Perhaps you, along with millions of other online viewers, have seen this Montgomery, Ala., commercial advertising a mini mall on Youtube.com. While it’s hard to classify the ad as “quality,” its Internet popularity is undeniable. Since its release on Youtube, the video, as well as its star and creator Sammy Stephens, has been featured on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and "Maury," and the trademark song can be bought as a ringtone for cell phones. Needless to say, Stephens’ Mini Mall revenues have experienced a significant increase.
According to this Wall Street Journal article, low budget Internet ad campaigns can be incredibly successful, so much so that they start generating their own revenue. The “Will it Blend Videos?” promoting Blendtec, a small business in Utah, feature Blendtec employees sticking all kinds of things you shouldn’t in a blender – from iPods to light bulbs. The ‘don’t try this at home’ slogan has hit it big with America’s online community, and as a result Blendtec sales were up 43 percent in 2006.
So if your small business is in need of a boost, look no further than a video camera and a catchy gimmick.
