Will this Microsite Blend?

Will It Blend is a zany microsite from Blendtec, a manufacturer of consumer blenders, that’s been very successful at building traffic over time. The content is definitely worth checking out, but is a microsite the best platform for Blendtec? In this particular case, the answer is a clear yes.

The microsite features a collection of videos hosted by Tom Dickson, Blendtec’s CEO, who demonstrates the power of his blenders by blending everything from iPhones to hockey pucks. The site adds new videos every month, so unlike most microsites, Will It Blend did not experience one huge traffic spike and simply die off. It is experiencing a healthy growth curve month after month.

Microsite vs. YouTube, part I

As microsites go, Will it Blend is clearly done right. But is it even neccessary?

The videos on the Will It Blend site are hosted on a Blendec YouTube channel, with the same branding and feel as the successful Will It Blend site. The YouTube channel has almost 210,000 subscribers. Every time a new video is posted, 210,000 people are notified and can head to YouTube for the content.

Microsite vs. YouTube, part II

Obviously, anyone can create a YouTube channel, but creating a custom microsite requires a lot more time and a lot more money. So, if the channel itself is effective, how does a microsite that pulls in the same content benefit Blendtec?

For example, Breville hired us to build a slick microsite for all their video assets. The site looked great, the content was excellent, but the flash video was locked down, and it wasn’t easily shareable. Could they have spent that money elsewhere and accomplished more with a simple YouTube or Vimeo channel? It is a definite possibility.

If you have  a successful YouTube channel, do you need a microsite? Generally I would say no, but Blendtec is an unusual case. Blendtec launched their YouTube channel in 2006 as a repository for their experimental videos. When they started to develop a huge following, they realized they could get more mileage out of the content itself by building a custom microsite.

Adding value

The videos became more than just marketing — they were valuable and entertaining. People who weren’t in the market to purchase blenders were still interested in them. Launching Will It Blend allowed Blendtec to contextualize their videos and monetize their content. The audience those videos deliver has allowed Blentec to run GoogleAds and sell DVDs of their videos for $9.99 as part of the Will It Blend Microsite. They have even been able to sell advertisements as part of the videos and charge companies like Nike for product placement (Blendtec blended a pair of Nike Air Max sneakers).

Blendtec didn’t start with their microsite, however. They were smart enough to test the waters first with a low-risk channel like YouTube, and when they had proof of concept, they launched Will It Blend. And Will It Blend continues to deliver results.

Takeaway

What do you want to accomplish with your next microsite? Can you accomplish the same goals with lower risk by using an established channel first?

About the author

Jim Cosco -

Jim Cosco founded Tippingpoint Labs in 2002 in an effort to pursue the creation and distribution of high-quality content for the purposes of marketing and advertising. Jim’s experience as an executive producer, producer, director, and writer for television programming ranging from local public affairs and national news to reality television, enables him to create compelling stories designed to trigger powerful, emotional responses from his audience. No matter the medium, Jim’s passion for story-telling remains the common thread in all of his projects and is always the founding principle in driving his team to deliver high-quality, relevant content at every turn.

Jim relies heavily on his journalistic routes to create transparent, honest, and open content that helps build trust and nurtures meaningful brand relationships over the long term.

Since the early nineties Jim has devised and executed projects for clients like MTV, Fox News Channel, ABC, Putnam Investments, and Tufts University.  He has directed television shows and independent features, written screenplays and television treatments, and created content for marketing campaigns and product launches.