Marmite, a sticky, savory paste, is one of the most popular spreads enjoyed by the British people.
While Brits find this savory spread tasty, reception towards it has been divisive outside of Britain.
As a result, it’s not widely available in places like the U.S., which, coincidentally, houses nearly a million British expats.
Based on 2024 estimates, there are over 700,000 Brits residing in the U.S.—a figure that has since ballooned to over a million in 2026.
Since Marmite wasn’t widely available in markets outside of Britain, it had to come up with something to get the product in the hands of British expats…
Image from Unsplash
So, what did the brand do?
Together with its creative partner adam&eveDDB, Marmite devised a way to transport jars of its product across the Atlantic!
How?
By organizing a distribution network made up of Brits who were planning to go to New York!
To pull this off, Marmite ran a recruitment campaign targeting its most loyal fans through out-of-home ads, social media posts, and TV ads.
Image from YouTube
The ads encouraged onlookers to contact a Whatsapp number operated by Marmite’s team.
Brits who qualified for the “Marmite Smugglers” campaign were asked to bring a jar (or jars) of Marmite to the U.S. Upon arriving in New York, they were then instructed to hand over the jars of the beloved British spread to brand representatives.
[Disclaimer: Despite the inclusion of “smugglers” in the name, no form of illegal smuggling occurred. As part of the participation guidelines, those who qualified were explicitly required to comply with airline, airport, and customs regulations.]
To make the campaign more visible, a YouTube documentary was created to memorialize and advertise the guerrilla marketing campaign.
Meanwhile, those who willingly participated in the campaign were given a special edition Marmite jar.
So, was all that effort with it?
Yes!
Marmite received over 500 applications 48 hours after launching the recruitment campaign. In all, over 1,200 applicants showed interest in the “Marmite Smugglers” stunt.
The campaign generated over 5.6 million in earned reach and a 26% increase in brand interest among Americans. Also, the documentary that detailed how jars of Marmite were sent to the U.S. earned thousands of views across YouTube and TikTok.
… and to add icing on the cake, the “Marmite Smugglers” campaign drew positive attention from awards-giving bodies like Clio Awards.
Kudos to the entire campaign team!
—
Marmite may be an acquired taste, but this campaign definitely showed that it need not remain a niche favorite.
By undertaking this quirky guerrilla marketing campaign, Marmite managed to hit two birds with one stone: Get Marmite into the hands of British expats and generate interest for the savory spread among Americans!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you find this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!”
Cheers,
Dyane Diasanta
Senior Content Writer
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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