Gastown businesses launch guerilla marketing campaign to boost interest in the neighbourhood

More than 30 years ago, author and advertising guru Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerilla marketing.

It described strategies and tactics small businesses could use to compete against deep-pocketed giants.

The goals are to create a buzz, make the brand part of someone's daily routine, and appeal to their senses.

Here in Vancouver, family-owned businesses in Gastown have been playing David against corporate Goliaths for decades.

This week, the Gastown Business Improvement Society launched its own guerilla marketing campaign to remain a step ahead of the crowd.

It has a team running around the city snapping waterproof seat covers on bicycles with a simple message: "Get Your A** to Gastown".

“We were looking for ways to target people who are within arm's reach of our neighbourhood and land a simple message—come to Gastown,” Gastown Business Improvement Society marketing manager Pamela Saunders said in a news release. “Cyclists who ride into and around the city were the perfect fit and the medium certainly influenced the message.”

Expect to see more of these cheeky pitches to appear around the downtown core by next week.

The society has also launched new street banners featuring the work of graphic designer Derek Hepburn and photographer Nelson Mouellic. You can see them along Cordova, Abbott, and Carrall streets.

It's part of the "Gifts from Gastown" winter campaign to lure shoppers to the city's oldest neighbourhood.

The area is home to 120 retailers and more than 70 eating and drinking establishments.