This brand had ZERO hype — then one Ad racked up 6M views in 4 months. Here's what they did ⬇
"Better than the Avengers assembling" | The rise of Instacart shopping app
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When a brand with virtually no public buzz pulls off a 6-million-view campaign in 4 months, you pay attention.
But this wasn’t luck. Instacart engineered it.
Here’s what actually made the difference, and how you can steal every tactic ⬇🏆
They Picked the Perfect Cultural Window
Viral Moment
Instacart dropped its first Super Bowl ad at the exact moment people were thinking about two things: snacks and speed 🍩🏃♀️
The Big Game is already a cultural ritual tied to food and delivery. So it checks out!
Why it worked
They didn’t try to create a moment. They inserted themselves into one.
This gave them cultural relevance without the spend required to build buzz from scratch.
🕵️♀️🕵️♂️
Before launching your next product or ad, audit the cultural calendar.
~What events already get your audience thinking about your category?
~Can you show up where attention already exists?
Whats’s your cultural window?
The Creative Mix
They opened with ‘‘We’re here’’ —a line that feels like a brand arriving, but also like your delivery has shown up.
Then came a wild visual dump: whipped cream, Lucky Charms, cat litter, all flying through neon chaos.
Why it worked
It was grounded in a feeling (arrival), but visually designed to scroll-stopping perfection.
It triggered curiosity while still being tied to products (MASCOTS) that customers recognize.
Visuls are just as important with scripting, in many cases. Audience is already being entertained by the game/social media scrolling. You literally need to win them.
Hijack this:
Pair a relatable emotion or situation with visually unpredictable creativity.
~Keep the copy simple, but let the visuals do the heavy lifting.
~Think of visuals as your scroll hook; they should provoke “WTF was that?” in a good way.
💡Prompt
Pick a simple, relatable feeling (e.g. “I’m tired”).
Show it with wild, surreal visuals (e.g. a person face-planting into a bed that turns into a cloud and flies off)Please Like 💕 or share this post
They Made the Product the Star, Not the App!
Most tech ads say: “Here’s how the app works.”
Instacart said: “Here’s the stuff you already want. Look how fun it is when we deliver it.”
Why it worked
They built desire by focusing on what people already love: cereal, snacks, random items, and stylishly recontextualizing them.
🙅♀️
Don’t sell your tech. Sell the end state that your customer already wants.
~Use products as the story.
~Show your value by amplifying what your customer already buys or craves.
They Gave Viewers One Job : “Cart It”
Give a clever CTA
Their CTA wasn’t “Sign up” or “Download now.”
It was “Cart it.” One simple, playful command.
Why it worked
It reduced friction. And it made the action feel fun, almost like a game, not a task.
🕵️♀️🕵️♂️
Audit your CTA. Can you:
Cut it down to one action, and make that action feel effortless, even playful?
For example ⬇
Replace “Sign up” or “Buy now” with a single-word action that sounds fun, not functional.
~Instead of “Start Free Trial” ➡ try “Unlock It”
~Instead of “Add to Cart” ➡ try “Snag It” or “Zap It”
Rules:
One word.
Feels playful.
Still gets the job done.
💡Prompt
CTA Prompt: “Turn Your Button Into a Toy”
Imagine your product is part of a mobile game.
Now name the button you'd tap to get what you want.
Examples:
For food delivery: “Gobble”
For SaaS: “Launch”
For fashion: “Flex”
For home goods: “Nest”
For digital downloads: “Snag”
Rules:
One word
Feels fun to say
Matches your brand’s vibeTip: Say it outloud, if it makes you smirk, you are close- ChatGPT 😂
They Repurposed the Ad Into a Full Funnel Engine
After the Super Bowl aired, they clipped the ad into shorter cuts, remix edits, and posted them on YouTube, X, & Instagram.
Why it worked
It extended the lifespan of one 30-second spot into months of content.
Plus, they unlocked millions in added impressions, without buying more airtime.
🕺 Recycle Content
Turn every big asset into a mini content machine (plan your after-campaign content before the launch)
TL;DR: They Didn’t Buy Attention, They Engineered It
Instacart didn’t scream, “Look at me.”
They slid into a moment that was already trending, wrapped it in wild visuals, and made it dead simple to take action.
You can do the same. It doesn’t take a Super Bowl budget; it takes a simple step-by-step strategy.
HIT ❤ IF THIS POST WAS INSIGHTFUL- OR IF YOU ENJOYED THE SONG 😂
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That was amazing 🔥🔥
Instacart ad's delivered massively