Riding high on the crest of positive media promotions, a little-known oat milk brand called Oatly once upon a time rocketed to Starbucks-level popularity. Their narrative sounds like a marketing fairy tale: odd Los Angeles billboards, aggressive social media campaigns, and interesting news coverage had consumers and critics both singing, “Wow, no cow!” A few years forward, and Oatly started to be connected with dairy-free revolution. Thanks to good narrative, creative PR, and an audience eager for something both healthy and planet-friendly, sales jumped 212% between 2017 and 2020.
Look across to Peloton, a fitness business. Early on, Peloton’s stationary bike didn’t set many hearts racing—until viral video reviews and champion shoutouts from fitness bloggers shown the product in real households. Users uploaded time-lapse films showing their rise up leaderboards and sweating selfies. It became suddenly more than just a bike; it was a lifestyle movement with a cult following. Media outlets grabbing hold of these tales set off a chain reaction. Their 10,000 members in 2014 That statistic shot to 2.3 million by 2021. Positive press made the brand appealing, cool, and part of regular debate at dinner tables and Twitter battles both.
Still another story: LEGO. Early in the 2000s this household name was failing. Now enter positive media campaigns emphasizing fan-built masterpieces, ingenuity, and artistic expression. Lego fan customs received media coverage. Streaming services pick documentaries like “Beyond the Brick.” Writers covering educators adopting LEGO for STEM courses noted Inspired by those inspirational stories, parents thought great sprinkling bricks around the living room would be. From $1.35 billion in 2004 to $4.8 billion by 2015, LEGO’s income quadrupled, demonstrating once your tale gets presented the correct manner you can create an empire, brick by media brick.
Another treasure mine of media magic are charitable initiatives. Consider the ALS Awareness Ice Bucket Challenge. Basically, challenge friends, show the video, toss cold water over your head. boom. Media sources grabbed on the ridiculousness and touching narratives underlying it. Over eight weeks, they raised around $115 million. From a tsunami of shared stories, scientific discoveries occurred because media made the world care.
Furthermore consider the influence of good press on personal branding. Speak with Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk). From selling wine in his dad’s New Jersey shop, he evolved into worldwide business celebrity. His tactic is Slink toward sites including podcasts, Twitter, and YouTube. He created his story, unvarnished and raw, warts and all, not waiting for others to tell it. Media then repeated his message, so confirming his reputation as a straight-forward, hustle-obsessed corporate sage.