Traction Video Value by James McKinny

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Many of us have also spent a sleepless night stuck in the weird zombie land of late-night infomercials. Those unintentionally funny videos trying desperately to sell us stuff we likely do not need. Among the multitude of terrible infomercials are the ones trying to sell us mattresses. They look enticing and plenty of poor saps fall prey to this horrific advertising. But those of us with discerning minds know that we need to go to the store and put our physical bodies on the bed we might own for the next ten years.

So how then does Purple’s traction video drive more than $75 million in sales in 18 months without a single person ever lying on a Purple mattress before buying? The answer lies in humor coupled with authenticity. The Purple Goldilocks uses the best traction video strategy of education and entertainment. The familiarity of Goldilocks falling asleep on the “just right” mattress from the fairy tale automatically appeals to us with an endearing element and it immediately sets up the story without having to take the time to explain it.

The explanation that is provided, parallels the fable and quickly—while maintaining comedic entertainment—convinces the audience that the Purple mattress is indeed the “just right” mattress for everyone. It features science, comedy, a slight yet crucial amount of weirdness, and an excellent actress. The company sweetens the deal with free delivery and a 100% guarantee that really conveys a nothing-to-lose experience.

As a new company in a very established industry, Purple knew the only way to break into the market and be a compelling option wasn’t just about creating a superior product. According to Alex McArthur, the Chief Marketing Officer of Purple:

The bedding industry has typically been very bland. There isn’t a lot of personality in the marketing collateral. Our story is very different. We have a personality. We try and be approachable and relatable, not stiff and overly professional, and that has resonated with a lot of people (source).

Purple takes advantage of this resonance with continued production of explainer videos. Their first one was a home run and they keep swinging away, garnering over 500 million total views. They’ve capitalized on the virality of their content, put advertising dollars behind it to propel it further and as a result, they’re leaders in the Bed In a Box market. Their videos live on social media, where analytics are leaps and bounds above traditional TV counterparts. The internet offers the most diverse and complete set of measurements for video marketing. And Purple is taking full advantage of this. They really do have that “just right” strategy and it shows in their videos and marketing prowess.

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The Squatty Potty video is one of the gold standards for launch videos. It takes a product that is, not surprisingly, hard to talk about seriously and makes it approachable, hilariously fun, charming, cute, and intriguing. The whole idea behind the Squatty Potty flies in the face of how we’ve gone about our business in the restroom for hundreds of years. It’s a highly personal activity that culturally, we just don’t talk about. But the science is behind it and doctors are recommending it to patients suffering from constipation more and more. This type of traction video makes it easier to wrap your head around it.

The creators of the Squatty Potty were interviewed last year by CNBC and had this to say:

When first presented with the idea for the video, the Edwards family thought it was too cheeky and too expensive. “We’re talking about a subject nobody wants to talk about,” said Judy, “and if a unicorn, or anything, is going to show poop, we don’t want it to be poop, we want it to be something that people like and enjoy.” Hence, the ice cream. “It’s not OK to talk about poop, but it’s OK to talk about ice cream,” said Bill. They eventually decided to spend $250,000 to make the ad. At last count, it had over 100 million hits, and sales have surged. “We’re going to make more videos, and they’re going to cost a lot more than that,” Bill laughed.

That is the power of a well-made launch video. It uses humor and excellent production values to create a viral experience that makes people laugh and more importantly, makes them buy a product. The owners of Squatty Potty know something that most don’t: roughly 12-16% of the North American population suffer from constipation (source). That’s around 63 million people. That’s an extremely large customer base. You can bet on it that when everyone is laughing at the adorable unicorn pooping ice cream with the aid of a Squatty Potty, anyone among those 63 million is definitely seriously considering spending $25 for the sake of relief.

Despite being hilarious and entertaining on its own merit, the Squatty Potty Traction Video educates the viewer very competently about a very real problem. And it offers an amazing solution. But besides addressing the problem and offering the solution, it intrigues the larger audience beyond those afflicted with the problem. It endears the product to the larger audience and it sells to them as well. The video successfully demonstrates the power of the product, creates a lovable brand with a distinct voice, and reaches past the primary demographic to reach millions as either a curiosity piece, a gag gift, or a newfound pleasurable way to poop. And that’s why the Squatty Potty Video is such an effective example of a traction video.

