For Dollar Shave Club, a company that had launched just 5 years back, it was nothing short of a miracle to get acquired for $1 billion. 

What was so special about this company that Unilever made such a big investment? Was it a desperate attempt or a thoughtful one? Let’s look at what made DSC successful.

DSC used an explainer video to communicate its message and the video went so viral that their inventory finished in only 6 hours. The first couple of days were a disaster for the IT department of the Dollar Shave Club as the site crashed due to a huge amount of traffic.

This Billion-Dollar explainer video has now been watched over 27 million times and has completely changed the fortune of Dubin ( The founder of DSC). DSC is a perfect example of video marketing done the right way, so let’s discuss this explainer video case study to see why. 

The founders were some of the frustrated members of the male community who used to face two options in the market, either empty your pocket to buy an advanced technology razor,  or to buy a cheap quality razor that delivers a painful shaving experience. 

Dollar Shave Club tackled this problem as they provided good quality razors each month for just 1 buck at your doorstep. They decided to end this problem once and for all and used an explainer video to promote their product.

An explainer video has a huge potential as according to the current stats, 93% marketers use video as part of their marketing strategy. DSC’s founder Dubin had a comic background so he used his humor along with the following important video elements to create such a viral video. 

What made this Explainer Video great?

• Humor: 

One of the most powerful ways to grab an audience’s attention and make them watch your video is humor. Humor always sells. DSC used humor and took the audience on a frantic tour of their warehouse which kept the audience on their toes, waiting for what would happen next. 

Statistics have shown that if you can make your audience laugh, you will gain the trust of 75% of them.

• Friendly advice to solve a problem that customers were facing

Dubin proposed the solution by pitching himself as a friend rather than a salesperson. If you think about your buying patterns, you are most likely to buy a product if it is recommended by one of your friends. However, if the sales guy pitches the same product, you might doubt his intentions and not buy. 

He made a valid point by stating that you do not need to buy expensive razors with features that you don’t have a need for. 

• Called attention to a world without Dollar Shave Club

The video described that if DSC didn’t exist, more and more people would have to switch to painful shaving technology as they cannot afford the expensive razors by industry giants “Gillette” and “Schick”. 

• Audience’s drive and aspiration

They discovered that people want to feel good about themselves. Contrary to it, the current situation made them feel bad about themselves and decreased their sense of worth. 

They used this knowledge to show their audience how their product will help change that within a budget.

• Community feels

The most fascinating feature of the dollar shave club is that they do not only offer razors as a deal. They include you in a part of something bigger, i.e, a community. Monthly delights and being a part of an exclusive community is not something that every brand can offer at such a cheap price.

• Concise explanation & storytelling

Their explainer video is to the point and uses the power of storytelling to provide an experience that keeps you wanting for more. 

These reasons are what made Dollar Shave Club’s explainer video go viral. Moreover, DSC has maintained its image uptil now and has remained consistent with such content.

On a Final Note

You might have realized through this case study that an explainer video is an essential part of your brand’s marketing strategy as it will drive a gigantic amount of customers into your sales funnel.

Remember, you still need a responsive website and customer service, quality product, and market competitive price to thrive in your industry.