14 guerrilla marketing campaigns that actually worked
(and why purpose-driven brands should steal them)
Let’s be real: most small businesses and purpose-driven brands don’t have $60K to drop on an ad agency. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a scene — the kind that turns heads, sparks conversations, and actually moves people.
If you’re a founder who’s scrappy, smart, and values-aligned, guerrilla marketing might just be your new favorite strategy. It’s creative. It’s unexpected. And it proves that you don’t need a big budget to make a bold impression — just a sharp idea and a solid sense of timing.
So what is guerrilla marketing?
It’s marketing that meets people where they are — literally. On sidewalks, in subway cars, inside IKEA stores. The best campaigns surprise you in your everyday environment and stick with you long after. Not because they were expensive — but because they were clever, emotional, or just straight-up weird.
It’s:
💥 Rooted in emotion
🛠 Built with whatever you have
❤️ Only powerful when it’s aligned with your brand values
14 real guerrilla marketing campaigns that actually worked
(...and how you can apply the same thinking)
These aren’t just clever stunts — they’re strategy in disguise. And they’re all scalable, adaptable, and surprisingly affordable.
1. Hair Salon Tear-Off Flyer
A local hair salon designed a poster with tear-off tabs resembling strands of hair. As people took the tabs, the character on the flyer appeared to get a haircut.
👉 Try this: Can your flyer do something? Fold, tear, move, or reveal?
See the campaign →
2. IKEA's Shelter Dog Campaign (Italy)
An IKEA store in Catania, Italy, opened its doors to stray dogs during the winter, letting them rest inside on rugs and sofas. The gesture went viral.
👉 Try this: What if your values weren’t just a statement — but a scene people could walk into?
See the campaign →
3. Frontline's Flea & Tick Mall Ad
A giant dog image covered a mall floor. Viewed from upper levels, people walking across it looked like fleas.
👉 Try this: Where could you go overhead, underfoot, or surround your viewer?
See the campaign →
4. KitKat’s Zoom Break Billboard
A billboard looked like a Zoom calendar jammed with meetings — until a KitKat bar sliced through the grid at 3 PM.
👉 Try this: What routine could you disrupt, visually?
See the campaign →
5. Metamucil’s “It Doesn’t Fit” Billboard
A billboard deliberately didn’t fit inside the frame. Caption: “Sometimes sh*t doesn’t fit.”
👉 Try this: What would happen if you embraced the awkwardness?
See the campaign →
6. Denver Water’s Splash Billboard
A pipe burst through a billboard with blue foam, alongside the tagline: “You can’t make this stuff. Please use only what you need.”
👉 Try this: What’s a tactile way to show your message?
See the campaign →
7. WWF’s Lemon Cleaner Display
WWF promoted natural cleaning using a giant clear bottle filled with real lemons.
👉 Try this: Can your product teach something right where it’s displayed?
See the campaign →
8. IWC’s Subway Watch Handles
Subway straps shaped like watches made it look like riders were wearing them just by holding on.
👉 Try this: Where could your product naturally “appear” in everyday life?
See the campaign →
9. “No One Wants to See This” PSA
Bus seat backs featured a cheeky reminder: “No one wants to see this. Get screened.”
👉 Try this: Can you turn an uncomfortable truth into humor?
See the campaign →
10. The Spotlight Café
A yellow beam painted on the sidewalk created the illusion of light pouring from the storefront.
👉 Try this: Can your brand spill into unexpected spaces?
See the campaign →
11. BBC Dracula Billboard
Wooden stakes by day, Dracula’s face in shadow at dusk. The billboard transformed with time.
👉 Try this: Could your message evolve with light, shadow, or motion?
See the campaign →
12. Low-Carb Buns with a Booty Package
Dinner rolls were packaged to look like cartoon abs under a tight shirt.
👉 Try this: Can your packaging become a wink, joke, or reveal?
See the campaign →
13. IKEA’s Pillow Supplement Ad
Pillows spilled out of a giant vitamin bottle — turning “sleep” into a wellness essential.
👉 Try this: What does your product emotionally represent?
See the ads →
14. Deadpool’s Tinder Profile
Deadpool was on Tinder. Just being Deadpool. No ad text. No call to action. Just character.
👉 Try this: Could your brand take over a platform not meant for advertising — but use it so well, people don’t mind?
See the campaign →
So… does this stuff actually work?
Yes. Guerrilla marketing:
Shows up where people don’t expect it
Connects through emotion, humor, or surprise
Costs way less than traditional ads — ideal for small, values-driven businesses
And it scales. You don’t need to install a subway handle or rent a billboard. You can take inspiration from these and make your own low-budget version.
Branding without the big budget
As a freelance brand designer, I love seeing ideas like this — smart, weird, human. It’s what we explore during a Brand Sprint: how to make your brand feel bold and unforgettable across real-world moments.
Because real-world branding is not about having the perfect Instagram grid. It’s about making people feel something.
Full circle
Last week, I talked to Dave Hopkins from The Print Design Academy about why print isn’t dead. It’s tactile, it takes effort and it builds trust.
So whether you're wrapping a lemon display in your values or printing a flyer that actually gets read — go bold.
Unconventional + old-school = a killer combo.
Ready to make people stop and look?
This kind of scrappy, creative thinking is exactly what we unlock in a Brand Sprint — not just visuals, but big-picture ideas that help you stand out without a massive budget. Because great branding isn’t about spending more — it’s about connecting better.
👉 Work with a brand designer who gets strategy — not fluff.
—Zuza
