Picture this: animal crates appearing all over the city, a creepy red balloon tied to sewer grates, and the NYC bull donning a pair of underwear — this is guerrilla marketing at its finest. In the competitive world of travel and tourism, guerrilla marketing offers a creative, low-cost way to make a statement.
When executed well, guerrilla marketing allows brands to achieve maximum exposure while reducing marketing costs by as much as 90%.
In this post, we’ll explore over a dozen of the best guerrilla marketing ideas for attractions to boost their visibility. From big-budget stunts to small-scale, hyper-local initiatives, we’ll examine recent campaigns and break down actionable lessons that can help your attraction make a lasting impact without breaking the bank.
1. AR installation at the French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)
Filmmaker Jeremy Frey and his daughter walked through the evolution hall at the French National Museum of Natural History when they thought, “How cool would it be to witness these extinct animals in motion?” Years later, that idea evolved into a full-on campaign. Frey used augmented reality (AR) technology to bring the animals to life in vivid, animated 3D scenes, offering visitors a chance to observe them as they might have appeared in their natural habitats.
Dubbed the Revivr, the AR experience was designed to integrate with the existing exhibit seamlessly. Visitors used smart glasses to engage with the exhibit without losing touch with the surrounding environment. Unlike virtual reality (VR), AR ensures visitors are not distracted from the physical world and remain aware of their surroundings.
This campaign interlaced education with entertainment, teaching visitors about extinct species while offering an interactive, visually engaging experience. The museum’s use of AR instead of VR made the virtual experience feel more “real” and kept visitors connected to the physical museum space.
The experience also underscores the importance of biodiversity preservation, integrating a meaningful environmental message with the fun of interacting with extinct species.
The adoption of AR technology in museums, zoos, and other cultural institutions is growing, primarily driven by public demand for more interactive experiences. This trend is expected to continue as AR becomes more accessible to operators. AR can be an affordable, scalable tool that can transform visitor experiences without requiring extensive logistical investment.
2. Airbnb’s “Night At” campaign
Airbnb launched an experiential marketing campaign called “Night At”, which allowed customers to spend a night at the Louvre Museum in Paris, including a stay inside the museum’s glass pyramid.
The exclusive opportunity was designed to connect art and hospitality by offering guests an unforgettable experience, surrounded by priceless artworks like the Mona Lisa. The campaign bridged the gap between art lovers and Airbnb’s brand, creating deep emotional connections with their audience.
But the Louvre wasn’t the only iconic location featured. Airbnb also transformed other famous sites into overnight accommodations, such as the Shark Aquarium, the Paris catacombs (for Halloween), Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania, and the Great Barrier Reef.
The big takeaway: Airbnb effectively tapped into the emotional desires and interests of its audience, offering unique, immersive experiences that resonated on a deep level, leading to lasting brand loyalty and unforgettable memories. The campaign highlighted how offering experiential marketing can create powerful connections with customers.
3. KLM’s Hologram Bar
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ “Take-Off Tips” campaign brought a unique twist to the airport experience. The airline created an interactive hologram bar where travelers waiting at the airport could engage in real-time conversations with passengers heading in the opposite direction.
The campaign creatively used cutting-edge technology to bridge the gap between strangers. By creating a live, face-to-face hologram experience, KLM turned a traditionally boring waiting time into an opportunity for memorable interactions. The brand also extended the campaign’s reach by filming and sharing these exchanges online, allowing a broader audience to witness them.
Attractions can follow KLM’s example by using live, interactive technology to create fun interactions between visitors. For example, they could create virtual meetups or holographic tours where visitors share their experiences related to the exhibit or location.
4. Visit Faroe Islands: Closed for Maintenance, Open for Volunteers
To combat overtourism, Visit Faroe Islands launched a clever tourism campaign. The islands were officially “closed” to regular visitors for the last weekend in April. Instead, they welcomed volunteers worldwide to help maintain and clean the islands’ natural sites and attractions. In return, volunteers received free accommodation and meals during their stay, offering a unique way to experience the islands while contributing to their preservation.
This activation created awareness about sustainable tourism while engaging travelers in a hands-on way beyond traditional sightseeing. The campaign also used the off-season to spread out the flow of visitors, making it a smart strategy to balance tourism impact. As a result, the destination addressed the overcrowding and opened the destination up to a niche group of travelers willing to dedicate time to maintaining the islands.
Attractions can take inspiration from this by creating off-season volunteer programs that promote environmental stewardship and provide visitors with a deeper connection to the location. For instance, you might invite guests to volunteer for local initiatives like conservation, clean-up efforts, or preservation work in exchange for incentives like discounted or free admission, meals, or behind-the-scenes experiences.
