CyberFootprint

There are two surefire ways to succeed with your brand on social networks. The entity you represent on Facebook or LinkedIn or other niche social networks has to provide either extremely funny or extremely useful content. Otherwise, your brand will never manage to engage its consumers. That principle doesn’t apply only to social media marketing, it also holds for viral application.

Be funny

I’m sure there is no shortage of brands that are trying to be funny on social networks, however only a handful succeed. The best example is the Will it blend? series sponsored by Blendtec. Tom Dickson has managed to take a seemingly boring brand and transform it into a viral sensation.

It began as an accident, as quite a few good campaigns and inventions do. Dickson was testing the new model of the blender by making it grind pine boards. A marketer saw an opportunity in this activity and brought in a camera. Later, they blended marbles, rake handle, a Cochicken (Coke and chicken) resulting in the first videos of the Will it blend? series.

The personality of Tom Dickson was the key to success. His nonchalant demeanor and jokes after pulverising an item unfortunate enough to be in the CEO’s proximity are a guarantee of fun, so that’s why the series attracts a multitude of viewers. The most notable videos that got stuck in my mind were when Dickson was grinding the iPhone to smithereens and when he tried to blend a Chuck Norris action figure. Both were brilliant due to different reasons. The former case revolved around a well-known product, while the latter rode the wave of hype.

Think about it from a financial point of view. The amount of money Blendtec spent on the viral videos is insignificant. You wouldn’t be able to buy an ad for the production costs of the whole series. On the other hand, the series has become a phenomenon and generated more money to the company than an average advertising campaign.

This only proves that a good idea is all what matters in marketing.

Next week, we will take a look at brands generating their publicity online from being useful to their audiences on social networks.

Image credit: Wikipedia