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Written by James McKinny, CEO of Traction Video

If you’ve worked with a marketing agency before, you’re probably already aware that the stereotype of digital marketers clinging to buzzwords like moths to flames is, well, much less a stereotype than a universal truth. It may not be entirely their fault, as the industry of digital marketing as a whole is still somewhat wet behind the ears. Much like toddlers, digital marketers are still growing their vocabulary, so the eagerness to adopt new and interesting terms is somewhat to be expected.

Condescending comparisons aside, digital marketers have proven they can hang with the big dogs of Madison Avenue who focus primarily on big-budget television ad campaigns. eMarketer estimates marketing budgets for digital media have already surpassed those of television advertising (source). Perhaps buzzwords sell.

The most direct attack on traditional TV advertising staged by today’s digital marketers also coincides with the latest and greatest new buzzword: traction videos. Heard it?

‘Big TV’ has made a career of exclusively catering to ‘Big Marketing’. Nielson estimates the average prime time TV commercial costs over $110,000 for a 30 second spot. Said another way, one 30 second prime time commercial exceeds the annual marketing budget of almost every startup or small business, and that still excludes production costs.

Traction videos have been gaining attention (and marketing dollars) as agencies urge more and more of their clients to follow in the footsteps of companies like Dollar Shave Club (DSC). Michael Dubin, the founder of DSC, paved the way for the startup community with one of the first massively viral traction videos, and with an all-in cost amounting to less than 2 seconds in prime time TV commercial rates. The DSC traction video was not only entertaining, but impactful. The viral video generated 12,000 new customers within 48 hours of airing on the internet. Dubin further notes traction videos have earned the lion’s share of DSC’s marketing budget ever since, suggesting they had a sizeable impact on the company’s $1 Billion price tag when acquired by Unilever in 2016.

Given the DSC story, it isn’t difficult to understand why a whirlwind of new successful startups now owe much of their notoriety to their initial investments in traction videos (this list includes Silicon Valley sweethearts like AirBnB, Salesforce, Square, Slack, Groupon…).

As it turns out, not all new buzzwords are bad. Perhaps I’ll stop equating the digital marketers, who spot these trends early on, to toddlers.

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Written by James McKinny, CEO of Traction Video

Timing: One of the unique elements defining a traction video is its positioning within the timeline of a company’s growth. While television ads or long-form marketing videos are produced once a company has already met the level of maturity where they can afford the six-figure expense, traction videos are produced within the first 12 months of a new brand’s founding. Traction videos are generally used as a tool to launch a new brand name or product line into popularity, rapidly accelerating their growth potential early in their growth cycle.

Humor: Traction videos are built to engage and stand out from the crowd. Consumers are bombarded with video ads as the medium continues to become more and more popular. To rise above the multitudes, traction videos often rely on humor. Comedy has such a profound emotional effect on people. If you can make people laugh, you’ll be remembered and you’ll foster a positive brand image. Think about the Squatty Potty video, it takes an item that is arguably a hard sell and uses comedy to make it not only approachable but desirable.

Authenticity: Traction videos tend to emphasize the faces behind the company, especially that of the founder, showcasing them as charismatic leaders. This strategically contrasts what most viewers have come to expect from typical TV commercials, which rely heavily on the use of paid actors or athletes to represent a brand. Traction videos stand out by bringing the focus back to the real people making the product or conducting the service, greatly increasing the perception and understanding of sincerity and authenticity.

Relatability: Traction videos center on a problem/solution storyline. The story aims to emphasize the problem being solved, the relatable story of how that problem was felt (typically by the founder) and how it was solved (by the product or service being described). The closer that story relates to the viewer’s personal experience, the more likely they are to engage with the brand or product. IAt’s important to note that it doesn’t do this in the terrible fashion of infomercials. The key is to produce stories with relatable problems with good solutions.

Impact: Traction videos work. They stand out, they resonate with the viewer, and they motivate action. Dollar Shave Club used a traction video to build a billion dollar business in just a few years and garnered 12,000 new customers within the first 48 hours following its airing. Most of the successful new startups we’ve all heard of over the past few years have all taken advantage of traction videos, including AirBnB, Slack, Salesforce, TRUECar, Lyft, Robinhood, Groupon, Square, and more.

Curious what a Traction Video can do for your business? Start the conversation today by completing the contact form here.

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