Editing Guerrilla marketing (section)

==Strategic risk==
Because of the nature of guerrilla marketing, the message and objective must be clearly defined in order to avoid being misunderstood. Misinterpretation by the targeted audience of the message intended to be promoted is a risk. Word-of-mouth advertising does not always remain sufficiently focused to present the intended message. The rumor-like spread of word-of-mouth marketing is uncontrollable once released, and can result in a misrepresentation of the message or confusion about a brand.

Another risk involves wrongly timed (or wrongly placed) events, which may actually be perceived to be against the interests of the consumer. For instance, in an [[2007 Boston bomb scare|ill-conceived promotion]] which took place on January 31, 2007, several magnetic circuit boards—each with an flashing [[LED]] cartoon figure—were attached to metal surfaces in and around [[Boston, Massachusetts]] to promote the animated series, ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]''. The circuit boards were mistakenly taken for [[explosive devices]]. Several subway stations, bridges, and a portion of [[Interstate 93]] were closed as police examined, removed, and (in some cases) destroyed the devices.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/31/boston.bombscare/index.html?_s=PM:US ''Boston Bomb Scare''] ; article; [[CNN News]] online; retrieved March 2014.</ref>

Some guerrilla marketing may incite the ire of local authorities. Then risks are assessed and may still be considered worthwhile. Such was the case in [[Houston]], [[Texas]], when [[BMW|BMW Auto]]'s ad agency, Street Factory Media, attached a replica of a [[Mini]]-Cooper (made of [[Styrofoam]]), to the side of a downtown building in January 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmwblog.com/2013/01/10/houston-issues-ticket-to-a-mini-cooper-parked-on-a-wall/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130215152603/http://www.bmwblog.com/2013/01/10/houston-issues-ticket-to-a-mini-cooper-parked-on-a-wall/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 15, 2013 |title=Houston Issues Ticket To A Mini Cooper Parked On A Wall |website=Bmwblog.com |date=2013-01-10 |access-date=2017-03-01 }}</ref> For the small cost of a city-issued fine, the company received front page advertising in the [[Houston Chronicle]].
  
Another problem presents itself if marketers fail to properly execute an undercover campaign. They run considerable risk of backlash. An example of this can be found in [[Sony Entertainment]]'s on-line debacle with Zipatoni. The company attempted to promote Zipatoni through a stealth marketing campaign, which was quickly detected by the internet community, resulting in Sony immediately experiencing a backlash from video game enthusiasts.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/11/new_sony_viral_marketing_ploy_angers_consumers.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=New Sony viral marketing ploy angers consumers | first=Aleks | last=Krotoski | date=2006-12-11 | access-date=2010-05-26}}</ref>

Street art is thus a subversive activity, hijacking public places and inventing rather paradoxical forms of expression that reformulate ways of communicating,<ref name="ReferenceD"/> all of which inform street marketing practices. Thus marketing in the street, given that it is inspired by the work of such artists, brings with it constraints and statutory risks for which agencies and advertisers are generally not prepared.<ref>Douglas West, John Ford, (2001), Advertising agency philosophies and employee risk taking, Journal of Advertising 30, no. 1: 77–91</ref> The main problem is that, by definition, street mobilization campaigns require the use of public space, and that use must be authorized by government authorities to be legal. This is just as true for simple operations like distributing flyers as it is for mobilizing products or people and, of course, for a disguised campaign.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mark Sweney |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/31/dr-dre-beats-olympic-brand-police |title=Dr Dre beats Olympic brand police by sending headphones to Team GB &#124; Media |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2017-03-01}}</ref>

The authorizations necessary to carry out such a campaign are often very difficult to obtain within the time allotted for bringing the plan to fruition. Numerous potential operations have failed to obtain authorization for safety reasons, and in certain urban areas it is even expressly forbidden to undertake a guerrilla marketing campaign. In such cases, many agencies and advertisers will simply go ahead with the operation, meaning that they choose to act without authorization.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> How is such a choice reached, and on what bases? How is it justified? What impact does this choice have on the performance and costs of the operation? What transformations does this choice bring to the agency–advertiser relationship? These are the main questions posed in the development of street marketing operations today.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>