5. GoldToe Dresses New York City in Undershirts and Underwear
GoldToe took a bold and humorous approach to guerrilla marketing in New York. During New York Fashion Week, it dressed iconic city statues in its products. The most attention-grabbing moment was when the Wall Street Bull was hilariously wrapped in an oversized pair of tight white briefs. The quirky campaign used humor to stand out from the otherwise serious fashion world.
GoldToe’s stunt was a playful and unexpected twist on well-known symbols, making everyday icons like the Wall Street Bull suddenly relatable and fun. The statues caught a lot of attention and became talking points that drew people in.
This shows us that your marketing campaigns can be fun and quirky. Plus, making people laugh is one of the best ways to create a lasting impact on them. Get creative! Don’t be afraid to play with well-known symbols or change the perception of familiar icons to make your customers chuckle.
6. French Railway Company’s “Europe is Just Next Door” Campaign
SNCF, the French national railway company, created a standout campaign that’ cleverly allowed people to open the door to another city physically. Colorful doors were placed all over France and linked to other European cities, with a distinctive scene played out for each one: Barcelona, Milan, Geneva, Stuttgart, and Brussels. When passersby opened them, they were instantly “transported” to another town.
The company aimed to make European travel more accessible and exciting, so it focused on the destination and how to get there. By inviting people to engage physically with the concept of travel—literally opening the door to another city—it created a tangibly memorable experience aligned with its original goal.
SNCF’s approach shows that experiential marketing is powerful because it creates a personal connection with your audience. Attractions can take inspiration from this by designing activations that let people interact with the idea of travel in a tangible way. Whether through interactive installations, immersive environments, or playful activities, the lesson here is to turn passive interest into active participation.
7. JetBlue’s giant ice block in NYC
JetBlue partnered with the tourism board of Palms Springs to creatively promote its new direct flight to the sunny destination — placing a six-foot ice block filled with summer accessories right in the city’s heart. New Yorkers were encouraged to chip away at the ice using any tools they could find to claim the prizes, ranging from free tickets to Palm Springs to golf clubs to beach attire.
JetBlue effectively combined a physical activation with a dynamic social media strategy to ensure the campaign made a splash. The ice-breaking challenge generated buzz both in person and online, with participants sharing their experiences on social media. By simultaneously promoting the campaign online, JetBlue boosted the activation visibility and generated excitement for its new flights to Palm Springs.
JetBlue’s ability to gamify experiences and integrate social media to enhance engagement was a success. Brainstorm ways your attraction can do the same. For example, a museum could have a scavenger hunt, or a historical site might encourage visitors to tag a themed photo with a hashtag to earn a discount at the gift shop.
8. Samsung’s Clever Stunt in Appel
Samsung’s marketing stunt in the small Dutch village of Appeal is a prime example of leveraging competition to your advantage. Samsung can’t afford to send a new smartphone to every single Apple iPhone user. But Samsung can hand out a few hundred Galaxy S9 phones to the residents of Appel — whose name just so happens to resemble Apple. In this clever campaign, Samsung turned this small village into a unique marketing opportunity. The stunt was charming, and it not only created buzz but also likely converted a few hundred new customers into Samsung loyalists.
This is an excellent example of how to use guerilla marketing to set yourself apart from your competition. Instead of targeting a massive, hard-to-convert audience, Samsung focused on a small, niche group, turning the town’s name into an asset. As an attraction, you may want to explore location-based marketing, specifically looking at ways to engage communities in a fun and meaningful way.
9. IT Movie Launch With Red Balloons on Sewers
For the release of IT, the marketing team used a simple but eerie guerrilla tactic to grab attention: red helium balloons tied to the grates of sewers in Sydney. The sight of these creepy balloons immediately sparked curiosity and gave the illusion of something straight out of the movie.
The red balloon is a well-known symbol from the IT series, instantly recognizable to fans. Pedestrians couldn’t resist taking photos, which quickly spread across social media, building buzz around the film. The best part: It was super budget-friendly, proving that a well-thought-out, simple idea could generate tremendous engagement. By using public spaces in an unexpected way, attractions can also turn everyday objects into shareable experiences that drive engagement.
10. Frontline’s Ticks & Fleas on the Mall Floor
Frontline, a flea and tick spray brand, took over a busy shopping mall by placing a giant dog image on the floor. As hoppers walked across the image, it looked as though they were the ticks and fleas on the dog. It was a simple yet brilliant way to turn an everyday location into a memorable, interactive experience.
