When you think of the average household kitchen appliance, entertaining social media content isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. So what’s the recipe of success in generating a marketing campaign that makes a kitchen appliance go viral on social media?
First, let’s watch the first ever instalment in one of the Internet’s most favourite viral video series, ‘Will it Blend?’ from the American blender company Blendtec.
The first video that started it all, 'Marbles' uploaded to Blendtec's YouTube channel in October of 2006
The campaign 'recipe'
While most kitchen appliance companies head down the same road when marketing their products, like claims of how energy efficient they are, how technologically advanced they are, how safe they are etc, Blendtec headed off on a different path. They focused on a unique idea using their blender to not just showcase how well it blends food, but in most instances, how well it blends just about everything else from marbles (above) to golf balls, coke cans to rake handles, pens to iPhones and more. Each video consists of the same simple ingredients:
The timing
As Kaplan & Haenlein hypothesized in their Social media/viral marketing article in Business Horizons, for viral marketing to be successful, three criteria must be met; the right target audience, ‘the messengers’, need to share the right content, ‘the message’, under the right circumstances. When the campaign first launched, YouTube was in its infancy and the “Will It Blend?” series captured people’s attention with every instalment. By taking advantage of new product releases (like iPhones), and popular culture (like Star Wars), the videos have continued to amass over half a billion views since 2006.
So, did they sell more blenders?
Viral marketing campaigns don’t always lead to more sales but according to Blendtec company founder Tom Dickson, the “Will it Blend?” series had a "1,000% improvement in our sales".
So which is your favourite “Will It Blend?” episode? Why do you think the campaign went so viral? Do you think if it were released today it would still be as successful? Let me know in the comments below!
ow, I can't say I wasn't worried it wouldn't blend haha! The campaign "will it blend" is a great way to implement viral marketing. Although I'm surprised it did have a "1,000% improvement in our sales", the timing and placement are essential in the video's visibility and presence on social media, which enhanced the company and possibly drove sales. Interesting read! Because we are anticipating a particular outcome, we are interested in continuing to watch the full video/content.