By: Matt Francis, Creative Director of Evoke Creative Group
Michael Dubin is a glowing example of a dude who turned a concept into a multi-million dollar company with a very clever video and a solution to a problem
that was plaguing men all over the world.
WHAT
At the time that Dollar Shave Club launched their video on March 6, 2012, Gillette controlled 66% of the 12.8 billion dollar market for men's razors and blades. A couple of years before then, Michael Dubin, the CEO and founder of the company, was listening to the world around him and discovering a problem that he was not alone in wrestling with. He hated having to go to the store and buy razors so regularly, then once he got there he really hated how much they cost. Soon he discovered that almost every guy he talked to who shaved at least 3 times a week was having the same issues. "Dudes hated buying the expensive razors every month in the stores, and we gave them something to solve that."
He had discovered a problem that had no current solution. Then, he went into his apartment and began working on some prototypes of razors and packaging that he could take to investors. He created a business plan to get the seed money to take this concept to market quickly and aggressively. Michael had an extensive background in writing for NBC improv, a lot of practical marketing experience, and a good bit of acting on the side. He knew that with a simple, low-risk solution to a problem like this, he could get a large number of the current market share engaged with his brand if he just presented it in a fun way that evoked a response.
While still raising money for the company, he began to produce the YouTube video because he knew that whether it was his future clients, or new investors, this video was going to be the key to create that "aha" moment with people and have them laughing throughout the process.
To create a proof-of-concept, Michael took the strategy into a beta test phase, reaching close to 1,000 subscribers after months of work. Once he reached a million dollars in seed money, they set the date for launch of the video.
On March 6, 2012 at 6 a.m. they launched the video. By 6:30 a.m., their website went down because too many people were trying to get on at one time. The website was down for over 12 hours, yet the YouTube video was growing in views by the millions. Some comments that day stated, "Wow, what a great concept, someone should do this as a company." All this, because the viewers could not find a website to go to for the Dollar Shave Club.
In just two weeks, the video had over 1 million views and over 12,000 subscribers, all paying an average of $5 per month to have razors shipped to their homes. Within 15 months, because of one video, Dollar Shave Club had over 200,000 subscribers and was generating approximately 1.2 million dollars a month in gross revenue.
He had discovered a problem that had no current solution. Then, he went into his apartment and began working on some prototypes of razors and packaging that he could take to investors. He created a business plan to get the seed money to take this concept to market quickly and aggressively. Michael had an extensive background in writing for NBC improv, a lot of practical marketing experience, and a good bit of acting on the side. He knew that with a simple, low-risk solution to a problem like this, he could get a large number of the current market share engaged with his brand if he just presented it in a fun way that evoked a response.
While still raising money for the company, he began to produce the YouTube video because he knew that whether it was his future clients, or new investors, this video was going to be the key to create that "aha" moment with people and have them laughing throughout the process.
To create a proof-of-concept, Michael took the strategy into a beta test phase, reaching close to 1,000 subscribers after months of work. Once he reached a million dollars in seed money, they set the date for launch of the video.
On March 6, 2012 at 6 a.m. they launched the video. By 6:30 a.m., their website went down because too many people were trying to get on at one time. The website was down for over 12 hours, yet the YouTube video was growing in views by the millions. Some comments that day stated, "Wow, what a great concept, someone should do this as a company." All this, because the viewers could not find a website to go to for the Dollar Shave Club.
In just two weeks, the video had over 1 million views and over 12,000 subscribers, all paying an average of $5 per month to have razors shipped to their homes. Within 15 months, because of one video, Dollar Shave Club had over 200,000 subscribers and was generating approximately 1.2 million dollars a month in gross revenue.
WHY
Here are some of the key ingredients that made this video a huge success.
Michael Dubin:
- Discovered a problem that a specific demographic was having.
- Presented a unique solution to 3 problems:
- Going out to buy razors is a hassle.
- Cost of razors is significant.
- Unemployment was high at the time.
- Used humor
- Got right to the point and answered objections before they could be asked.
- Used humor
- Took the underdog position of "us against them."
- Used humor
- Personalized it with his own unique charm and style.
- Had a very clear call-to-action that was instantly convertible into a sale, with very little risk to the buyer.
- Gave viewers an asset to share that told the story of how Dollar Shave Club was saving the world from "razor blades with a vibrating handle, a flashlight, a backscratcher and ten blades."
"Dudes hated buying the expensive razors every month in the stores and we gave them something to solve that, as well as pass it on to their friend, saying "Look, here is something someone is doing, and oh--by the way, isn’t this video funny! ...We gave them a sharable asset that told the story." -Michael Dubin
WHAT NOW FOR YOU
Michael is continuing to grow his brand with new products coming to light every couple of months, but he is doing so with the same philosophy that he started with. Listen to the marketplace, solve their problems, and answer their questions with your offering.
I would like to encourage each of you to do the same, whether you are a company, an organization, or a personal brand. Too many of us are putting out information that is not answering questions or presenting solutions. Most importantly, you must have fun in the process of sharing your message.
"Have fun creating your message. If you're having fun, your audience will have fun... and use a bear if possible…you’ve got to be unexpected...Unexpected is what makes comedy great!" -Michael Dubin
EXTRA BONUS FROM MATT
If you ever consider doing a video for your company, here is a breakdown of the Dollar Shave Club’s video structure for you to noodle on. This is very basic, but can get you thinking about how to structure your message in a powerful way. Every meaty story starts with a skeleton!
2. Hook
3. Features
4. Problems
5. Build rapport
6. Clear call to action
