Guerilla Martha – A Good Thing «

Two things I never thought I’d be mentioning in the same paragraph are Martha Stewart and Guerilla Marketing. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I shouldn’t be surprised by Martha’s use of guerilla tactics. She used a lot of themto get where she is today. As a result you don’t need to use her last name. If you just say “Martha” people know exactly who you mean. Building her empire is a great achievement, but it’s her latest tactic that really impresses me.

When you mention Martha’s name you typically get a strong reaction. Opinions of Martha are almost as polarized as politics. One group of people will tell you, “I think she’s brilliant. I love everything she does.” Others will say, “She gets on my nerves. Where does she get off telling me how to run my life?”

The loyalists will stand by her no matter what happens. They subscribe to every publication from MSLO, watch every show, and hang on every word she says. Martha has no worries with these folks. Every time she does something, they’ll be the first in line.

What’s so brilliant about what Martha is doing now is that she’s discovered a way to reach people who have no desire to jump on the Martha bandwagon. Last week a television show debuted on the Fine Living Network called “Whatever Martha”. The show is hosted by Martha’s daughter Alexis and one of her friends. In a nutshell, Alexis and her friend watch clips from Martha’s show and make sarcastic and humorous comments about the segments. Most of the jokes are at Martha’s expense.

When I first saw the ads for Whatever Martha, I knew I had to watch. Dry sarcastic humor is one of my favorite things. I wasn’t disappointed. I was rolling on the floor with laughter during the first episode. Throughout the show I kept thinking, “Martha must be furious over this.” I’ve heard many stories of how the domestic diva reacts when someone takes a shot at her. Then I saw the credits – Executive Producer: Martha Stewart, a production of MSLO. As a guerilla marketer I just found a new respect for Martha.

Martha’s guerilla thinking is now reaching people who were previously unreachable. People who instinctively change the channel whenever she’s on will tune in & see segments they wouldn’t normally watch. She’s also found a way to tap into a new demographic through her daughter. Despite all the sarcasm and humor, Alexis still gets the message out that Martha is very good at what she does & nudges the younger audience to check out products associated with the Martha brand. Brilliant!! Here’s a good example of one of the clips