Building brand awareness with video.
A 2×4, a kitchen blender and a video camera was all it took to help Blendtec build up its brand awareness among consumers.
Blendtec, a small company that produces high-power, professional-grade blenders, was an unknown name six years ago. With products priced at $400, it was uncommon to find a Blendtec blender in most household kitchens. But in 2007, when the marketing director surveyed the factory and saw the owner blending a 2×4, a brilliant idea was formed—film the company’s everyday tests and post the videos online.
They blended everything from a rake to an iPad, from a can of Coca-Cola to a pack of lighters (that one didn’t end well). Almost overnight, Blendtec’s videos exploded. Soon, every household was watching everyday objects turn into piles of dust. A series of Internet videos, called Will It Blend?, soon followed. The public loved it.
But Blendtec didn’t stop with just videos. Even more ingenious, the company asked for viewer involvement. People watching could go to their Facebook page and suggest things for the owner to blend.
More importantly, Blendtec listened, blending up item after item, achieving what every marketing campaign should be about—showing customers what your product can do. To date, Bledtec videos have held the attention of over 181 million people.
The trick to viral videos—they almost always happen organically. Trying to make a viral video rarely works, but when you work with what you have, sometimes those videos take off. Blendtec’s videos show the humanness of the company. The videos don’t feel like an advertisement; instead, they work off the shock value of showing these powerful blenders in action.
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