The idea of using a mall floor as the canvas certainly surprised passersby, who didn’t expect to become part of a marketing campaign during a trip to the mall. Many likely didn’t realize what the dog image was about until seeing it from above, adding an extra element of surprise.
Campaigns like this generate buzz as people share photos on social media, which helps draw media attention to your brand. As an attraction, you might consider turning regular spaces—like floors, walls, or waiting areas—into memorable touchpoints that spark curiosity, just as Frontline did with its guerrilla marketing stunt.
11. Sixt’s Sixth Ave Takeover
To make a splash in New York City’s competitive rental car market, Sixt rebranded Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue as Sixt Avenue for a day. In just five minutes, the brand placed custom signs throughout the area and even orchestrated a 10-car parade down the street. The brand captured drone footage of the event, which was then used to amplify the campaign on social media.
This is another example of a brand taking over a public space in a creative way. The brand wanted to make a name for itself in NYC’s rental market, and it did just that with this campaign. Sixt successfully made a splash by orchestrating an activation on one of the busiest streets in the city.
Attractions can take inspiration from Sixt’s approach by leveraging your brand’s unique characteristics — the way Sixt did with its brand name — to create out-of-the-box campaigns. Whether it’s rebranding a street, a popular landmark, or even a part of the attraction itself, clever stunts like this are a surefire way to generate a lot of buzz around your brand.
12. Paris Zoo: Animals on the Loose
Paris Zoo also took to the city streets to build excitement for its grand opening. The park placed giant, open animal crates in iconic locations across Paris, creating the thrilling illusion that animals had escaped the zoo. Imagine this yourself: You’re commuting to work and spot an empty crate near the Eiffel Tower or a landmark in your city. It was clear that something “wild” was happening in town.
The zoo strategically placed the animal crates in famous spots, ensuring that most people would see them. The simple yet impactful visual of an open animal crate invited the public to imagine the animals in their own backyards, piquing curiosity about seeing them in person at the zoo. This is yet another campaign that shows us the power of tapping into familiar environments in surprising, playful ways.
12. Copenhagen Zoo: The Squeeze on Bus Advertising
European zoos are experts at guerilla marketing campaigns. Look at how the Copenhagen Zoo generated excitement around the park: They decked out city buses with giant boa constrictors seemingly crushing the vehicles. The team created a realistic illusion that stopped pedestrians in their tracks.
The visually striking stunt didn’t require a big budget, yet it created a lasting impression, driving more visitors to the zoo and earning multiple awards for the campaign. The takeaway here is that guerrilla marketing doesn’t need to be costly, but it should surprise visitors. A good campaign causes a big emotional impact without overexplaining itself to its audience.
13. Splashdown Waterpark: Get Wet for Free
Vancouver’s Splashdown Waterpark placed free tickets at the bottom of giant barrels of water, allowing people to snag a free visit if they were willing to get soaked. Participants had to dive into the buckets to retrieve the tickets, mirroring the experience they would have at the waterpark. By using your brand’s own features — like water, in the park’s case — in a public space, you can create a fun activity that encourages participation.
14. IWC reminds your wrist it’s missing something
In yet another example of great ambient marketing, watchmaker IWC placed bus handle straps on airport shuttle buses, each designed to look like a watch strap. While not everyone would grip the handle in the same way, the campaign subtly reminded commuters that their wrist was missing something: an IWC watch. The effective placement builds on everyday moments, seamlessly integrating the watch brand into people’s routines.
This campaign shows us that you don’t necessarily need to deck out a bus with a giant snake. A subtle campaign can be just as impactful. It’s all about finding creative ways to use ordinary spaces to spark the curiosity of those around you.
15. Sarova Hotels Promoting a Good Cause
Sarova Hotels in Kenya raised awareness for its brand and environmental initiatives by placing a giant leopard on a streetlamp. The stunt immediately caught people’s attention, evoking curiosity and concern. People wondered, “Is this real?”
But it was quickly revealed to be part of an environmental campaign by Sarova, aligning with their commitment to environmental responsibility. The leopard shown outside of its natural habitat was meant to spark compassion in passersby, who might think twice about supporting wildlife conservation efforts.
This campaign was not just about grabbing attention but also effectively highlighting the brand’s commitment to important environmental issues. It helped position Sarova as a responsible brand, showing us that guerilla marketing can be used beyond the goal of driving bookings. These campaigns can be used to make powerful statements about your brand.
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These campaigns have shown that a mix of creativity, surprise, and unexpected locations can create a lasting impression on customers. Whether you’re planning a large-scale stunt or a small, local activation, these guerilla marketing examples prove that impactful marketing doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.
