How to Turn “Boring” Products Into Viral Marketing Gold — Lessons from Blendtec and What Japanese Companies Can Learn

In crowded red-ocean markets, many companies cling to the same conservative tactics year after year: brochures, catalogues, product lists. Meanwhile, firms like Blendtec transformed a mundane blender into a global viral phenomenon, proving that creativity trumps category.

The legendary “Will It Blend?” campaign launched in 2006 on a $50 budget and now boasts:

• 187 videos

• 845,000 YouTube subscribers

• 294 million total views

Not bad for a blender maker battling endless competitors.
Yet many leaders in 日本企業 and 外資系企業 still hesitate to innovate their marketing approach.

Mini-Summary: Even commodity products can become fascinating—if leaders are bold enough to break the mold.

I once encouraged a client in the drill bit business to emulate Blendtec.
Imagine a campaign called “Will It Drill?”
Simple, fun, differentiated—and highly marketable.

The idea died instantly.

Why?
Because corporate inertia is powerful.
Companies often default to:

• The same catalogues

• The same brochures

• The same sales pitches

• The same results

You cannot differentiate in a red ocean when you insist on acting like every other vendor in it.

Mini-Summary: Innovation doesn’t fail because it’s hard—it fails because leaders default to familiar habits.

Another client—a major equipment manufacturer—faces constant support calls from part-time store employees struggling with machines.
80% of calls come from the same 20% of problems.

So I proposed a simple operational marketing innovation:
Create reality-TV-style tutorial videos that cover the top issues.

Why this works:

• Call center staff gain time and focus

• Part-time employees receive clear visual guidance

• Videos can be reused for years (machines change slowly)

• The investment amortizes across the product lifespan

This requires no scripts and no Hollywood production—just clear, practical content presented by a technician.

Mini-Summary: Instructional video libraries reduce cost, simplify support, and elevate brand value.

Then I thought: why not go extreme?
Instead of a technician, imagine a stunning, foreign, Japanese-speaking MC—well-known in luxury circles—dressed in an evening gown explaining how to fix equipment step-by-step.

Absurd?
Maybe.
Memorable?
Absolutely.

This kind of creative juxtaposition—glamour meets machinery—could explode online, much like Blendtec’s blenders annihilating marbles, iPhones, and golf balls.

YouTube success is rarely logical.
It is always emotional, humorous, surprising—or all three.

Mini-Summary: Sometimes the boldest, most counterintuitive idea becomes the most strategic.

Blendtec’s success raises a bigger question for all of us:
How are we presenting our brand?

Are we relying on the same presentations, sales decks, and talking points year after year?
Are we refreshing our storytelling approach?
Are we innovating how we communicate value?

In プレゼンテーション研修, we constantly remind executives that innovation in communication is as valuable as innovation in product.
Your market won’t care how good your solution is if your message sounds like everyone else’s.

Mini-Summary: The greatest competitive advantage lies in differentiated storytelling—internally and externally.

My drill-bit client, who rejected the “Will It Drill?” idea, remains trapped competing on the only variable left: price.
When you sound identical to competitors, buyers default to cost comparison.

Blendtec avoided this trap entirely by shifting the conversation.
They didn’t sell blenders.
They sold entertainment, creativity, and brand fun.

As a result, price became irrelevant.

Mini-Summary: When you differentiate creatively, you escape price wars and redefine your category.

The glamorous “equipment repair show” might be crazy—or brilliant.
But the purpose of these examples is to spark reflection:

• What could you reinvent in your industry?

• What part of your brand story could be told differently?

• What internal pain points could become customer-facing assets?

• What old habits are stopping your marketing from evolving?

• What would your version of “Will It Blend?” look like?

Just as I am now asking myself how to innovate Dale Carnegie Tokyo’s own content and delivery, you should be asking:
What bold, fresh idea could transform your brand next?

Mini-Summary: Innovation in how you present your value is often more powerful than innovation in the product itself.

• Viral marketing can transform even the dullest products into emotional experiences.

• Inertia prevents companies from experimenting with low-cost, high-reward innovations.

• Instructional videos can reduce support costs and elevate customer satisfaction.

• Counterintuitive creative ideas can cut through noise and differentiate your brand instantly.

• Price becomes irrelevant when your message is creative, bold, and memorable.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.