Woo-Woo’s soon-to-launch explainer video looks nearly identical to every other explainer video out there. But the company notes their trademark “Boyyoyyong!” Sound effect is 37% more effective than traditional “Boyyoyyong!” sound effects.
After inviting four top San Francisco ad agencies to pitch for its business, Silicon Valley tech giant Woo-Woo changed course and instead contracted with 19-year-old Ben Clutterbuck, a Chico State sophomore who creates low-quality explainer videos with rudimentary cartoons and operates out of his dorm room.
Woo-Woo recently obtained nearly 100 million dollars in series B funding from four different venture capital firms and earmarked five million dollars for marketing and advertising. But after sitting in on the pitches, Woo-Woo’s most seasoned intern, Valerie Peabody, offered up an alternative approach. “The agencies were quoting costs of $300,000 to $5000,000 in creative fees alone,” notes Peabody. “And I thought, ‘that’s insane’ when my brother’s buddy, Dwayne could do the creative and production for, like, $500 bucks.”
Peabody arranged a SnapChat group so Clutterbuck could get to know the marketing team. After exchanging multiple dank memes, it became clear Clutterbuck understood Woo-Woo’s corporate culture exponentially better than any of the pitching agencies. “It wasn’t hard to see that crude animations and the occasional “Boyyoyyong!” sound effect would be just as effective as anything a full-service agency could produce,” says Woo-woo company spokesperson Victoria Pheferman.
Clutterbuck’s business model, which focuses on creating antiquated, two-dimensional style animations on the laptop his parents bought him, definitely appears to resonate with millennial tech executives who neither understand, nor value the complexity of an advertising and marketing strategy.
Clutterbuck, who runs his company out of the Royal Arms dorm-style apartment complex, says he’s stoked to be tapped. “This is lit,” Clutterbuck hooted. “Hundo P we will crush this.”
Woo-Woo, a Silicon Valley darling since late 2018, has developed an innovative, new, cloud-based, SaaS procurement optimization portal module. “The product has a universal appeal,” says Phefferman. “This kind of innovation practically sells itself.”
The bold decision to 86 the company’s marketing budget was ultimately approved by Woo-Woo’s senior management team, which, incidentally, consists of five 26-year-old virgins with zero business experience. “Every one of the guys in our c-suite is an Ivy League grad,” says Phefferman. What’s more, she notes: “Three of the five earned admission without bribes, fake athletic credentials, or cheating on their ACTs.”
And while the decision was a cost-cutting measure, it was also a change more in keeping with strategies at other large tech companies. “Our board said it was time to grow up a little,” says Phefferman. “And nothing says captain of industry like an animated explainer video with ukulele music.”
The explainer video will have a soft launch on the company website and will be tweeted out extensively on Clutterbuck’s social media feed. “I post all my client’s videos on my Instagram page. For an extra $20 bucks, I’ll even talk you up on my finsta page,’” says Clutterbuck.
####
The Small Agency Blog is produced by Division of Labor; a top San Francisco ad agency and digital marketing firm that’s been named Small Agency of the Year twice by Ad Age. The award-winning creative shop services clients on a retainer or project basis. They also offer brand consulting services and hourly engagements for startups and smaller brands. Click here for a free consultation.
