Going Viral ≠ sales

Every founder dreams of going viral.
Lately I’ve seen more brands hiring “social specialists with viral experience.”

Unpopular opinion: going viral rarely builds a business.

At Clorox, I helped launch Scentiva’s first TikTok challenge — and it did go viral with 10 BILLION views.
(Featuring Billy Porter didn’t hurt — but plenty of celebrity content flops, so that wasn’t the only magic.)

It worked because the foundation was solid:
🧩 INSIGHT: cleaning isn’t a chore — it’s self-care.
🎨 HOOK: “YAS CLEAN.” Catchy as hell.
🔗 INTEGRATION: paid, social, PR, influencer, and retail — including a sweepstakes and full omni-channel push.
📦 FOLLOW-UP: we used the buzz to win back retail distribution lost during COVID, secure internal support, and refresh packaging to reinforce the insight.

Viral ≠ sales.
The real win was turning attention into measurable growth — ad recall, sales lift, and a 4pt share gain in the wipes category after Scentiva production was paused during COVID.

Viral is a moment. Strategy is momentum.

Four years later, the ad still hits because it was built on insight, not algorithms. You can watch it here (turn up your speakers!) https://lnkd.in/dPa6gpUz

Founders: before you chase the algorithm, ask —
👉 If your next post blew up tomorrow, what’s in place to turn that attention into action?