How Blendtec Uses Viral YouTube Videos to Boost Sales

Content Marketing Institute

18 Jan 201704:22

Summary

TLDRThe '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.

Outlines

00:00

📹 Innovative Marketing with 'Will It Blend?' Videos

The speaker recounts the early days of YouTube and how BlendTec, a smart company, capitalized on this new media platform to market their blenders. They created the 'Will It Blend?' series, showcasing the blender's capabilities by blending unusual items like marbles, which turned out to be a viral success. The company's background is highlighted, emphasizing its engineering focus with 40 engineers dedicated to creating a reliable and powerful blender. The founder's initial belief in the product's quality leading to sales without aggressive marketing is mentioned, along with the eventual realization that a marketing strategy was necessary. The hiring of a sales and marketing person led to the creation of the 'Will It Blend?' videos, which unexpectedly garnered millions of views and significantly boosted sales by 1,000%. The videos became a sensation, with viewers actively seeking out BlendTec blenders after watching the series.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Will It Blend

This is the name of the viral YouTube series created by Blendtec, a company that manufactures high-performance blenders. The series showcases the blender's capabilities by attempting to blend various unusual items. The concept is central to the video's theme, demonstrating the power and reliability of Blendtec's products through entertaining and unexpected blend tests, such as blending marbles and a rotisserie chicken.

💡YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users can upload, share, and view content. In the context of the video, YouTube serves as the new media channel that Blendtec utilized to market their blenders. The platform's early days are mentioned, indicating the innovative approach Blendtec took to leverage social media for brand promotion.

💡Blenders

Blenders are kitchen appliances used to mix, puree, or emulsify food and other substances. In this video, blenders are the main product being promoted, specifically the high-performance models made by Blendtec. The script discusses the engineering behind these blenders and their ability to handle tough blending tasks, which is a key aspect of the video's narrative.

💡Marketing

Marketing refers to the process of promoting and selling products or services. In the video, Blendtec's use of the 'Will It Blend' series on YouTube is an example of innovative marketing. It cleverly showcases the blender's capabilities in a way that is both entertaining and informative, leading to increased brand awareness and sales.

💡Engineering

Engineering is the application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical problems. The video emphasizes Blendtec's engineering prowess, mentioning that they have 40 engineers working to create a blender that would not fail. This highlights the company's commitment to quality and innovation in product design.

💡Salesperson

A salesperson is an individual who sells goods or services. The video script mentions the hiring of a salesperson and a marketing person, indicating a shift in Blendtec's approach from relying solely on product quality to actively promoting their blenders. The salesperson's initiative to create the 'Will It Blend' series is a turning point in the company's marketing strategy.

💡Marbles

Marbles are small spherical objects often made of glass, ceramic, or stone. In the video, marbles are used as one of the items to be blended, demonstrating the blender's ability to handle hard materials. This serves as a visual and surprising testament to the blender's power.

💡Rotisserie Chicken

A rotisserie chicken is a chicken that has been cooked on a rotisserie, a spit that rotates the chicken over heat. In the script, a salesperson buys a rotisserie chicken at Costco to blend, which becomes a part of the 'Will It Blend' series. This act is a humorous and attention-grabbing way to showcase the blender's capabilities.

💡Commercial Setting

A commercial setting refers to an environment where goods or services are offered for sale. The video discusses the idea that seeing a product in use in a commercial setting, such as a smoothie shop, can inspire customers to make a purchase. The 'Will It Blend' series essentially brings this concept to life in a digital format.

💡Half a Billion Views

This term refers to the cumulative number of views the 'Will It Blend' videos have garnered across platforms, which is stated to be around 500 million. This figure underscores the immense popularity and success of the marketing campaign, illustrating how effectively Blendtec's strategy resonated with a wide audience.

💡Blendtec

Blendtec is the company that manufactures the high-performance blenders featured in the video. The name is repeatedly mentioned throughout the script, emphasizing the brand and its association with the 'Will It Blend' series. The company's focus on engineering and quality is highlighted as a key factor in the success of their blenders.

Highlights

BlendTec capitalized on the early days of YouTube to market their blenders with the 'Will It Blend?' series of videos.

The 'Will It Blend?' videos featured blending unusual items like marbles, glass, and rotisserie chickens to demonstrate the blender's power.

BlendTec's founder Tom Dickson always wanted the fastest, most powerful blender and worked to improve his 1968 wedding present blender.

As an engineering-focused company, BlendTec has 40 engineers, more than any other blender company.

Dickson initially believed having the best blender would lead to sales without needing marketing or sales efforts.

The idea of demonstrating blenders in commercial settings like smoothie shops inspired Dickson.

A new marketing hire discovered BlendTec's blending tests and suggested filming them as a marketing strategy.

The first 'Will It Blend?' video of a rotisserie chicken quickly gained 6 million views on YouTube.

Holly Jackman, co-owner of Roxberry smoothie stores, was impressed by the blender's performance in the videos and chose BlendTec for her business.

The videos showcased blending items like iPods, golf balls, and iPhones to demonstrate the blender's capabilities.

The 'Will It Blend?' series has accumulated around 500 million views across YouTube and other platforms.

The viral videos led to a 1,000% increase in BlendTec's sales without traditional advertising costs.

The videos attracted a loyal audience who were 'hooked' on the entertaining content and sought out BlendTec blenders.

BlendTec's innovative marketing approach using the 'Will It Blend?' series revolutionized how they promoted their product.

The success of the videos demonstrated the power of social media platforms like YouTube for product marketing.

The 'Will It Blend?' series highlights the importance of creativity and thinking outside the box in marketing strategies.