Content
- What is life placement?
- Goals and objectives of life placement
- Who is life placement suitable for?
- Types of life placement
- Popular locations for life placement
- Pros and cons of life placement
What is life placement?
Life placement is a unique guerrilla marketing strategy used to promote products and services through covert advertising. This term originated in the Russian PR market and has similar names in international practice, such as stealth marketing, undercover marketing, and buzz marketing. The main task of life placement is to attract consumers' attention to a particular brand or product and initiate discussions in society.
One of the well-known examples of life placement was the case of the Christmas cups from Starbucks. In 2015, the company introduced a minimalist design that prompted a wave of criticism and even ridicule in the media. However, this provocation only increased interest in the brand and attracted public attention, ultimately resulting in success.
Goals and objectives of life placement
Life placement helps businesses address several key tasks:
- Increase brand awareness and subtly attract attention to the product;
- Create a word-of-mouth effect by provoking discussions among the target audience;
- Launch a new product on the market, demonstrating its use and value;
- Differentiation from competitors and standing out amidst advertising noise;
- Influencing consumer decisions without awareness of manipulation.
Who is life placement suitable for?
Life placement is effective for both large international brands and small regional companies. This method is particularly relevant for promoting products whose advertising is restricted by law, such as alcoholic beverages. Historically, as early as the 19th century, Nikolai Shustov employed students to promote his vodka. Modern alcohol brands, such as Bacardi, continue to use life placement by organizing events where young people portray VIP guests and discuss popular cocktails.
Moreover, life placement is also applied to promote other product categories. For example, the company "MTS" used covert advertising before the launch of the iPhone 3G, but the campaign did not yield the expected results.
Types of life placement
There are two main types of life placement:
- With interaction: In this case, specially hired actors create real-life situations by interacting with the target audience. For example, in 2010 BlackBerry hired attractive women who flirted with men, generating interest in new phone models.
- Without interaction: Here, the target audience acts as spectators. The agency Ubachswisbrun/JWT used techniques such as placing cardboard Mini Cooper boxes in garbage areas, attracting the attention of passersby to the campaign.
Popular locations for life placement
Life placement can be implemented in various locations:
- Subway: The huge passenger flow makes the subway an excellent place for guerrilla marketing, although the target audience can be diverse.
- Supermarkets: An ideal venue for covert promotion of mass-market products, where influence can be exerted at the moment of decision-making.
- Cafes and restaurants: The opportunity to choose an establishment with the desired target audience for targeted advertising.
- Fitness clubs: Visitors to such clubs are generally interested in a healthy lifestyle, making them a good target audience.
- Places of mass gathering: Parks, squares, and tourist routes—these are all excellent venues for life placement.
Pros and cons of life placement
Life placement has several advantages:
- The method is usually less costly compared to traditional advertising;
- Flexibility of application in various business sectors;
- Higher effectiveness, as the consumer is unaware of the influence;
- Creating interest in the product even before its official launch.
However, there are also drawbacks:
- Creating and implementing the idea requires significant time and resource investment;
- It is impossible to control the quality of execution of the actors involved;
- Difficult to reach a specific target audience in crowded places;
- Covert marketing may be perceived as unethical;
- Errors in implementation can negatively affect the brand's reputation.
Thus, life placement is a powerful tool that, with the right approach, can significantly enhance the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.