Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [224]
Case Study: Blendtec on YouTube
One of the best-known business-oriented viral videos on YouTube is Blendtec and its “Will it Blend?” videos. With an investment of less than $100 and an inexpensive video camera, the first videos were recorded of the Blendtec Blender shredding a rake handle, marbles (www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM94aorYVS4), ice, and golf balls (Figure 18-8).
Figure 18-8: Blendtec experienced great YouTube video success.
Blendtec sells a very high-end blender, which starts at $400. However, these videos launched them into a realm of visibility beyond a marketer’s wildest dreams. The videos were born out of the simple idea that people just have to see what it can do. How else do you distinguish a high-priced blender from the rest of the pack?
This is where the emerging factor of YouTube enabled Blendtec to become a viral phenomenon. Creating a video series blending the new iPhone and iPad, marbles, glow sticks, and many other items, Blendtec became more than a typical product demonstration; it became entertainment. Companies even pay Blendtec to blend their new products, just for the exposure. By tapping into the curiosity of the marketplace and providing simple video production, the videos enabled Blendtec to increase sales dramatically. At last count, the combined numbers of views of the Blendtec video puts it on par with the visibility of a Superbowl ad, at a tiny fraction of the cost.
The primary factor in creating the Blendtec success was the medium of embedded video. An embedded video is one where you simply need to place a script in your website, and the video will play on your page. This enables bloggers and website managers to take a video from YouTube and add the script, which then puts the video on their site or blog, allowing them to show the video on their site to their audience. A true “see-to-believe” product, Blendtec benefited from video sharing and the ability for the videos to be embedded on websites, on blogs, and in emails. People could talk about them on their blogs and websites, send to friends and discuss on the site, and also make requests for new videos. Blendtec needed YouTube and video to accomplish what they did.
Case Study: VW’s Engagement on Facebook
Volkswagen has decades of experience being a brand icon. Big, gas-guzzling cars were selling and were what the American people wanted, until a little “bug” came into the picture and was embraced by counterculture, parents, teenagers, and college students everywhere, going on to sell millions in the United States.
Volkswagen actively engages its audience on Facebook and provides an outlet for their fans to openly discuss anything they want about the company. Fans can post photos, video, and comments on the company’s main page. This creates a closely connected community with the brand, because VW has a dedicated following (Figure 18-9).
However, rather than simply allowing the fans to be part of Facebook, VW uses Facebook to provide significant promotions and news to their fans. Volkswagen previewed its 2011 Polo GTI to its fans in Europe on Facebook before any other outlet, rewarding fans for their dedication. In addition, while the 2011 Passat sedan debuted at the Paris Motor Show would not be available to the United States, VW posted the sketches of the new midsize sedan (which would be available to the United States) to let its audience peek at the new design.
Figure 18-9: Volkswagen allows the community to develop the Facebook presence.
Case Study: Dell Support on Twitter
One of the first businesses that was able to make Twitter work for them was Dell Support. Within moments of a Twitter user making a comment about a Dell computer, Dell Support was monitoring the Twitter comments about them,