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

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

Marketing is warfare without a gunshot. It is psychological and is fought in the minds of the customers and consumers. The barrage of advertising in TV and magazines, depicting products of various shapes and sizes, prices of all sorts, placed where the products can be found are all before the consumers to look and be attracted to and choose from. Hellish you may say, (Ives, 2004).

Now if marketing is warfare, with whom are we fighting with and with what? The battle strategies and instruments are all explained in the concept of Guerrilla marketing as characterized by surprise-effect, diffusion effect and low-cost effect, working through buzz marketing, viral marketing and word-of-mouth marketing. These mixes make it more attractive and aligned to small and medium size enterprises owners to imbibe and apply in order to survive the attack of bigger established enterprises, (Kotler, et al. 2002)

Tell me; what will a marketer do in today’s globalize market that everything, just everything is changing fast? For instance, before him are price-sensitive customers, new competitors, new distribution channels, new communications channels, the internet, wireless commerce, globalized products, deregulation, privatization and many related others. It is not the markets that are changing, but the technologies that support them: e-commerce, e-mail, mobile phones, fax machines, sales and marketing automation, cable TV, video conferencing. It is of essence that today’s marketer think through these changes and seek for ways and strategies to survive, (Kotler, Jain & Maesnicee, 2002). Thus to survive in Imo State ever changing marketing environment, marketers also have to change their approach, and the strategy that matches these unstable tides is guerrilla marketing.

Guerrilla marketing is a restless marketing philosophy in the sense that it is applied where an enterprise is outnumbered by others in terms of resources, market-share, and funding. This study is to review literatures to establish the nature and definitions of the concept and to investigate the recognition and extent of application among Hotels operators in lmo State Nigeria, and to make recommendations for best practices.

It is amazing that in all the states and cities in Nigerian, Guerrilla marketing can get you anywhere: on your way home from work, in the car, bus and train, on the streets, strolling or relaxing at a café terrace, in front of your house, or at major events. It is like love: you will find it at the moment you do not expect it at all. At the moment you set your eyes on a product no sooner than later you start to think about it and what to do with it.  The Guerrilla marketer, thus have what he wants (your attention, interest, desire and action) which results in purchase. Guerrilla marketing distinguishes itself from other promotional tools by its surprise effect and it has become a very popular marketing strategy in current times.

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