Remember the Super Bowl LVIII commercials? All those celebrity-studded, million-dollar productions vying for your attention? Well, one ad stood out like a pair of black Yeezy’s in a sea of beige kicks, not just for its content, but for its shoestring budget.
We’re talking about Kanye West, folks.
The man filmed his entire ecommerce marketing ad for Yeezy on his smartphone, literally in the back of a car! Now, that’s some serious guerilla marketing.
Let’s set the stage for you. In the middle of the Super Bowl, a low-quality video popped on our screens – Ye himself was filming with his phone in vertical selfie mode… then he laid the pitch down.
“Hey y’all, this is Ye – and this is my commercial. And since we spent all the money on the commercial spot, we actually didn’t spend any money on the actual commercial. But, the idea is I want you to go to yeezy.com, YEEZY y.com, and I’m gonna write it at the bottom of the screen and I got some shoes and that’s it.”
Literally, that was it. We are going to assume this is the cheapest Super Bowl commercial of all time in terms of production costs.
Was It Worth It Kanye?
You might be asking yourself, “okay great, but did it work?” You bet it did.
West himself claimed his website saw a whopping $19.3 million in sales following the ad’s airtime, not to mention a reported surge in album sales. Talk about a return on investment (ROI)!
Now, here’s the kicker: While Kanye went the DIY route on production, the real cost came from securing the ad space itself. Super Bowl ad space is notoriously expensive, with estimates ranging from $6 million to $7 million for a 30-second slot.
So, while he may have saved on production costs, Kanye still made a significant investment in securing that prime-time audience.
Things Get Interesting
Even at the time of writing, if you head over to yeezy.com you’ll find two very interesting things:
First, it’s the most basic e-commerce site you’ve ever seen in your life! This is literally a white screen with product images and zero product descriptions. Honestly, if it wasn’t Kanye putting his name behind it, you would assume it’s a fake site trying to scam everyone out of $20. And speaking of $20…
Second – Everything is $20! There are a total of about 12 items on the site and every single one of them is 20 bucks (excluding shipping costs). What’s even more hilarious is that everything has three sizes – as in size 1, 2, and 3. Does this mean small, medium, and large? Who knows? Once again, Kanye does things his own way.
However, a question arises here. Was Kanye just trying to turn a quick profit, or is there something bigger at play?
Did Kanye Want Customers – Or Data?
Estimates show that within the $19.3 million in sales, there were nearly 300,000 total orders. That’s a lot of customers! While most DTC marketers might take a screenshot of this success and move on, Kanye’s mind is a different beast altogether.
With a site offering nothing but $20 products, price becomes a non-issue.
Customers aren’t going to be purchasing based on price – Kanye is forcing them to purchase based on taste and preference! Which, as much as we hate to admit, is a genius move.
So basic, but so genius.
With this strategy, Kanye can understand the style and color preferences of his customers with simplicity – so when his next line drops, he knows exactly what his people want from him.
Basically, Kanye is moving products and doing hardcore market research at the same time.
But Kanye’s strategy doesn’t stop there. Not by a long shot.
300,000 New Contacts?!
When each of these nearly 300,000 orders is completed, what information is handed over?
At a minimum, that’s a name, email address, and physical address. This is over a quarter of a million customers who can be targeted and retargeted on Google Ads and Meta for future fashion drops.
If we take the estimated $19.3 million in sales and tack on another $10 (estimated net) from inflated shipping costs of around $15 per order, we can safely add another $3 million to this total, which takes us up to $22.3 million.
Where are we going with this?
If we take $7 million and divide it by 300,000 customers, that breaks down to just over $23 per email address. But if we take the estimated $22.3 million, subtract the $7 million for the ad space ($15.3 million), and divide that by 300,000 orders…
On average, every customer paid Kanye just over $50 to take their information that he could use for retargeting in the future. Again, genius.
Kanye is Playing the Long Game
There’s an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed: Kanye and his focus on Lifetime Value (LTV). He doesn’t care much about these initial purchases at the $20 price point; he cares about what he can sell them in the future!
With over a quarter of a million email addresses, he can essentially sell directly through email using a marketing automation platform. As customers engage with his email marketing outreach, he’ll gain even more insights that can be recycled and reused for future campaigns.
So, What Can We Learn From The New Kanye?
– Ditch the Script, Embrace the Hustle: Kanye’s ad proves that sometimes, the most innovative e-commerce marketing strategies come from breaking the mold. Forget fancy sets and celebrity cameos. Focus on creating unique, authentic content that resonates with your target audience.
– Authenticity is King (or Queen): In today’s oversaturated digital landscape, consumers crave genuine connections. West’s ad, while seemingly unpolished, felt real and personal, striking a chord with his dedicated fanbase. Remember, people connect with brands that feel human.
– The Story is Your Selling Point: While the exact numbers behind the campaign remain under wraps, the buzz and sales generated tell a compelling story. Sometimes, the narrative itself can be just as valuable as a spreadsheet full of data.
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Kanye’s Super Bowl stunt might not be a blueprint for every brand, but it’s a powerful reminder. Ecommerce marketing doesn’t have to be a game of who has the biggest budget. With a dash of creativity, a sprinkle of authenticity, and a whole lot of hustle, you can create campaigns that not only turn heads but also turn clicks into e-commerce conversions.
Contact our team today to get your ecommerce LTV shifted into high gear with some next-level remarketing, targeting, and marketing automation. Our experts will give your campaigns a complete review – 100% on the house so you know where the real opportunities are.