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By B.L. Ochman

Now in its fourth year, Blendtec’s brilliant “WIll it blend?” campaign reaches new heights – of both hilarity and production value – when CEO Tom Dickson blends a “lost” iPhone 4 and launches the new “Blend my phone” contest. Don’t miss part one.

Top Seven Reasons Why Will It Blend works
Now in its fourth year, Will it Blend is one of the all-time great viral marketing campaigns. Here are the top 7 reasons why it is such a great campaign.

1- Will it Blend humanizes the company. Dickson is engaging and funny and gives the corporation a human voice.
2- It’s fun – appealing to the kid with a science kit in all of us.
3- It’s real – those are real iPhones, golf balls, laser pointers, apple pies, and dozens more things your mother wouldn’t let you put in the blender.
4- It’s interactive. You can suggest things for Dickson to blend. He listens. They engage with followers on Twitter, Facebook and their blog. They sound like people, not freaking marketers.
5- It’s integrated into all of Blendtec’s marketing. Will it Blend is on Twitter, Facebook, a microsite, the company’s homepage, and the company blog.
6- That’s obviously one hell of a blender. It costs $400, and it looks like it’s worth it. Because the bottom line is, and always will be: if your product sucks, nothing else matters.
7- It sells blenders. Sales are up more than 700% since the campaign began. Because if marketing doesn’t sell, it won’t blend.

How it started
In November, 2006, hoping to increase brand awareness for the then unknown company, Blendtec’s CMO George Wright and his team purchased a white lab coat, marbles, a garden rake, a McDonalds Extra Value Meal, a Rotisserie Chicken and some Coca-Cola.

CEO Tom Dickson donned the lab coat and blended up these items in the company break room, which was transformed into a cross between an infomercial set and a goofy game show.

The videos were viewed more than six million times within five days of after they were posted on YouTube and on Blendtec’s website – have been viewed more than 100 million times since.

As a result of the campaign, now in its fourth year, Blendtec retail sales have increased by over 700%.

There’s a dedicated Will it Blend website, a YouTube channel, and integration with Facebook, Twitter, and the company website.

There’s also a current contest with a chance to get a new iPhone 4 with Dickson paying your contract for two years. Plus, he’ll blend the winner’s iPhone 3.