BusinessBeginnerPreview
Guerrilla & Experiential Marketing
Learn to create guerrilla and experiential marketing campaigns that stop people in their tracks, earn organic media coverage, and build brand memory on a shoestring budget.
Small-business owners, startup marketers, and brand managers who want to generate serious buzz without a serious budget.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook is your hands-on companion to the Guerrilla & Experiential Marketing course. Each section corresponds to a course module and contains exercises, worksheets, and checklists to move you from concept to a campaign you can actually execute. Complete every item in order — each one builds on the last.
The Psychology and Mechanics of Guerrilla Marketing
Decode why guerrilla campaigns work by analysing real examples and connecting psychological triggers to your own brand context.
Exercise: Trigger Audit: Analyse Three Campaigns You Admire
Choose three guerrilla or experiential campaigns from any brand — they do not have to be famous. For each one, work through the prompts below to identify which psychological triggers were activated and why the campaign earned sharing behaviour.
- Describe the campaign in one sentence. What physical thing happened, where, and to whom?
- Which of the three triggers does it use — Surprise, Contrast, Reward — and how specifically does it deliver each one you identified?
- Write the one-sentence Mechanic Formula for this campaign: [Familiar context] + [Unexpected inversion] = [Emotional reaction]. If you cannot write it, what is missing?
- What did the audience gain by sharing this? Be specific about the social currency (status, belonging, humour, empathy) it provided.
Worksheet: Format Selection Worksheet
Use this worksheet to determine the right format (guerrilla, ambient, experiential, or flash mob) for a campaign concept you are currently considering. Fill in each field based on your real situation.
- Brand or organisation name
- Campaign objective (one sentence, one measurable outcome)
- Available budget (fixed number, not a range)
- Risk tolerance: Low / Medium / High (circle one and explain why)
- Target audience: who are they and where do they concentrate?
- Desired audience emotional journey: what should they feel at first contact, during the experience, and after sharing?
- Selected format (guerrilla / ambient / experiential / flash mob) and one-sentence justification
- Name one campaign in your selected format that you will study as a reference before writing your brief
Checklist: Concept Readiness Checklist
- I can name the specific psychological trigger(s) my concept activates (Surprise / Contrast / Reward)
- I have written the one-sentence Mechanic Formula for my concept
- I can describe in one sentence what the audience gains by sharing my activation
- I have identified at least one real campaign that used a similar mechanic and documented what made it work
- I have confirmed the format (guerrilla / ambient / experiential / flash mob) matches my budget and risk tolerance
- I have ruled out formats that require resources or permissions I cannot realistically obtain
Concepting and Briefing Guerrilla Campaigns
Mine for a real tension, generate a matrix of ten concepts, score them, and write a complete one-page campaign brief.
Exercise: Tension Mining Deep Dive
Identify the real cultural, category, behavioural, or location tension that your campaign will resolve. Work through the prompts below before drafting any creative concept — the brief is only as strong as the tension it is built on.
- Write your tension sentence: 'People believe/do [X] but actually/meanwhile [Y]. Our brand resolves this by [Z].' Then test it on three people unfamiliar with your brand and record their reactions.
- Which tension source does yours belong to — cultural, category, behavioural, or location? Explain why that categorisation matters for where and how you activate.
- Run the Google Trends anomaly check: what have people suddenly started searching in your category in the last 6 months that they never searched before? Does this reinforce or shift your tension?
- Read your one-star reviews (or your category's one-star reviews on Google/Trustpilot). What recurring complaint or unmet expectation appears? How does it connect to your tension?
Worksheet: Campaign Concept Matrix Worksheet
Build a 3x3 concept matrix using the audience emotional states (Surprise, Curiosity, Delight) on the vertical axis and the three environments where your target audience concentrates on the horizontal axis. Generate at least one concept per cell, then score every concept on the four criteria below.
