MarCom Professional

Interview: Tom Dickson

No longer is fame reserved for stars of TV. These days, thanks to the internet, anyone can become famous - and the marketing effect on brands can be extraordinary. Below is an interview I conducted with one of the new stars of the Internet, Tom Dickson. Tom utters the catchphrase "Will it blend?" before putting all manner of objects from an iphone to a garden rake into his blenders to demonstrate their effectiveness. His videos have been a huge hit on YouTube.

Will It Blend?

WF: When did you first realise you were ‘Web Famous'?

"Probably June of 2007 at the Internet Retailer Magazine convention in San Jose, California. I did a presentation on the history and success of the Will It Blend viral campaign to an audience of 2800 people which was enthusiastically received. I also did a live Will It Blend demonstration to thunderous applause. I think that's when it hit me that people really got a huge kick out of the idea of putting crazy things in the world's strongest blender to see if they would blend."

WF: How did your fame come about? Was it part of a cunningly devised viral marketing ploy, or slightly more organic?

"We started out with the idea of raising brand awareness and demonstrating the power and durability of the Blendtec blender. For years I have been doing a test where I start the motor then jam a long piece of wood into the blades to test the strength of all the drive components and the jar blade assembly. So we thought if we showed some other fun things being blended people may find it amusing and entertaining and at the same time see what an amazing machine we offer. We started with 5 videos and put them out on You Tube and also on a website we developed - Will It Blend.com. The response was not immediate, but within a short space of time people began sending them to their friends and they began to spread virally through the internet. I don't think any of us thought it would become the international phenomenon it has grown into."

WF: Has you fame translated into more mainstream media, or is it pretty much confined to the web? If so, what mainstream media interviews and appearances have you done?

"It has been amazing how much interest has come from mainstream media. We have received inquiries from many different media outlets all over the world for interviews and appearances. In the U.S. I have appeared on television on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Today Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CBS News Sunday Morning, and iVillage Live. News articles have appeared in numerous magazines and periodicals including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, and Internet Retailer. We have been nominated for a CLIO award and were a finalist in You Tube's annual awards, and won .net Magazines award for Best Viral Video of 2007. We were recently featured on The History Channel for an episode of Modern Marvels called The World's Strongest III, and German television sent a film crew to do an entire segment for a show called Galileo on PRO7 television."

WF: What has your fame done for Blendtec as a brand / company?

"Probably the best example of that which I can share with you is the increase in our website sales. Since we released the first 5 videos in late 2006, we have seen a 500% increase in our sales of the Total Blender, the machine which is featured in the videos. It has given us instant recognition with a large segment of the population. When we go to trade shows, or do live demonstrations people come up to us and say, 'Oh I know you guys, you are the ones with those videos on You Tube. Those are so cool.' Immediately people understand what our product represents and it is easy to show them how all the power translates to what they can do for foods they blend in their own home or in a business."

WF: What do your friends and family think of your new-found fame?

"They are very proud of me, especially the grandchildren. I have 11 children and 28 grandchildren and they all have seen the videos and made comments (at least those who are old enough to talk). They constantly have input on what to blend next and can't wait for the next video."

WF: What's next for Blendtec? Do you have any other plans? For example, will we soon be able to see live product demos?

"Blendtec is known as an innovator and a continuous improvement company. With a large engineering department as part of our internal staff, we have projects in the works right now that will continue to put as at the forefront of the industry and maintain our reputation as the leader in blending technology. As far as live demos, we have done those at trade shows and in the future we could possibly have live webcasts and podcasts which would include some fun WiIl It Blends."

WF: Did you ever imagine that your home appliance company would cross over into entertainment with such great effect?

"Never. We are proud enough our blenders are in the finest coffee shops, smoothie shops and food establishments around the world, that's wonderful. But now to have this whole new paradigm that includes a tremendous following of young people all over the world is just incredible. When we first released the initial five videos on a $50 budget our marketing director came into my office and said "We just hit a homerun on You Tube with 6 million views in five days" and I replied "who tube?" At that time I didn't even know what You Tube was, and now we are the 12^th most subscribed channel all time on You Tube for directors and 25^th most viewed all time overall on You Tube. It just goes to show the power of the internet and the way it has transformed how people are entertained and receive information."

Also posted on webfamous.wordpress.com