Hello there, it's Nick Bianchi here, but you may also know me as Mr. Nice Weird. Today, I'm going to share the remarkable journey of how we transformed Cricket Wireless into the most shared wireless brand in the US. This wasn't achieved overnight, but a meticulously crafted strategy that revolved around one core concept: "manufactured virality."
Let's take a step back to where it all started. We identified a strong social trend - #photobombing - and decided to play off of it in a campaign launched for Mother's Day. Titled "#Photomombing", this video was an extremely successful sneaker hit that set the foundation of our strategy. This smart, fun, and highly shareable campaign effectively announced our arrival in the social media arena (For more on this campaign, check out Campaigns of the World and The Drum).
The next step in the strategy involved a face that's synonymous with global recognition - John Cena. We launched a campaign called Unexpected John Cena. Fans were invited to a Cricket Wireless store, and as they delivered heartfelt messages to a cardboard cutout of Cena, the man himself would burst out and surprise them.
The video was a smashing success and maintained its position at #1 on YouTube's leaderboard for an unprecedented three consecutive months. The campaign not only went viral but also earned a top spot on the Shorty Awards. It wasn't just about the surprise factor, but about eliciting genuine emotions, something that the audience resonated with on a deeper level.
Seeing the success of the first campaign, we followed up with a sequel - John Cena Reacts. This time, we had Cena surprised by his fans. The emotional and heartfelt messages Cena received from his fans brought tears to everyone, including Cena himself. The campaign was an immense success, sweeping across media outlets, and even featured as the week's weepiest ad on Adweek.
However, these campaigns weren't isolated events, but part of a larger strategy over three years, where we produced 10-15 videos with Cricket Wireless. Each campaign was designed with our audience in mind, fine-tuned to resonate with them, and capture their hearts and shares. It's a strategy we fondly refer to as "manufactured virality," which means creating content so engaging and shareable that it's designed to go viral.
Our efforts yielded remarkable results. Cricket Wireless not only became the most shared wireless brand in the US, but it also saw a significant rise in brand sentiment. And none of this would've been possible without our incredible creative and strategy partner, Erick Brownstein of Shareability, with whom I continue to collaborate today.
Highlights & Takeaways:
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Manufactured Virality: The key to viral content isn't just in its creation but its strategic dissemination. Virality isn't left to chance but crafted through audience-centric content that is not just shareable, but irresistibly so.
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Understanding Trends and Audience: Utilizing prevalent social trends (#photobombing in this case) and crafting them in ways that align with our audience's tastes played a pivotal role in the success of our campaigns. Understanding your audience is the key to engaging content.
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The Power of Emotion: Whether it was the surprise of seeing John Cena in person or the heartfelt messages from fans, our campaigns tapped into a range of emotions, fostering a deeper connection between Cricket Wireless and its audience.
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Partnership and Collaboration: A successful campaign is rarely a one-person show. In our case, the creative minds at Shareability were instrumental in realizing our vision.
This journey provided me with invaluable insights that I continue to implement in my work at Mr. Nice Weird. I have always been passionate about bringing neurodiversity into the mainstream and utilizing it to drive creativity and innovation. If you're interested to learn more about my work and philosophy, don't hesitate to check me out on LinkedIn and get into my dms.
For businesses, the key takeaway is to strive for authenticity and relatability while creating engaging and shareable content. And as demonstrated through our work with Cricket Wireless, when done right, this approach can yield incredible results