- Environment 1 (where your audience gathers — name the specific place or context)
- Environment 2
- Environment 3
- Cell 1 concept (Environment 1 + Surprise): describe in one sentence what physically happens
- Cell 2 concept (Environment 1 + Curiosity)
- Cell 3 concept (Environment 1 + Delight)
- Cell 4 concept (Environment 2 + Surprise)
- Cell 5 concept (Environment 2 + Curiosity)
- Cell 6 concept (Environment 2 + Delight)
- Cell 7 concept (Environment 3 + Surprise)
- Cell 8 concept (Environment 3 + Curiosity)
- Cell 9 concept (Environment 3 + Delight)
- Top-scoring concept (title it and explain why it won on Shareability + Brand Fit + Feasibility + Legal Risk)
Checklist: One-Page Brief Completion Checklist
- Campaign objective is one sentence with one measurable outcome (not 'increase awareness')
- Target audience is described in three sentences: who they are, where they gather, what they share
- Tension sentence is written and tested on at least one external person
- Activation concept is described in three sentences or fewer: what happens, where, and for how long
- The shareable moment is described as a specific photograph or video: setup, human reaction, and camera angle
- Budget is a fixed number, not a range
- Legal and permit requirements have been noted (even if not yet obtained)
- Three success metrics are listed: primary earned-media KPI, secondary engagement KPI, brand lift indicator
- Entire brief fits on one page
Executing Experiential Activations
Plan every operational layer of your activation — from site selection and permits through staff scripting and same-day content amplification.
Worksheet: Site Assessment and Permit Planner
Complete this worksheet for your top two candidate sites before making a final selection. Fill in every field — gaps here become surprises on activation day.
- Site 1: name and address
- Site 1: estimated daily footfall (check city data, Google Popular Times, or count manually for 30 min x 3 time slots)
- Site 1: contrast score 1–5 (how different is your activation from what normally happens here?)
- Site 1: target audience density score 1–5 (are the right people actually here?)
- Site 1: permit category required (street-use / filming / noise / none — research your municipality)
- Site 1: permit lead time and application deadline for your activation date
- Site 1: known conflicts (nearby businesses, scheduled events, brand partnerships)
- Site 2: name and address
- Site 2: estimated daily footfall
- Site 2: contrast score 1–5
- Site 2: target audience density score 1–5
- Site 2: permit category required
- Site 2: permit lead time and application deadline
- Site 2: known conflicts
- Final site selected and one-sentence rationale
Exercise: Staff Script Development Exercise
Write the four-scene staff script for your activation. Draft each scene, then read it aloud to someone who has not heard your campaign concept. Time each scene. Revise until Scene 1 takes under 3 seconds, Scene 2 under 30 seconds, and Scene 4 under 10 seconds.
- Write Scene 1 — The Hook: one line that stops a passerby without asking a question and without starting with 'Hi.' Time it aloud.
- Write Scene 2 — The Bridge: the explanation of what is happening and why, in plain language. Include the brand name exactly once. Read it aloud and remove every word that could be cut without losing meaning.
- Write Scene 3 — The Payoff: what does the participant actually do, and what do they receive? Describe the staff role during this scene — what are you doing, saying, and NOT doing?
- Write Scene 4 — The Share Prompt: a specific call to share that names a hashtag and a tangible follow-up reward. It should take 10 seconds to deliver.
Checklist: Day-Before Execution Checklist
- All permits obtained and copies on-site with activation lead
- Public liability insurance confirmed active for activation date and location
- Every physical element tested at 2x expected load — redundant components packed
- Explicit wind and rain thresholds set for suspending outdoor elements, and abort signal briefed to all staff
- Maximum simultaneous participant number defined and crowd-management leads briefed on their zones
- Staff rehearsal completed with all four script scenes and all four edge cases role-played
- Hero camera operator briefed on two required shots: aerial/wide and close-up reaction
- Social content creator briefed on three during-activation post targets and all hashtags/tags
- Seeded media alert drafted and journalist/creator list confirmed — embargo time set
- Emergency contact and escalation chain written on a physical card carried by activation lead
Measurement, Amplification, and Scaling What Works
Calculate your earned-media ROI, run a structured post-mortem, and document a reusable mechanic for your next campaign.
Worksheet: Campaign Performance Measurement Worksheet
Complete this worksheet within 48 hours of your activation while all data sources are accessible. Record actual numbers — do not estimate unless the field says to.
