A couple weeks ago, a clown started showing up in the small town of Wasco, California just after dark. That's right, a clown.
He doesn't do anything but stand (or sit) there, but that's all it took for him to capture the residents' attention. (And elicit many, many nightmares I'm sure.)
(Am I the only one who finds the fact that he just stands there motionlessly, holding his balloons, even more terrifying?)
When I first heard about this going on, I thought for sure it would end up being a guerrilla marketing campaign put on by the producers of American Horror Story, which just happens to be freakshow-themed this season.
But the word on the street is that this is a photography project created by a man and his wife, and that horrifying clown goes by the name of "Bobo."
Going Viral Like Bobo
Whether his name is actually Bobo and this truly is some evocative art project, or if he's really a deranged clown on the lam from an insane asylum, (much more likely) remains to be seen, but what's interesting about this is how quickly it has gone viral.
From news reports and blog posts to Instagram and Twitter, Bobo the Wasco Clown has been blowing up our feeds in every medium possible. (Now there are even creepier, scarier copycat Bobo's also terrorizing Wasco due to the popularity of this stunt.)
Why did this get so much instant attention? Because this stunt was completely unexpected. Entirely mysterious. And it plays on something many people aren't too fond of (ahem, clowns), at a time of the year when those aforementioned clowns are much more likely to murder people - Halloween.
But how can you take a lesson from Bobo the Wasco Clown and create your own viral marketing stunt that gets even half of the publicity he has received?
Bobo Knows
Guerrilla marketing is an exciting way to capture the attention of not only the residents where your stunt is occurring, but across the world if it's interesting enough for people to share on social media.
Clearly, Bobo knows best. So here are a few of the key elements he used, as you'd also want to use them in your own guerrilla marketing stunt:
- Surprise: There was no tweet or press release announcing that a clown with a murderous look in his eyes would suddenly start showing up after dark in Wasco, but it quickly caught attention on all social media sites regardless. The trick here is that your stunt would have to be noticeable enough to gain traction on its own, without additional promotion for it.
- Mystery/Intrigue: When a clown starts showing up in your town, and no business, person, or group claims him, well, that makes people want to find out on their own who the hell it is and why it's happening. Plus, it makes it fun for residents. Put on your hat, Watson, we've got a real-time marketing mystery to solve.
- Seasonal Relevance: If a clown starts showing up in April, yeah, that's weird. But have him start popping up in October and that's downright nightmare-inducing. The timing was right for this stunt, make sure yours is too.
Coming Up With Ideas for Your Business
If you're going to engage in guerrilla marketing for your business, especially if you want it to get nationwide attention, it has to be something that gets people talking in a big way.
Yes, handing out free products unexpectedly or staging a pop-up fashion show for your clothing line are both really great real-time, guerrilla-marketing-ish stunts, but will they be flashed all over the news in every state? Probably not. (You will, however, most likely get some great local traction.)
When Tempe Marketplace opened a few years back, a local PR firm, Rose+Moser+Allyn placed naked mannequins all over the valley to commemorate it. Of course, people wanted to know who was behind this stunt and why, and it got a lot of news play.
But if this happened again today, I could see it being even bigger as people Instagrammed, tweeted, and shared photos of the mannequins they found. Reddit would probably also be used to post mannequin sightings -- and if you get anything on there, you're bound to get a TON of attention.
Making It Your Own, No Evil Clown Necessary
Of course, your stunt doesn't have to be scary like the Wasco Clown, or weird like the mannequins; what if it benefited your city in a unique, innovative way? Planting vegetable gardens in public places that encourage those who are hungry to take what they need are a great way to get known worldwide. (Just be patient with this tactic as your garden will need time to grow.)
Seed-bombing, where people plant flowers in unlikely places (city grates, walls, abandoned lots and vehicles, etc.) is also a really neat way to grab the public's attention.
Whatever guerrilla marketing tactic you decide to try, just make sure it's relevant, or somehow relatable, to your company, and executed with a bit of mystery or intrigue to ensure it has the best, most viral-inducing benefits possible.
And, Bobo, if you're out there, please don't ever, ever come to Arizona.