YOUR BRAND- Will It Blend?

This morning’s email brought me the Top 5 viral video advertisements of 2007-- The advertisements that were most successful in attracting online viewers, as ranked by GoViral, the online marketing agency. It’s a subject I am fascinated by since everyone wants to go viral and its harder than you think to achieve viral status, particularly for commercial purposes.

I should know, I think that our viral videos  (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brandemix&search=Search) are hilarious but viral, they are not. Not even mildly contagious.

They are-
The Cadbury Gorilla Drummer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbLr2NEV_7o
Launch online: August 2007
Views on Youtube: 5m + lots of other user generated versions
 
Smirnoff Green Tea Partay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWzNiUXTh7E
Launch online: August 2007
Views on Youtube: 3.4m

Ray-Ban - Catch Sunglasses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-prfAENSh2k
Launch online: May 2007
Views on Youtube: 3.2m + user generated content

Lynx/Axe – Bom chicka wah wah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8eUGtZr4Co
Launch online: August 2007
Views on Youtube: 3.4m

So, when I went to see the Best of for ‘07, I was was even more puzzled by most. Great songs, pretty girls, humor (particularly Ray-Ban) but still. And the trend of real Global Agencies making what looks like User Generated Home Movies?

There is one on the list that I do think is genius- for building a brand, a cult, and sales.

It’s a campaign called “Will it Blend”
According to a series of 30 second to two minute infomercials demonstrating the Blendtec line of blenders, especially the Total Blender. In the show, Tom Dickson, the Blendtec founder, attempts to blend various items in order to show off the power of his blender. Dickinson started this marketing campaign after doing a blending attempt with a box of matches.

Nothing could be less sexy than a blender, so the fact that this campaign- by the founder, has dramatically increased sales and built such a strong following is really impressive.

Impact

The phrase Will it blend? has become an internet meme on sites such as Digg. Dickson has revealed that the campaign has been a great success for Blendtec. “The campaign took off almost instantly. We have definitely felt an impact in sales. Will it Blend has had an amazing impact to our commercial and our retail products.” Dickson has made many national television appearances, including NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 30, 2007, on which he blended a rake handle in mere seconds.

Here’s the latest- Blending an Apple Iphone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1ckCkm8YI


Check the rest out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLe0T1rUeDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DieCnMS0G8k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek0OAXmer38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29qOT4JozSw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7SKDnhI3Eg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POR8IfawVo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7JCrbRr54w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIakPZ0DJjg

Branding for Business Results- That’s what I’m talking about!