- Activation date and location
- Total campaign cost (all-in: production, staff, permits, content capture, paid distribution)
- Layer 1 — On-site witnesses (estimated headcount from staff count or footfall data)
- Layer 1 — Earned media impressions (total from Meltwater, Mention, or manual monitoring — list each source)
- Layer 1 — Organic social impressions (owned posts + UGC via hashtag — list each post and its impressions)
- Layer 1 — Total reach impressions (sum of above three)
- Layer 2 — Sentiment breakdown: positive / neutral / negative (count of mentions per category)
- Layer 2 — Share rate on best-performing owned post (shares ÷ impressions)
- Layer 2 — Save rate on best-performing owned post (saves ÷ impressions)
- Layer 3 — Branded search volume change (Google Search Console: 7 days pre vs. 7 days post)
- Layer 3 — Campaign landing page direct visits in 7 days post-activation
- Layer 3 — Promo code redemptions (if applicable)
- EMV calculation (total earned impressions x $0.008)
- Earned Media Multiplier (EMV ÷ total campaign cost — target: above 3x)
Exercise: Post-Mortem Four-Question Analysis
Answer each question in writing before discussing as a team. Minimum two paragraphs per question. These written answers become the foundation of your Mechanic Library entry.
- What was the single highest-performing moment of the activation? Describe exactly what happened, who was involved, and why you believe it generated the strongest audience reaction or most content. Be specific about timing, location, and the staff or participant behaviour that triggered it.
- What failed or underperformed versus your plan? State the root cause in one sentence using the format: '[Specific outcome] happened because [specific decision or omission] during [specific phase of planning or execution].' Avoid vague attributions.
- What would you replicate identically in the next activation? List each element and explain why it worked — this is your templatable mechanic.
- What single change would have the greatest positive impact on your result? State the change, explain the evidence from this campaign that supports it, and describe how you would implement it in the next brief.
Checklist: Mechanic Library Entry Checklist
- Mechanic name is a short descriptor (e.g., 'Environment Hijack — Transit Hub' or 'Empathy Price Anchor')
- Interaction pattern is written in one sentence: what the audience encounters, does, and receives
- Best site type is specified with reasoning
- Actual EMV multiplier from this campaign is recorded
- Production cost range is documented (not just this campaign's cost — note if it is scalable up or down)
- Known risks are listed: legal, safety, weather, crowd-management
- One example campaign (yours or a reference) is linked or described
- Mechanic entry has been added to the shared team Mechanic Library (or created as the first entry)
- Post-mortem four-question document is saved and accessible to any future campaign team member
- Amplification repurposing arc is scheduled: 30-second cut (Day 7), best reaction clip (Day 14), behind-the-scenes (Day 21)
Your Action Plan
- Complete the Trigger Audit on three real campaigns within 48 hours of finishing Module 1 — do not proceed to concepting until this is done
- Run the Tension Mining exercise and test your tension sentence on three people outside your team before writing any creative concept
- Build the full 3x3 Campaign Concept Matrix and score every cell — do not shortcut to your first idea
- Write your one-page campaign brief and verify it passes every item on the Brief Completion Checklist
- Research permit requirements for your top two candidate sites and note application deadlines — submit permit applications at least 6 weeks before your target activation date
- Write and time your four-scene staff script, then rehearse all four edge-case scenarios with every staff member the day before activation
- Brief your content capture team separately from your activation staff — the hero camera operator does nothing other than shoot
- Send your seeded media alert with an embargo to three to five journalists or creators at least 2 hours before the activation begins
- Complete the Campaign Performance Measurement Worksheet within 48 hours of activation while all data sources are live
- Run the Post-Mortem Four-Question Analysis in writing before any group debrief, and add your first Mechanic Library entry within one week of the activation
Pairs well with
Courses members commonly take alongside this one.
Flagship CoursePreview
Freelance Business Foundations: Position, Price, Sell, and Deliver High-Value Services
Freelancing · Beginner · 16h
Self-pacedPreview
Client GrowthPreview
Freelance Client Acquisition: Outreach, Leads, Referrals, and Deal Flow
Freelancing · Beginner · 15h 30m
Self-pacedPreview
Sales SystemPreview
Freelance Sales & Proposals: Discovery Calls, Scoping, Objections, and Closing
Freelancing · Intermediate · 16h
Self-pacedPreview