The stories of small brands making it big in the world are always interesting and inspiring. Because small brands usually have a small group of passionate and fun people working behind the scenes. And it’s always great to see big brands getting beaten.
In this article, I have gathered some brands that shocked the internet or went viral. These stories could inspire you to propel your brand to the moon.
Cards Against Humanity
This unique card game was published by Cards Against Humanity LLC and is a great example of how a different approach to marketing can be everything. First of all, this card game is already different from others from the get-go. So, it is an adult party game in which players can complete blank statements in the cards by using offensive words or phrases.
They always marketed this game as offensive or a horrible game for horrible people. Kind of like reverse psychology that makes people crazy. The digital version of Card Against Humanity is also free, and the physical version is about $25. But one day, during Black Friday, instead of putting up a discount, they increased the price by $5.
So multiple “weird” things they did and the fact that the card game is unique, made this brand go viral. Millions of people are still playing Card Against Humanity to this day.
Dollars Shave Club
Low budget? No problem said Dollars Shave Club. It was started by a single advertisement on YouTube titled “Our Blades Are F***ing Great”, which was released in 2012. The video now has more than 27 million views and is still regarded as the best shaving razor advertisement today.
The seemingly non-caring attitude of the person in the video actually charmed many people and created trust with their consumers. The person who starred in the video is actually the Co-founder of Dollars Shave Club, Michael Dublin.
The video was shot in a day with a budget of less than $4,500. According to the reports, the company’s website was flooded with traffic just 90 minutes after it was launched. Dollars Shave Club is now the second-largest men’s razor company in America.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
Ever heard of the cronut? The cronut took everyone by surprise after a food blogger from Grub Street tried the cronut and loved it. Their audience then tried the cronut, and everything went out of control. Dominique Ansel Bakery is now always busy.
It all started from a small interaction — someone pointed out that the bakery business doesn’t have a donut on the menu. And as the owner is more familiar with croissants, he had decided to create a new kind of pastry. He never expected that his new creation would launch his store to become well known in New York and the entire country.
But it’s not just because of the food blogger that makes the cronut good. Each batch of cronuts needs three days a ton of work before being sold. The quality of the cronut is so good and unique that I don’t think it can be copied.
ALSA
I hope you didn’t forget about the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral back in 2014. ALSA, the company behind the famous challenge, created it to raise awareness of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) disease and funds for ALS research.
Their decision to make that challenge came into fruition when many high-profile celebrities and individuals decided to do it too. People like Oprah, Bill Gates, Justin Bieber, and many others have joined in and made the whole movement more popular than ever.
According to the report, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $220 million for ALS organizations worldwide. The whole campaign was a great way to spread awareness of ALS. Even people who had no idea of the disease at all decided to join in. The chain video challenge spread the campaign like wildfire.
Got any ideas for your brand yet?
Quality over quantity, honesty, passion, and out-of-the-box thinking are what made these brands successful. Sometimes it is better to just follow what you have in mind instead of a formula that has been done countless times. This could be especially true for small brands that are still trying to grow and gain the trust of the consumers.
