages per day. Through the use of guerrilla mar-
keting, you can make your advertising message and event identi-
fiable. This can also be called “in-your-face” marketing because
one takes immediate notice of the guerrilla-marketing tactics. In
order for guerrilla tactics to succeed, you must have the element
of surprise, create attention by doing something unique, have
something that is attention getting to promote, and find an
area where there already is a large built-in audience. When you
have these elements, you can successfully pull off a guerrilla-
marketing exercise.
An increasing number of mainstream marketers are using
guerrilla-marketing tactics to draw attention. It is not unusual to
see free samples of new soft drinks or candy bars being given
away in congested areas of major downtown cities, but as more
marketers do this, this type of marketing will lose some of
its edge.166 Chapter 7 Marketing Festivals, Fairs, and Other Special Events