Social Media, YouTube

1 Blender + Crazy CEO = $100 Million in Sales

One of the most exciting examples of the power of social media is with the company BlendTec.  This small Utah based company sells powerful blenders both domestically and internationally.  Just a few years ago, this company was not well known, and lacking a well defined brand.  Social media changed all that.  BlendTec now has a brand value of over $100 million.

Soon after George Wright, the marketing director for BlendTec, joined the company, he was walking around the factory when he stumbled upon BlendTec CEO Tom Dickson blending a 2×4 in one of the new blenders.  Everyone else working in the factory paid no attention to Dickson as his “extreme blending” was a common occurrence.  Wright, however, was able to see potential in this type of blending.  He came up with the idea of making a video series called “Will It Blend?”

Since BlendTec had a small budget to pursue the “Will It Blend?” idea, they decided to put their series on YouTube instead of paying for expensive TV commercial timeslots.  With about $50 they bought a lab coat, a rake, a rotisserie chicken and a bag of marbles.  That was all they needed to create their “Will It Blend?” series.

After they had made an episode, they passed it along to their employees and had them pass it along to everyone they knew.  One week later, the “Will It Blend?” videos had 5 million hits on YouTube.  They have now created about 75 different episodes in the series, and have blended thing such as skis, iPhones, CD’s, glow sticks, golf balls, hockey pucks, and much more.

BlendTec has seen incredible results such as 65 million views on YouTube, 120 million views on Willitblend.com, and an increase in total blender sales by 700%.  They have been invited to appear on national TV multiple times, including the Today show, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, Food Network and the Tonight Show.  Most importantly, BlendTec has created brand awareness.  People now know what BlendTec is, how powerful their products are, and have a face to put on the company (CEO Tom Dickson).  Thanks to social media, BlendTec has become a $100 million dollar business.

Check out BlendTec’s videos on YouTube or on Willitblend.com, and maybe it will inspire you to come up with an exciting way to use social media to your advantage as well!