You may or may not have heard of Blendtec – it is a US based company that sells professional and home blenders and has been doing so since 1975. This may all sound pretty unremarkable but what is special about Blendtec is its achievements in the world of digital marketing, more specifically as a case study in how to perfect the art of the viral video.

The viral in question was part of the company’s Will It Blend marketing campaign, which was made up of a series of infomercials that demonstrated the company’s products, in particular the Total Blender. The videos were developed by the company’s new marketing director who, on arrival at the company, had found that it tested its products by blending up wooden boards to determine the durability of the product – something that it seemed to the new marketing team would be interesting to consumers. The result was some 186 videos that produced a marked effect on both sales and brand recognition – within five days the company’s YouTube site had more than six million hits and after three years sales were up a whopping 700%.

Brand awareness was the main focus of the video campaign when it was conceived, as at the time the marketing team believed that the company was suffering from weak branding and that this was causing the poor sales behind what was essentially a great range of products. The campaign demonstrated just how accessible digital marketing of this type really is to any business, as the company invested just $100 in supplies and convinced the marketing director – Tom Dickinson – to present the videos. These low cost, low effort videos have been so successful they have even won awards and been shown on a wide range of mainstream media channels, including The Tonight Show and The History Channel. So what made the videos so popular?

Whilst it’s never possible to entirely recreate the success of a unique product and viral situation, there are some factors that are useful to note. Firstly, the videos that were made were in line with both the branding strategy and the digital marketing campaign of Blendtec and they also solved a problem – offering useful information to the consumer - rather than being content for content’s sake. The content was eye catching – who hasn’t wanted to see what will happen if you put a broom handle in a blender? – and was delivered authentically by the marketing director who had a natural and easy way in front of the camera. The videos also connected with current social markers by blending items such as the newest Nike trainers or the CD of a favourite band and offered consumers the chance to get involved by suggesting items to blend. Essentially, the series of videos hit all the most important targets for the viral - compelling content, consumer interaction, genuineness and actually having a purpose – and the result was that Blendtec’s sales and branding strength shot through the roof.

If your business is also in need of a profile boost and you would like to replicate the success of Blendtec the team at Klood has a great deal of expertise. We can help you in the planning and developing stages, as well as execution, contact us today for more information.