According to Jonah Berger, you only need $50 to go viral.
Yes, you heard that correctly.
Not $50 million, not $50,000 – only $50.
During an interview conducted by Rachel Kipp from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, Jonah Berger, the author of Contagious and founder of the 6 STEPPS was discussing a certain technique that a marketing director for the brand Blentec had discovered, which relates heavily to the second principle outlined by Berger, Triggers.
The technique used by Blendtec was a series of advertisement videos that went viral! The series was called “Will it blend?” which showed a scientist placing extremely absurd items in a blender to see if they would blend. The videos were not only noticed by their consumers but triggered over 150 million views!!!
How? Because it was different, because it was so crazy it was remarkable.
Below are links to a few “Will It Blend” videos (yes they are cheesy):
Soon enough, people weren’t even associating these advertisements as something that marketers were shoving in their faces but were sharing these videos out of pure entertainment!
Turns out a blender turning an iPhone into dust is something a lot of people want to watch. Of course you’re going to share that to your friends or talk about it around the dinner table, but are you actually mentioning the blender, or simply TRIGGERED by the astonishing act in the video?
Berger states that “it doesn’t take a marketing genius to think about this”, which I completely agree with. You need to get inside the consumer’s head, and think about a word, date or even an activity that will trigger that person into thinking about your brand or company. When I say the words “Just Do It”, what do you think of?
I can only assume this was the first thing that came to mind…
We are triggered daily by brands that have jammed slogans or images into our heads to think of their product. I definitely see how it’s a clever way to build a brand amongst consumers.
What brand do you instantly think of when you hear a certain word, or hear a certain song? Anything come to mind when I mention all white headphones? Do you instantly think of a particular airline when I quote the lyrics “I still call Australia home”? Or what beverage do you think of when you hear “It’s a big ad, ve-ry big ad”?
Let me know in the comments below if we are thinking of the same brands because of those triggers, and if you can think of any other successful triggers used by other companies!
Z/V 
First you twist it!
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“Because you’re worth it”
Great examples of triggers in your post and in the comments here! I am singing along to all the jingles in my head.
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These are great! I think of all the same things when you mention those slogans/lyrics
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With many millions of products competing for a finite market, product with great triggers will always get my attention. Older triggers that come to mind are vegemite, VB and Four’N’Twenty whilst more current triggers for me include Movember, Apple and Bunnings.
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Interesting read Zoe. One trigger that comes to mind is “Not Happy Jan”, however, I would bet that the majority of the audience who might recognise the associated product would actually no longer use it in its original form. Funny – the product is about as ‘out the window’ as the quote that was once yelled about it “Not Happy Jan” !!
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Thanks Lisa:) Years have passed and we still remember that line, great trigger!
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Bunnings is a great one! Their slogan is catchy, everyone knows it and every time I see a sausage sizzle I can’t help but think of them!
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#triggered, I love it! Those slogans are immediately identifiable and relatable
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Life is like a box of chocolates 🍫
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Great post Zoe! You make a great point about triggers, I agree with your first example. When you make it entertaining and lighthearted, I’d most likely give it a positive response! One of my favourite slogans that could be used as a trigger is ‘have a break, have a kit kat’
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Thanks! Kit-Kat is a great example. Anything that sparks a form of emotion whether positive or negative I think we tend to remember more.
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awesome post Zoe! Using trigger words/phrases such a simple yet effective way to get inside our heads as consumers! Of course the one that comes to my head is McDonalds: ‘I’m lovin it’, so simple yet has ingrained itself in McDonalds history. I wonder if the success of the slogan will ever die out?
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