Guerrilla marketing often aims to offend people in order to gain their attention. It’s not for every organization, but it can work. Officials at the Lung Cancer Alliance seem to have a good understanding of the concept. The group recently launched a campaign that includes posters saying things like: “The tattooed deserve to die” and “Cat lovers deserve to die.”
What the..? Hey! I love cats!
Upon visiting the group’s website, you see a countdown clock until the big reveal of a mysterious disease that doesn’t discriminate: lung cancer. The clock has been removed and replaced with:
“Many people believe that if you have lung cancer you did something to deserve it. It sounds absurd, but it’s true. Lung cancer doesn’t discriminate and neither should you. Help put an end to the stigma and the disease.”
The American Lung Association has always been the top dog when it comes raising awareness/funding for lung cancer research. But this guerilla marketing campaign really put the small Lung Cancer Alliance on the map. I had honestly never heard of the group until recently. Many angry comments posted across social media sites prompted me to check it out.
Well done. I see what you did there, Lung Cancer Alliance. You let the ticked off people do your dirty work for you. Here are some excerpts from the Lung Cancer Alliance Facebook page:
Some would argue for the end of this campaign. It’s certainly not appropriate for all issues or groups. But for a small, cash-strapped non-profit trying to raise awareness about a deadly disease, I applaud the effort.
@saraalisia
I believe in freedom of speech and holds no grudge against this. Being offended is an everyday occurrence if you let it offend you. The sad part is that if there was any sort of nudity on the ads then they would be banned immediately. Pretty sad really. Welcome to this once great nation.