Since KONY has fizzled out, Dollar Shave Club (DCS) has jumped into viral relevance. It starts with an unexpected tagline: Our Blades Are F***ing Great. Right away, we are caught off guard. At the time of writing, the DCS Youtube video has about 3 million views in six days.
Here are five reasons why Dollar Shave Club is killing it online:
1.Humour
- The best way to figure out if a viral video is funny is whether or not you laugh out loud while watching it solo. I watched the DSC video in the library last week with my headphones in. I immediately burst out laughing to the amusement of my fellow students and had to remove myself from the silent study area.
2. Simplicity
- The uniqueness of the DSC brand is servicing convenience with simplicity. We want our entertainment to be as effortless as possible. We are Cognitive Misers! The simplicity extends to their pricing structure. They offer tiered pricing for three subscription types. The ‘Humble Twin’ ($1/month), The 4X ($6/month) and The Executive which is priced at a lucrative $9 per month.
3. Relation
- The key to the video is that the CEO runs the whole bit. He cleverly comes across as… regular. Here’s a guy who clearly relates to his buyer demographic. He strives to come across as your boy next door ex college student all while making it easy for the audience to relate to him and his brand.
4. Defied Expectations
- Whether it’s walking through paper walls, name dropping celebrities or making it rain with a leaf blower, random associations are hilarious. Random things catch us off guard and violate our expectations. We take notice, our perceptions shift and the message is imprinted in memory.
5. Exclusivity
- Branding yourself as a club is genius. The lustre of exclusivity makes everyone want to join. Our innate desire to affiliate means that we want to make sure that we’re not missing out. It is socially costly.
At the end of the day, DSC is providing a useful service that is apparently in demand. People always run out of razors and they will always be used.
Since DSC is the hip new thing. The masses will flock at sharing with their networks that they just drank the DSC Kool-aid.
The cult like following which Dollar Shave Club received looks easy – it is important to remember that it’s not simply about posting on Youtube.
Creating a viral hit involves a ton of strategic help. To get initial eyeballs, there’s likely a ton of hustle in getting websites and blogs to publish the video.
Has anyone see a more creative use of a leaf blower?
