How a 1980s Ad about Beef Lead to 60 Billion Video Views

Three little old ladies just wanted a decent burger.

The “Where’s the beef?” query in the Wendy’s ad from 1984 became a phrase known and loved by basically everyone. The little old ladies just wanted to know why a competitor’s hamburger was so disappointingly small - a justified bafflement that was soon answered by the assurance that “At Wendy’s, you get more beef and less bun.” This ad campaign, written by Cliff Freeman for the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample agency, increased sales by 31% that year and put Wendy’s in league with fast food burger royalty alongside McDonald’s and Burger King.  

I was a kid in the 1980s, and I lived for “commercials” like these that shocked or delighted viewers. I was a sucker for a good ad then, and I am a sucker for a good ad now. 

I have had a decades-long obsession with The Power of Video, and it’s the reason for my career success. I’ve helped generate more than 60 billion video views on YouTube.

I’ve been successful because I notice patterns and trends that work. 

Do you want to know a secret? Nothing has changed. Nope, not even after the advent and worldwide integration of the Internet. There are elements that worked 40 years ago that work today and will continue to work until the artificial intelligence take-over in 2051. (If I’m wrong, I’ll give you a dollar.)

Here are 5 things you need to do to make videos that WORK:

1 - Consider Your Target Viewer

Before you create new content, do you consider the actual person on the other side of the video? Sometimes creators and businesses get so focused on delivering their message that they forget to think about who is on the receiving end. It feels like the message is forced down the viewer’s throat at all costs, which leaves them feeling disconnected and disengaged.

If you want to nail your message, always keep in mind who your target avatar or viewer is. Make a list of their demographics, psychographics, online behaviors, offline behaviors, morning routines, and every other think that makes them who they are. 

What do they like? What do they dislike? What do they do? What do they feel? Who do they interact with? What will surprise them? What issues do they have in their life? What can make their lives easier?

When I launch a new YouTube channel or ad campaign, we literally spend months researching our target viewer until we feel like we know exactly who will watch it and how we will reach them.

2 - Have a Good Hook

Why would anyone keep watching something that starts off boring? People value their time. You have to prove to them that you value their time, too, by giving them good content right out of the gate. But the hook isn’t always at the beginning. In the Wendy’s ad, one of the cute little ladies says, “Where’s the beef?” 9 seconds in, then she says it twice more in the remaining 20 seconds. The phrase is hilarious and earns a laugh every time, which continues to hook the viewer. It pulls the viewer into the rest of the video. 

You need your own “Where’s the beef? moments.

Reinforce why they clicked on the video by using a good hook. This creates anticipation for the current video, but it also creates anticipation for your next “beef” moment in subsequent videos. Viewers will want to watch because they are expecting your hook.

3 - Keep Them Engaged

There are too many things vying for people’s attention these days. In order to capture viewers in a world of endless distractions, you have to give them something to stick around for. People actually love wasting their own time if it’s something that gives them value. That doesn’t mean they always have to learn something or buy something they need. Don’t forget that entertainment is also valuable. People love to be entertained! 

A great way to keep viewers engaged is to use interruptions in the flow of the video. These pattern interruptions can be an added sound effect, video clip, joke, change of voice, or even just a clap. It’s a perfect way to reset the viewer’s brain to keep watching.

4 - Be Clear On Your Message

Viewers are smart, but they need to be told exactly what you want them to know. When you don’t spell it out in the most simple and concise ways, either visually or verbally or both, they won’t know what to do, and your video won’t convert. For example, in the Wendy’s ad, the message was clear: If you want more beef and less bun (read: a better hamburger), go to Wendy’s.

This goes along with creating content for humans. Always remember that there is someone on the other side of the screen watching, and your message to them needs to be loud and clear. My product is awesome because… Click this right here… Buy this now… Watch this video next… and so on.

5 - Make the Video Easy to Share

This is less about people clicking the share button and more about getting them to talk about the video organically. Make content that surprises, shocks, delights, or feels fresh and new in a way that people want to be the first to say to their friends or family, “Did you see that video about…” 

You know your campaign was successful when people organically want to talk about it on social media, at the table, on Clubhouse. Get your content trending and topical. When people want to talk about you, it creates brand awareness, lift, engagement, and revenue. 

“Where’s the beef?” became pop culture itself. People talked about the ad and repeatedly used the quote in their conversations. They wore t-shirts with the phrase. A popular radio DJ made a song about it that was made into a vinyl record. Milton-Bradley made a board game about it, for crying out loud. All around a single ad campaign in the early 1980s before the Internet and smartphones existed!

There are more elements to good videos that work, but these 5 are fundamental and constant. Master these, and you’ll be setting yourself up for a successful campaign that could have people quoting your content for years to come. 

I go a lot more in-depth on this concept and many more in my new book The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to Drive Views, Build an Audience, and Grow Revenue. Get your copy and some other great bonuses when you pre-order at ytformula.com.

Thanks for reading!