On a quest to find out what’s working right now with public relations and social media, we’re contacting companies we’d like to know more about. First up is Grasshopper.
Earlier this month, we published “Dissecting Grasshopper.com’s Chocolate Delivery to 5,000 Influentials.” Here’s a clip:
25,000 grasshoppers landed in 5,000 influential places this week, including here at Wired PR Works. Thanks to grasshopper.com for the crunchy critters and the all-around PR success story example that we’re dissecting here today.
Thanks to Siamak Taghaddos, Grasshopper Co-Founder and CEO for taking the time to answer our questions! Here’s a video clip of Siamak on Fox Business News.
PR Social Media Success Story – Inside Grasshopper’s Influential Campaign, a Wired PR Works interview
1. How did you come up with the idea?
We knew we had to create a lot of buzz around the new brand launch so what better way than something as strange as chocolate covered grasshoppers.
2. How many chocolate covered grasshoppers did you test crunch before placing an order for 25,000 of them?
A bunch actually. From various places until we found a U.S. based farm that raised them for us and fed them natural food to ensure safety. We even tested different shades of green chocolate.
3. You said it took three months to put together the list of 5,000 names. Where did you look and who were the top [any number you want to share here – 10, 25, 100] most influential people in America – according to Grasshopper?
We looked everywhere. If you were an influencer, you made it. Bloggers, entrepreneurs, politicians, celebrity entrepreneurs, and many more. Top 50, 100 lists. Articles. Top blogs. In the news. There was no top influencer as the numbers were not a rank, simply an inclusion. However, if I had to pick, the top influencer would have to be the President. So we sent one to him. And to make sure he heard about it in case it didn’t pass White House security, his best friends got them as well.
4. How did Wired PR Works make the list?
Because you are one the top influencers in the US – your clients, blog, and reach.
5. Did you consider giving bloggers a badge?
A badge would’ve be too artificial and didn’t match our brand. We’re not a brand just for bloggers, but a brand for entrepreneurs of all kinds. Making the list was enough to speak to the egos of bloggers anyway.
6. Tell us about how the campaign connected so many channels all at once: direct mail, video, social media, etc
In marketing, nothing is more important than understanding human psychology. We knew we had to appeal to many senses and mindsets to generate the most buzz, so we did. Sight: an attractive package, Smell/Taste/Touch: actual chocolate grasshoppers, Ego: making the list, Controversy: real grasshoppers, Emotional: the Entrepreneurs can change the world video, Curiosity: FedEx envelope and no information other than a url.
7. How did the results match up to your expectations in terms of exposure, traffic and sales?
The result has been tremendous. Just look at http://grasshopper.com/5000. We’ve been all over the news. News anchors have been eating them live on air. Recipients have posted videos and pictures of them. Bloggers have been talking about it everywhere and it’s been all over the Twitter world. The movement video has reach 100,000 views in less than a month. People everywhere now know that Grasshopper = Entrepreneurship
8. This is a cool campaign, but it’s not immediately apparent what you do. How did this strategy work for you?
First thing’s first. Just like Virgin is about having fun, and Zappos is about customer service, the goal was to make our new brand Grasshopper synonymous with entrepreneurship. That we love entrepreneurs and will do everything to empower them to succeed. Nothing else. And we did just that. The next marketing campaign will deal with how we actually do that, the Advanced Phone Number.
9. How do your services work?
A Grasshopper Advanced Phone Number makes starting and growing a small business easier than ever. An entrepreneur sounds more professional and stays connected to callers and employees.
10. What’s next?
Many things. Another fun marketing campaign is in the works, as are new tools and services to continue our mission to empower entrepreneurs to succeed.
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Thanks so much to Siamak for answering our questions – and to Grasshopper for empowering – and inspiring – entrepreneurs.
On May 14, the video had 31,776 views, 143 ratings and 77 comments.
On May 29, the video has 102,163, 360 ratings and 127 comments.
Any way you want to measure it, this campaign is success story. What did you learn that you’ll test out in your business?
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