How Blendtec Uses Viral YouTube Videos to Boost Sales

Summary

The 'Will It Blend?' YouTube series revolutionized marketing for BlendTec, a company specializing in high-performance blenders. The series showcased the blender's capabilities by blending unusual items, from marbles to iPhones, captivating viewers and boosting sales by 1,000%. Founded by an engineer with a vision for the ultimate blender, BlendTec's innovative approach to marketing, spearheaded by a hired marketing professional, turned the series into a viral sensation with half a billion views, proving that a blend of creativity and engineering can lead to extraordinary success.

Takeaways

• 📺 The 'Will It Blend?' YouTube series was an innovative marketing strategy by Blendtec, a blender company, to showcase the power of their blenders.
• 🚀 Blendtec capitalized on the early days of YouTube to gain massive exposure for their brand, which was a smart move considering YouTube's rapid growth.
• 🎁 The founder of Blendtec, Tom Dickson, received a blender as a wedding present in 1968 and set out to improve upon it, leading to the creation of a high-performance blender.
• 🔧 Blendtec is an engineering-focused company with 40 engineers on staff, which is a significant number compared to other blender companies.
• 🤔 Initially, Tom Dickson believed that having the best blender would naturally attract customers, but this approach lacked marketing and sales strategy.
• 🎬 The idea to blend unusual items for marketing purposes came from a new sales and marketing hire who saw potential in demonstrating the blender's capabilities.
• 🎉 The 'Will It Blend?' series became a viral sensation, with one of the videos reaching 6 million views in just 5 days.
• 🌟 The series has grown to include 45 videos, and the total views across platforms have reached half a billion.
• 💡 The marketing campaign was cost-effective, as it allowed Blendtec to sell their product without spending much on advertising.
• 📈 Sales increased by 1,000% as a direct result of the 'Will It Blend?' series, demonstrating the power of viral marketing.
• 🗣️ The videos have created a loyal fan base who actively seek out Blendtec blenders, indicating the success of the campaign in building brand loyalty.

Q & A

What was the innovative marketing strategy employed by Blendtec to promote their blenders?

Blendtec utilized the emerging platform of YouTube to create the 'Will It Blend' series, showcasing the blender's capabilities by blending various unusual items.

How did the 'Will It Blend' series start?

The series started when a marketing person at Blendtec, after noticing a pile of sawdust from blending 2x4s, decided to blend a rotisserie chicken, Coke, marbles, and other items to demonstrate the blender's power.

What was the unexpected outcome of the 'Will It Blend' videos on YouTube?

The videos unexpectedly went viral, with one of them garnering 6 million views in just 5 days, leading to a significant increase in Blendtec's sales.

How did Blendtec's founder, Tom, initially plan to sell the blenders?

Tom initially believed that by creating the best blender, people would naturally come to buy it. He thought that demonstrations in commercial settings, like smoothie shops, would be the best way to sell the product.

What was the role of the marketing person who joined Blendtec?

The marketing person played a crucial role in recognizing the potential of blending unusual items to showcase the blender's capabilities, which led to the creation of the 'Will It Blend' series.

How many engineers does Blendtec have on their team?

Blendtec has a team of 40 engineers, which is more than any other blender company, according to the transcript.

What was the impact of the 'Will It Blend' series on Blendtec's sales?

The series had a significant impact, increasing Blendtec's sales by 1,000%.

How many 'Will It Blend' videos are available on YouTube according to the transcript?

According to the transcript, there are 45 'Will It Blend' videos available on YouTube.

What is the total number of views the 'Will It Blend' videos have accumulated, as mentioned in the script?

The videos have accumulated around half a billion views, or 500 million views, in total across various platforms.

Why did the founder of Blendtec, Tom, decide to improve upon the blender he received as a wedding present in 1968?

Tom, being an engineer, thought he could make the blender better, which led him to work on creating a blender that would not fail.

What is the name of the person who saw the potential of the 'Will It Blend' idea and how is he related to Roxberry smoothie stores?

The person's name is Holly Jackman, and together with her husband, they own four Roxberry smoothie stores.