GUERRILLA ADVERTISING AND CUSTOMER PATRONAGE OF ONLINE MARKETING FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated Guerrilla Advertising on Customer Patronage of online marketing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. The aim of the study was to determine whether dimensions of guerrilla marketing significantly influence customer patronage. Brand pusher and Bait and Tease were adopted as dimensions of guerrilla advertising, while customer patronage was measured using repeat purchase and customer referrals. A survey design was utilized in the study and data were collected from customers of online marketing firms across the state. A total of 400 customers were sampled using a purposive sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics was used to analysis respondent demographic information while multiple-regression was used to determine the influence of guerrilla advertising dimensions on customer patronage outcomes. The adequacy and consistency of data utilized in the study were confirmed. Results revealed that both Brand pusher and Bait and Tease significantly and positively influence repeat purchase and customer referral. Although, brand pusher showed a slightly stronger effect on repeat purchase, while bait and tease had greater effect on referrals. These findings suggest that the use of visibility-driven and curiosity-driven components of guerrilla advertising strategy messages can enhance both transactional and advocacy behaviours among online customers. The study concludes that guerrilla advertising is an effective approach for improving customer engagement and market performance in the online marketing sector