Effect of Guerrilla Marketing Tactics on Brand Awareness Among Youth Consumers in Lagos

This study examines the effect of guerrilla marketing tactics on brand awareness among youth consumers in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Guerrilla marketing, characterised by unconventional, low-cost, and high-impact promotional approaches, has gained growing attention as a creative alternative to traditional advertising, particularly for brands targeting young, urban populations. Lagos, with its densely populated urban landscape and vibrant youth culture, presents an ideal context for assessing the effectiveness of such tactics. The study adopts a descriptive survey design, with 310 respondents aged 16 to 30 selected through convenience sampling from two commercial districts in Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland. A structured questionnaire measures exposure to guerrilla marketing activities including flash mobs, sticker campaigns, ambient advertising, and pop-up events, as well as resulting brand awareness levels. Data are analysed using descriptive statistics and simple regression. The study also explores whether social sharing behaviour (posting guerrilla marketing content on social media) amplifies brand awareness outcomes. Preliminary findings suggest that guerrilla marketing activities generate significantly higher recall rates among youth consumers compared to conventional outdoor advertising. Social sharing is identified as a key amplifier of awareness, particularly for visually creative executions. Recommendations target startups, youth-oriented brands, and marketing agencies operating in Lagos seeking cost-effective awareness strategies. This research adds to the emerging Nigerian literature on non-traditional marketing communication effectiveness. Keywords: guerrilla marketing, brand awareness, youth consumers, Lagos, unconventional advertising