LaunchPad: Ocean Spray Meets TikTok
Gone are the days of farmers standing waist-deep in cranberries to inform you about the brand Ocean Spray. Cue @420doggface208.
I know you’ve seen the TikTok video. The video that was more impactful than the tens of millions of advertising dollars Ocean Spray spent in previous decades for general exposure and brand awareness…
Doggface208 posted a 22-second video on TikTok of him riding his skateboard to the backdrop of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” His drink of choice: Ocean Spray cranberry juice. Sound random? I agree. However, that random video received more than 46 million views. It's safe to say it stuck. Need more proof? The brand Ocean Spray received more than 15 billion media impressions thanks to its new brand ambassador, Doggface208. Not to mention, Fleetwood Mac reported its best week ever on streaming.
The background story goes like this: Nathan Apodaca, aka Doggface208, is an Idaho potato worker. One morning on his way to work his truck broke down just 2 miles from work. So, what did he do? He grabbed his skateboard and his Ocean Spray cranberry juice and decidedly put on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. Naturally, as one does.
“I was just sitting there, and I’m like, ‘OK, I’m not gonna sit here and wait for nobody to pull some jumper cables,’ “ Apodaca told NPR. “ ‘I’m not gonna flag anyone down.’ So I grab my juice, grab my longboard, started heading to work,” said Apodaca.
He created a video that documented his makeshift commute to work and posted it on TikTok. Which we now know went on to become a cultural sensation. According to TikTok, 134,000 tribute videos were made from the likes of Fleetwood Mac’s very own Mick Fleetwood, Ocean Spray’s new CEO Tom Hayes, and many more users.
To make it even better, the 90-year-old company was transformed overnight As a token of their gratitude, Ocean Spray purchased a new truck for Doggface208 to ride to work in … while listening to Dreams and sipping Ocean Spray cranberry juice… which was totally implied. Obviously.
The Takeaway
You may ask or wonder why this video was greeted with such hype and excitement. It’s difficult to predict what constitutes viral content. There is no formula. There is only value and context. We find ourselves today in a world that sounds very loud and seems to be overflowing with chaos. Many people believe that Doggface208 captured a moment that was real and delightful. And evidently, it was the kind of wholesome content that was in high demand, but short supply. People are seeking simplicity now more than ever.
The unpredictable and ever-shifting marketing landscape is a nod to modern-day marketing. Brands will go to great lengths to spend their advertising dollars and resources to annoy and bombard their audience, but completely miss the mark on delivering meaning and value to their end-user. Successful branding is authentic and in real-time. There is no better tool than social media to leverage an environment that fosters genuine brand PR on behalf of real people and real experiences.
It seems that companies and brands seem to underestimate their audience. Today’s consumers have an extremely high bullshit radar and they see right through loud and pretentious brand advertising. We see it all the time. Brands are not listening. Without empathy and purpose, your brand might as well be finite and will inevitably be labeled as ignorant.
Now the interesting part comes next. It's important that Ocean Spray does not ride too much on the coattails of the viral hit. If the brand relies too much on the TikTok video then it will risk commercializing to the extent of which of all possibilities for authentic and spontaneous content are eliminated entirely.
My question to you is, do you think Ocean Spray could have captured the content on its own?
