Written by: Cat Erwin
In order to graduate from GMCA, each and every student needs to complete an internship or some sort of work equivalent. This has recently proven particularly stressful for me, because there are just so many options; too many agencies, companies, divisions, and specializations for a girl to wrap her brain around. So I figured, why not just start e-mailing the most interesting companies I come across and see if I can a) learn more about them and b) finagle an internship.
The first agency that I have become mildly enamored with is Hotcow, an experiential and guerilla marketing company based out of London. Experiential and guerilla marketing, for those unfamiliar, focuses on the entire customer experience through things like product sampling, live promotions, and the use of street teams rather than mass advertising and sales. While Hotcow markets to anyone and everyone, the agency specializes in marketing to women. I had the pleasure of e-mailing with Sally Durcan, one of the directors, about the company and this is what she had to say:
What makes experimental/buzz/guerilla marketing better than any other marketing tactic?
It is relevant in today’s market place. It is getting face time with consumers. It is then taking that face time and using the interactions to great real connections with more people online or in the press.
What inspires your ideas?
The companies themselves, what they stand for and “making it real”.
How far are your final projects from your original ideas? And what goes into these transformations?
Some get all the way through and others get dissected into smaller chunks. Most the time it is about what the marketing team within the company want to happen, which is based on their internal insights.
What do you think are the most important elements in a marketing campaign?
Understanding the core reason for conducting an activity, otherwise it will fail before it begins. You also need an understanding of where a company is now and where they want to go, and how your piece of marketing activity is going to help them bridge the gap.
You say on your website that you are exceptionally knowledgable about marketing to women. How did this develop and what is most important when marketing to this demographic?
Lots of our work is targeted at women, so it naturally evolved into this area. We know visually what women expect and how to deliver the messages in simply platforms that creates attention and clear calls to action.
What advice would you offer to people trying to get into the field of experimental/buzz/guerilla marketing?
Creative Marketing is not about following text book tactics, but about understanding your audience and what would be interesting to them. Marketing measurement is then about showing why and how this idea would work and create business. Begin to record and understand all different ideas and tactics that are created around the world.
In the interest of complete honesty, it should be noted that I am particularly interested in guerilla and experiential marketing and am obviously biased. That being said, however, I am thrilled to have been able to interact with Hotcow. The agency is encouraging and supportive of its employees and they have come up with some really creative and fun campaigns. From media and PR stunts to viral videos to guerilla activities, Hotcow knows how to get people, myself included, to pay attention. I encourage anyone and everyone to check them out and, perhaps, get them to open a branch in the States. I would be MORE than happy to head the US division up!
Lastly, while I have many more questions for Sally Durcan, I cannot thank her enough for taking time out of her day for a curious graduate student with no marketing experience shy of organizing meetings for a CMO. Thank you again Sally!
Cat may be contacted at cathryn_erwin@emerson.edu.