Marketing to the YouTube generation
Posted 27 April 2007 at 8:53AM by Simon Dickson in Doing business online
One of the most fantastic things I've found on the internet recently is the YouTube area for a company called Blendtec. They're based in Utah, and they make (quite expensive) blenders. And every few days, they make a new YouTube video demonstrating their products.
So confident is company founder Tom Dickson in the quality of his blenders, that he's prepared to subject them to some pretty rigorous tests, including: a video camera, (most of) a golf club, and an iPod. All to a cheesy (presumably ironic?) soundtrack, and with a cheesy grin.
And what a hit it's been: getting on for a million people have watched the Blendtec boss ask the question: 'Will it blend?' Nearly 25,000 YouTubers have 'subscribed' to the company's channel, to be notified every time a new object faces death by blender. The series has spawned several tribute and parody videos, always a mark of success - as well as its own website, blog, and even a range of T-shirts. Plus, in the last couple of weeks, they've even broken into mainstream TV, with this mini-documentary by US network CBS.
It's a first-class example of viral marketing: the sort of thing people will tell other people about. But unlike many viral campaigns, it actually tells you something constructive about the product. I don't know anything about the blender business - but having seen these silly videos, I'm prepared to believe Blendtec is a quality manufacturer, and a good company to do business with.
Some companies pay millions to advertising and PR agencies to try and buy that kind of goodwill. Tom pushes unlikely stuff into his blenders; much cheaper, much more fun, and - I'd bet - much more effective, too.
Tags: blender, blendtec, iPod, tom dickson, viral marketing, will it blend, youtube
New feature: Rate this post!
Average rating: 5/5
