They’re quirky. They’ve got this stoic bearded guy who rarely utters a syllable (who you can’t help but notice). And they’re contagious as hell.
They’re called Walk Off The Earth.
And for as wildly unpredictable as their brand is, their videos are a lesson in branding, consistency and never losing that hunger.
Four Guys. One Girl.
152 Million Views.
One Stroke of Branding Genius.
They got traction with their viral video that was a cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” It featured all five band members playing one guitar. I personally thought it kicked butt over Gotye’s video.
Most notably, it put them on the map as the next cool band to watch (and listen to).
What Next? One Big Ass Guitar.
Walk Off The Earth followed up that hit with numerous videos, all being true to its own brand of insatiable curiosity.
They eventually decided to cover one of their own tunes (Red Hands) on the largest guitar ever made (at least, the largest guitar I have ever seen). And in true Walk Off The Earth style, they all played the guitar at once (even those members who couldn’t reach the strings).
It captures their contagious and endless willingness to throw out the typical for the extraordinary.
Plenty of bands do that so why does this work for Walk Off The Earth?
Because they are inclusive, sharing their unique sense of quirky with us, the viewers, in their discovery of the slightly absurd (and their willingness to go to great lengths to keep us entertained).
What Goes Around Comes Around.
The Brand That Keeps on Giving.
In their own words, “The artist Lorde wrote this amazing song. We thought we’d pay tribute to it by performing it the most inefficient way possible!”
This latest one took three days of just practicing this insane coordination of passing along the instruments.
It is at once ridiculous. And engaging — and entertaining.
Why would they go to such lengths? Why not?
So, What Works and Why?
Lessons in Branding For The Rest of Us
As a brand, Walk Off The Earth took some bold steps to ensure:
- They don’t blend in, and
- Their voice is truly one-of-a-kind.
They established the fact early on that they would always embrace the road less traveled, sometimes even go as far as to create a road not yet existing.
A brand can do that.
Each new video seems to embrace “the impossible” and take us along on their journey and share in their discovery along the way.
A brand can do that.
They inject humor, whether its the bearded guy or the “weird madness” that seems to permeate each of their new video concepts.
A brand can do that.
And it’s all in the name of good fun.
A brand can do that too.
It’s pretty satisfying to watch one of their videos because each seems to remind us of something playful and ingenious, with a whimsy and joy that is the trademark of childlike innocence — something too few brands do today. (Heck, even their band promo photos by Shawn Van Daele are true to their brand as you see below.)
What is your brand doing resulting in it having a truly unique voice in today’s market?
