GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF MARKETING OF HOTEL SERVICES IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The concept of Guerrilla marketing subsumes a set of different innovative and creative approach to marketing in today’s marketplace warfare. It aims principally at gaining large effect with a small budget through surprise and diffusion effects. Although the instruments are more and more often applied by today’s practitioners, there is barely scientific discussion about the concept. Therefore, this paper describes the evolution, philosophers’, principles of the concept and current understanding of guerrilla marketing among Hotel entrepreneurs in Imo State, as an attempt to gaining attention of a large number of consumers at relatively low cost by means of surprise effect and diffusion effect. The study highlights how different guerrilla instruments like internal, ambient, sensation, viral, buzz marketing try to evoke these effects. The study uses empirical evidence to discuss the application of the GM principles as found in the sample of 40 Hotels in Imo State. The results shows that the Hotel entrepreneurs’ use of guerrilla marketing weapons is consistent with literature, but are not known by some of these academic names. They all agreed that they cannot survive the larger competitors and rough economic life in Nigeria, without resorting to guerrilla marketing. The study recommends Guerrilla Marketing for the marketing of Hotel services in Nigeria. Guerrilla marketing surprises you and is therefore striking. It all comes together in one:  “impact”. Guerrilla marketing means impact, and that is what today marketplace needs.