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Blendtec, a high-end blender company, struggled with mainstream recognition.

Before launching Will It Blend?, Blendtec’s marketing budget was only $50 for the first five videos. What!

Viral Moment

The Will It Blend? The ad series features founder Tom Dickson, blending unusual, often expensive, objects.

Their breakthrough was when they blended the iPhone.

Why did it go viral?

They used unexpected & high-quality items being destroyed while also leveraging pattern interrupt.

It was also curiosity-driven; viewers needed to see what happens next.

It was more of a TV show and less of an ad.

The Story:

The campaign was created by Blendtec, a business based in Utah, & was spearheaded by Tom Dickson in October 2006.

The idea originated when Blendtec’s new marketing director noticed Dickson’s habit of testing his blenders by blending unconventional items like wooden planks.

With a modest $50 budget, the team created five videos blending objects like golf balls and a rotisserie chicken.

Within six days, the campaign had already garnered six million YouTube views.

The videos quickly became a sensation, surpassing 100 million views by May 2009,

Accumulating over 219 million views in six years!

The campaign established Blendtec as a household name.

After the campaign’s success, revenue increased by 700%,

making Will It Blend? one of the most successful viral marketing campaigns ever.

The Challenge

As said before, the "Will It Blend?" campaign,

Blendtec struggled with low sales and little to no brand recognition compared to brands like Vitamix,

…despite their high-quality products.

Their marketing efforts were not making an impact until they had one viral idea.

How-To

Find Your Product’s Unique Selling Point (USP)

Blendtec’s key feature was its blender’s power.

What makes your product different or better than competitors?

Is it strength, durability, speed, or something else?

Use a Pattern Interrupt

The ad worked because it was unexpected—no one expected a blender commercial to blend iPhones.

Think of something unusual, funny, or shocking that will grab attention.

Make it catchy

Ask a fun question like “Can this survive?” or “Will it work?” and demonstrate it in an over-the-top way.

Be consistent (optional)

Stick to a repeatable format (e.g., Blendtec always had Tom Dickson in a lab coat).

Questions, questions, questions!

Blendtec encouraged fans to suggest objects to blend.

Ask your audience: “What should we test next?” or something like that.

Track results and iterate

Monitor views, shares, and engagement. If something works, double down on it.

Hit the ❤ button

Example Idea

Example copy for different niches:

~Software: “Can this AI write a movie script in 10 seconds?”

~Fitness Equipment: “Will it survive a 1,000 lb drop test?”

~Copywriting Course: “Can I sell this weird product using just one sentence?”

Key takeaway

Unconventional marketing might be your brand’s big break.

Fun Fact

The iPhone-blending video was so popular that Apple employees reportedly warned customers-

"Don’t put your iPhone in a Blendtec blender!"

More news on Blendtec:

("Will it Blend?": Viral Marketing: History of Information)

Blendtec case study.

How Tom Dickson went viral with $50 and a blender - Dynamic Business.

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AI MARKETING NEWS

Summarized insights from Marketer Milk

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