MLLCGORMAN@GMAIL.COM  •  MLLC.MARKETING  •  401.996.4706

 

Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.
Argo Navigation TikTok Marine Story Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed their market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage and tripled their app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy to date before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient, but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to pull forward. Argo Navigation produced a 12-second TikTok that changed its market awareness, achieved mainstream media coverage, and tripled its app user base from 100,000 to 300,000 in less than a week, making it the world’s most downloaded navigation app at that time. Here’s how it happened. The strategy before Mllc stepped in had been to focus on Argo’s features, which were powerful and convenient but somewhat clinical. The pivot, on social media and in more casual communications by Mllc and its partner Motif Inc., was to make the marketing communications more personal and human. The family support and small-business origin story for the brand were aspects the team particularly wanted to advance. Mllc convinced founder Jeff Foulk to participate at the January 10 – 14 Chicago Boat Show. Jeff focused on getting passersby’s attention and handing out flyers about the app. He wasn’t having much luck. Mllc requested videos from the show for social media and asked for help from his family to participate in some gorilla marketing. Captain Jeff and his youngest daughter Megan had gotten new iPhones to shoot pictures and videos with, and Megan felt inspired to chronicle her dad’s efforts. She shot 12 seconds of footage from a slanted, low angle, showing a stream of people determinedly ignoring her dad and his pamphlets. She laid in some sad but humorous music and captioned it, “Help blow up my dad's boating app. He’s worked hard and wants people to try it out. The result was unexpected. As the views and likes started rolling in, Megan kept her father appraised, at first, just for fun. As the views started to reach millions, they realized it was something to take seriously. Within two days, views were over 7 million. A week later, they’d reached 27 million. The video taps into a few universal themes that resonated with viewers. First, everybody likes to root for the underdog. Captain Jeff’s sincere attempts to get attention for the app he’s devoted the last few years of his life to are relatable for most of us who have worked hard at something or had trouble getting attention for a good cause. Much of TikTok activity involves content creators trying to get attention – it’s a natural appeal to that audience. A member of the younger TikTok generation is using that technology to help a member of the previous generation, which is something almost every viewer on TikTok can relate to. Most young users have experience showing their older relatives what TikTok is and how it works. Using it to show that generation that it can have a concrete, dramatic, real-world impact has an understandable appeal. TikTok rescuing someone using analog, old-school brochures represents a gratifying generational triumph. To offset the somewhat downbeat tone of the first video, a second chapter was released showing Captain Jeff’s reaction to all the downloads, inquiries, and views – honestly excited, grateful, and overwhelmed by the response. Although one can never really plan for viral success, there were several steps Mllc marketing team took to capitalize on this viral surprise. With its prodigious number of views, the video was forwarded to media in the industry and to local feeders for national media. We didn’t know it would be picked up, but the simple, heartwarming story resonated with mainstream outlets, some of whom found it through their own research, and others learned about it from local coverage. The story was picked up by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, CNN Business, CBS Mornings, The Independent, Newsweek, and three local TV stations in the Baltimore area where Argo is headquartered. Captain Jeff and his daughter made themselves available to talk to all outlets immediately, which helped feed the story. Responses and inquiries were poured in through email, messenger, and comments on the various platforms. They were prioritized, and it will take months to get back to them all. Quick-turnaround media offers were prioritized by both local and national outlets. That was followed by periodicals and industry blogs. Speaking engagements that will be unfurling for several months were lined up and scheduled next, and finally, general communications and PR outreach were addressed. The impact of a viral sensation is usually fleeting, and while successive TikTok posts certainly performed well, they didn’t recapture the same magic in a bottle. The following videos gathered 1.7 million views, 935 thousand views, and tapered off to a steady following of around 20,000 views per post. It was not as thrilling as 28.5 million, but it was a respectable showing by a regular audience that didn’t exist at all initially. Argo's Instagram following jumped from 509 to 3,896, and its Facebook followers rose from 136 to 875. At the end of the immediate furor, Argo had gathered a great success story, a tremendous bump in industry and target audience awareness, and an array of mainstream media coverage to reference and build upon.