Following the rules is an important step in guerrilla marketing. Some people view guerrilla marketing tactics as too aggressive, and many marketers have been threatened with legal action.

However, if you’re familiar with what it can and can’t do, you won’t have to worry about this. Make sure to protect yourself!

justice in advertising

Honesty is still the best policy. Consumers don’t like to be tied down, and nothing spreads faster, both online and in your community, than news of a dishonest business.

Therefore, it is important that you practice fairness in advertising.

what does it mean

Advertising equity is really a simple concept: don’t claim that your product or service does something it doesn’t. For example, a diet pill company that claims their product will “make you lose 50 pounds overnight.” he is clearly wrong: this is a physical impossibility, unless his legs are amputated. Even with a quantifier like “practically” or “almost” (you’ll lose 50 pounds practically overnight!), the claim is still implausible. Everyone’s idea of ​​”practically” is different.

What would be fair for our fictional diet pill company to claim? It depends on what the product actually does. In this scenario, the company may claim that its diet pill helps you lose weight “faster than leading brands” or you may even notice results “virtually overnight” (not £50 in results of course!).

Your writing is essential when practicing fairness in advertising. You can be creative, but there is a fine line between creativity and false claims. In most cases, it’s best to let your product or service speak for itself.

Customer testimonials are a great way to incorporate fairness into advertising. Getting real testimonials from people who have used your product or service not only keeps you honest, it also allows consumers to trust you more, because the feedback is coming from someone who has no vested interest in your business.

Don’t lie to your customers, and they will thank you with their business.

One of the most pervasive myths in online advertising today is this: the more people you email, the more money you’ll make. But if you’re using mass email to get there, you’re on the wrong track.

Nobody likes spam. In the world of the Internet, the term “spam” refers to any email that advertises a product or service that you did not request to receive (and not the canned lunch pictured above). There are many marketing “gurus” who insist that sending cold mass emails still gets results, and that may have been true when the Internet was still in its infancy, but today’s online community is sharper than ever, and it’s nearly impossible to miss on the collective spam radar.

If you search, you can find several hundred places that will sell you lists of thousands of email addresses for a few dollars. The temptation to buy these lists is strong… who can resist thousands of leads at once, without the many hours of research it takes to build a solid subscription list of your own?

Can! Here’s why you should:

• Spam alienates potential customers. When people receive spam, often their first reaction is to delete it without reading it, and most will block all further communication from that particular email address – theirs.
• Many Internet users hate spam so much that they will take steps to shut it down. This can range from reporting it to your ISP (Internet Service Provider), to getting attention (sending hate mail) or “bombmail” (sending hundreds or thousands of files with very large attachments designed to crash your server).
• Your business may be blacklisted. There is a real blacklist of Internet advertisers warning consumers about spammers, and you don’t want to be connected to that list.
• Spamming just doesn’t work! There are so many dangerous scams online today that most Internet users are reluctant to even open unsolicited messages. Even if you write the most brilliant and attractive advertising message in the world, if you send it by mass email, no one will ever read it.

Bottom line: don’t spam. Do the work and create your own list of people who actually want to hear what you have to say. Your business will benefit greatly and you will not be branded as a charlatan.

Strange Laws and Ordinances

As a guerrilla merchant, it is important that you obey the law. If a customer feels like you’re trying to trick them, dodge legal issues, or harass them into buying your product or service, you could end up in a lot more trouble than just a lost sale.

You can become familiar with basic marketing do’s and don’ts from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the government organization that regulates and protects consumers in the United States.

Does your city or state have weird laws that prohibit a certain method of guerrilla marketing? Here is a sample of some laws that could hinder your marketing efforts:

• In Alabama, it is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy, so do not dress as a priest to promote your business.
• You can be fined $25 for flirting in New York. Beware of approaching strangers!
• Speaking of truth in advertising, expect up to a year in prison in Louisiana for making a false promise.
• Mobile billboard advertisers in Ohio beware: The Ohio Driver’s Education Manual states that you must honk when passing another vehicle.
• In Texas, it is illegal to sell the eye. Keep your body parts close at hand.
• Florida prohibits “unnatural acts” with another person…so forget about playing Twister on the sidewalk. Also, it is illegal to skateboard without a license.
• Unless you own at least two cows, you can’t wear cowboy boots in California.
• Seasonal business owners should note that in Maine, you will be fined for displaying Christmas decorations after January 14.
• Your winnings will come in handy in Illinois, where you can be arrested for vagrancy if you don’t have at least a dollar on your person.

What weird laws does your state have? Maybe one of them will give you an idea for your guerrilla marketing campaign!