What is Stealth Marketing? Types, Benefits, Examples 

The goal of a successful advertisement and promotional campaign is to spread brand awareness and amplify exposure. Some companies promote and advertise their products in such a way that customers don’t have any idea that the company is running the advertisement campaign. Today, we’ll discuss what is stealth marketing; its various types, benefits, and examples.

What is Stealth Marketing? 

Stealth marketing also goes by the name of buzz marketing. It is a form of indirect advertising approach where businesses and companies launch a such advertising campaign that isn’t obvious whether the company is planning to sell its products or not. However, it comprises strategic planning to develop excitement and create buzz about the brand via external sources that don’t have any link with the company.

The aim of stealth marketing (SM) is to spread brand awareness and create a perception about the company that seems authentic and genuine. An effective SM makes customers feel comfortable about the brand and establish a positive image of the product or brand; without directly asking them to buy your product or service.

Types of Stealth Marketing 

Some of the main types of stealth marketing are as follows;

Company Partnership

Developing a partnership and alliance with the promoter and distributor company is a very popular option; when the focus of SM is on the promotion of tangible goods or commodities. They work with the promoter or distributor to show and exhibit their products more exposure and significance for some time. However, they promote the benefits of the products to their customers on the company’s behalf.

Internet or Web Content

Internet and online content is a great place for SM because a great number of people use the internet for entertainment. Marketers and advertisers develop content for online media featuring their brand or product, but they use 3rd party accounts to post that content. In fact, some businesses and companies partner up with content creators for promotion on their behalf

All companies have to do is tell them the specific features of the particular product, and they would promote it in their videos and posts. It is significant to comprehend the rules and regulations about the relationship disclosure between the company and the advertiser before engaging with it.

Reviews

Product reviews and referrals are a great form of SM. Marketers and advertisers reward people to leave reviews about using a particular product. In fact, some of them offer cash payments for leaving positive reviews. Some marketers ask customers to leave their reviews before the availability of the product. However, when the public read the positive reviews, it makes them learn about the release of the product and develops excitement and buzz about the upcoming product.

Product Placement

Product placement is the latest form of stealth marketing, where companies partner up with the movie producer and content creators to feature their product without directly focusing on it. The product placement is a very subtle process; whereas some companies want a top placement for their product on the 3rd media. However, some companies hire actors to put on their clothes, and the product video runs in the background to increase the conversion rate.

Covert Agent

Some companies hire actors to play the unsolicited sale pitch of the product; the covert agents work on the company’s behalf to increase the sale and conversion rate. For instance, a company hires a renowned footballer to promote an energy drink by acting as an ordinary person. The usage of covert agents would receive criticism if the advertised and the endorsed product is harmful.

Subliminal Messages

Subliminal messaging is a form of media and marketing strategy focused on impacting the views of customers about the product. It is a very subtle form of advertisement that the customers usually don’t notice at all. For instance, it could be in the form of secret messages, images, product pictures, and flashy and bold texts.

Benefits of Stealth Marketing 

Some of the main benefits of stealth marketing are as follows;

Sense of Authority

Since SM doesn’t directly convince customers to buy its product; it offers customers a choice and authority over their decision-making. Some people have minds about not buying the product if you directly advertise the product to them. It subtly sends messages and appeals to their interest by lifting pressure from their shoulders about buying the product.

Staying in Their Minds

The traditional advertisement campaign focuses on promoting the product and increasing the sale; the SM only focuses on presenting the image of the company. When companies expose their logo and product image to their target audience, the SM offers them an opportunity to give their business more exposure and recognition in the future. However, the focus of the passive approach is on establishing a long-term reputation and brand image, rather than the immediate sale.  

Developing Enthusiasm

 One of the main elements of SM is that it creates a buzz about the product or the brand. Instead of directly launching the campaign and dismissing it as an advertisement; people observe the product ad and comment on it whether they like it or not.

Examples of Stealth Marketing

Vogue or Prada

Vogue is a famous fashion brand and the name of the film that did indirect advertisement of the brand was “The Devil Wears Prada.” Actress Meryl Streep played the role of Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue; it shows the struggle of the protagonist in the fashion world.

Walmart

A married wrote a very convincing about their US tour and their experiences with the Walmart branches across the US. It attracted the attention of a lot of people, but the article lost its charm when the company directly sponsored it.

Sunsilk

The video ad story showed a bride that had bad hair on her wedding and the shampoo did its magic. The 2007 story ad went viral on YouTube and gained more than 3 million views; it was the advertisement of the Sunsilk brand indirectly promoting hair care products.

Conclusion: What is Stealth Marketing? Types, Benefits, Examples 

After an in-depth study of what is stealth marketing; its various types; benefits, and examples; we have realized that buzz marketing offers you great brand exposure. If you’re planning to launch it for your business, then you should keep in mind the abovementioned guidelines.