1) Please help me impress the locals!
How many industries do you have experience with? In how many countries have you worked, presented, influenced local businesses? What is the professional achievement you're most proud of? What's the best feedback you got from a reader or customer? Levinson:
I HAVE EXPERIENCE IN AN EXCEPTIONALLY WIDE ARRAY OF INDUSTRIES -- HOTELS, AIRLINES, WINERIES, CREDIT CARDS, COMPUTER MAKERS, SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS, AUTOMOBILES, NATIONS, CIGARETTES, BANKS, SOFT DRINKS, WHISKIES, DEPARTMENT STORES, MOM AND POP STORES, INSURANCE COMPANIES, FOOD PRODUCTS, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE. I HAVE SPOKEN IN 50 NATIONS, ADDRESSING SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE COMPANIES. THE PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF WHICH I AM MOST PROUD ARE THE ASTOUNDING NUMBER OF SMALL COMPANIES THAT ARE NOW LARGE COMPANIES DUE TO THEIR PRACTICE OF GUERRILLA MARKETING. THIS IS DUE TO THE TOTAL SIMPLICITY OF GUERRILLA MARKETING AND DUE TO ITS REMARKABLE EFFICACY. THE BEST FEEDBACK I CAN EVER GET ARE THE TRUE STORIES OF ENTREPRENEURS WHO STARTED WITH NOTHING AND NOW HAVE EVERYTHING -- ALL DUE TO GUERRILLA MARKETING. MY BOOKS ARE NOW IN 62 LANGUAGES BECAUSE GUERRILLA MARKETING WORKS WORLDWIDE -- EVERY TIME -- IF YOU DO IT RIGHT. I AM COMING TO BUDAPEST TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW TO DO IT RIGHT. 2) Post-recession marketing
While the US is pretty experienced in recessions (the great depression, the Carter-era, the latest one), we in Hungary are quite new to this phenomenon! What's your advice for small companies who lost a LOT of business in the past year? How can they reactivate their old customers? How do you suggest they change their marketing, their product portfolio? Levinson:
RECESSION-HIT BUSINESSES MUST TREAT THEIR OLD CUSTOMERS LIKE ROYALTY AND BOTH REINTRODUCE THEIR OLD MARKETING WHILE COMBINING IT WITH NEW MARKETING THAT LETS THE PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE AWARE OF THE RECESSION AND ARE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. ASTOUNDING SERVICE WILL BE THEIR ALLY. 3) Is guerrilla marketing global - or US only?
(Background: there's a lot of scepticism about "US style marketing" in Hungary, many biz owners think it's too aggressive, too "in the face")
You must have seen guerrilla marketing work in MANY countries all over the world. Does it work everywhere? Have you seen any resistance in countries from marketers? Have you seen any interesting variations in marketing tactics where local culture influenced what works and what doesn't? Levinson:
TRUE GUERRILLA MARKETING IS NOT "IN YOUR FACE" AND DOES WORK EVERYWHERE IT IS PRACTICED PROPERLY. ALTHOUGH I HAVE SEEN RESISTANCE FROM MARKETING PEOPLE I HAVE NEVER SEEN IT FROM CUSTOMERS. OF COURSE IT MUST BE TAILORED TO THE CUSTOMS OF THE NATION BECAUSE GUERRILLA MARKETING IS ALWAYS PERSONALIZED AND NEVER OFFENSIVE TO PEOPLE OR CUSTOMS OR COMMUNITIES. 4) New vs. old media
Now that we have the web, social media, mobile marketing, etc. - can small businesses finally give up traditional media like newspaper advertising, direct mail, flyers etc? (I hope you'll say no :) Levinson:
GUERRILLA MARKETING DOES NOT REPLACE TRADITIONAL MARKETING, BUT SUPPORTS IT AND STRENGTHENS IT. THE WEB AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND MOBILE MARKETING ARE PART OF MARKETING AND THAT MEANS BOTH OLD AND NEW MARKETING. WHEN TV WAS INVENTED, RADIO DID NOT DISAPPEAR. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR GUERRILLA MARKETING. THERE IS A NEED FOR BOTH IT AND TRADITIONAL MARKETING. THE BEST COMPANIES WILL USE BOTH AND NEVER NEGLECT ONE KIND. 5) Knowing vs doing:
Today the marketing info available to small businesses is overwhelming! Most biz owners KNOW a lot more about marketing than they DO. What's your advice, how can they deal with the information overflow, and how can they begin to implement? Levinson:
BIZ OWNERS MUST PROCEED SLOWLY, FOLLOWING A SIMPLE PLAN, AND REALIZE THAT GUERRILLA MARKETING IS NOT A SPECTACTOR SPORT. IT IS ALL ABOUT ACTION, EXPERIMENTATION AND LEARNING ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER. IMPLEMENTION MUST TAKE PLACE WITH ONE TACTIC, ONE WEAPON, ONE TECHNIQUE AT A TIME. KEEPING CAREFUL TRACK IS CRITICAL. GUERRILLAS ARE NEVER IN A HURRY BECAUSE THEY COMMIT TO A SIMPLE PLAN AND MEASURE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AS THEY GO. PATIENCE IS ONE OF THEIR GREAT ALLIES. BUT YOU ARE RIGHT: IT IS NOT A MATTER OF KNOWING AS MUCH AS IT IS A MATTER OF DOING. THE WORLD WILL BELONG TO THE DOERS.
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