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The 'Will It Blend?' series of videos from Blendtec represent the best of what marketing is all about in this new media age. Even 10 years ago, a new brand in a cluttered market with established players would have followed the tried and tested route: television advertising.
Blendtec, chose to create traction (through which sales followed) through a series of interesting YouTube videos, which went viral. Videos based on user interaction and requests were also made. But the fundamentals of marketing & advertising were followed: the idea of demonstrating the toughness of the blender was hardwired to the product feature. The videos started when then-new Marketing Director George Wright found out that CEO Tom Dickson and the R&D team had a practice of blending up wooden boards to test product toughness. Wright had an idea to shoot video of the operation and post it online. He invested under $100 in supplies and convinced Dickson to blend up other things on camera.
Over the years, more than 200 videos have been created with products ranging from the iPhone, a golf ball, a solar lamp, Justin Bieber (?!), a Chrome notebook and so on. As on date the YouTube channel boasts of 433,548 subscribers and 200 million video views. Sales too have increased since the launch. Numbers aside, a hallmark of being relevant and consumer focused is the creation of videos that know the pulse of the market.
The debate and argument over iPhone and Samsung continue in the online space. To me, it is a sad irony that Apple is being compared with a brand like Samsung. Be that as it may, a head-to-head comparison is common with an iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3. A new video from Blendtec aims to settle the debate.
I think its a brilliant move to tweak the format (of blending seemingly ‘unblendable' things) to include a side by side comparison of products hotly debated & compared in the online space. No matter who the winner is, the video is likely to be watched and debated. Going by the YouTube comments that is already happening. And because it is a topic debated hotly at tech blogs and marketing blogs, the video will be shared across several blogs & platforms. Blendtec is clearly the winner of new media marketing.
Original article was published here