Millionaire Using Instagram: 19 Million Dollars in One Day

The Super Bowl, the most watched sporting event in the United States and one of the most important worldwide, was held on February 7, 2024. In addition to the excitement of the game, the Super Bowl is famous for its commercials, which tend to be creative, impactful and expensive. According to Forbes magazine, the average price for a 30-second ad in the 2024 Super Bowl was $6.5 million.
However, there was one ad that stood out above the rest, not only for its originality, but also for its effectiveness. It was the commercial by Kanye West, the American rapper, producer and entrepreneur, who promoted his new album, «Donda,» through a sales video on Instagram.
The video, which lasted only 28 seconds, showed Kanye West driving from his car, looking at the camera and saying the following:

«Hi, yeah, it’s my commercial and since we spent all the money on the space, we didn’t actually spend money on the actual commercial, but the idea is I want you to go to yeezy.com, (spells) Y E E Z Y .com, type it in at the bottom of the screen…and I’ve got some shoes and that’s it.»
According to music portal Billboard, Kanye West’s video, in just one day after the commercial aired generated more than $19.3 million in sales in just one day. Likewise, 284,357 orders were received for Yeezy products.
In addition, the video had more than 100 million views on Instagram and became a trend on social networks, generating thousands of comments, memes and reactions.
How did Kanye West manage to create such a successful commercial with so few resources and so little time? What elements of the video’s narrative made it so persuasive and attractive to the public? What can we learn from this case to improve our own communication and sales?
In this article, we will analyze the keys to the success of Kanye West’s commercial and give you some tips on how you can shoot your own effective sales video using only your cell phone and your Instagram account.

One of the reasons Kanye West’s commercial got so much attention was because it broke the pattern of what is expected of a Super Bowl ad. While most commercials use special effects, celebrities, humor, music or emotion to capture the audience’s interest, Kanye West’s was the opposite: simple, straightforward and serious.
By breaking the pattern, Kanye West managed to create a disruptive effect, which is a persuasion technique that consists of interrupting the receiver’s flow of attention with something unexpected, surprising or different. Doing so generates curiosity and attention that facilitates the processing of the message.
According to psychologist and persuasion expert Robert Cialdini, disruption is a way to take advantage of the scarcity principle, which states that people value more what is rare, unique or difficult to obtain. By presenting an ad so different from others, Kanye West created a sense of exclusivity and opportunity that motivated the audience to pay attention and take action.
To apply this, we can use disruption to generate interest and curiosity in our target audience. For example, we can use a headline, a question, an image or a piece of information that breaks with the norm, challenges a belief, generates a contradiction or provokes an emotion. In this way, we can capture attention and differentiate ourselves from the competition.

Another aspect that made Kanye West’s commercial so effective was that he talked about money clearly and directly. How many times have we stumbled across the infamous «pricing by the inbox»?
Instead of hiding the price of his product or using ambiguous phrases like «for a limited time» or «special offer,» Kanye West said exactly where they could buy his products. In doing so, Kanye West demonstrated transparency and honesty, two values that are highly valued by consumers and build trust and credibility.
In addition, Kanye West facilitated his audience’s purchasing decision by giving them all the information they needed to evaluate his offer and act accordingly.
According to economist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, people are more likely to buy when we have less uncertainty and more clarity about the value of what we are purchasing. By talking about money, Kanye West reduced uncertainty and increased the perceived value of his product, which boosted sales.
One key is to talk about money clearly and directly, without fear of losing customers or credibility. On the contrary, by talking about money, we can gain the trust and preference of our target audience, since we will be making it easier for them to make a purchase decision and demonstrating that we have a quality and valuable offer.

Another factor that contributed to the success of Kanye West’s commercial was that he spelled out the order clearly and simply. Instead of using complicated, technical or abstract language, Kanye West used simple, concrete, everyday language. Furthermore, instead of assuming that his audience knew what to do, Kanye West told them exactly what action he wanted them to take and how they could do it.
By spelling out the order, Kanye West improved the accessibility and user experience of his offering, i.e., the ease and satisfaction with which his audience could access and consume his product. In doing so, Kanye West removed barriers and obstacles that could prevent or delay purchase, such as confusion, doubt or laziness.
According to digital marketing expert Neil Patel, spelling out the order is a way to leverage the principle of reciprocity, which states that people tend to return the favors we receive from others. By making life easier for his audience, Kanye West created a sense of gratitude and obligation that incentivized purchase.
It is important to spell out the request clearly and simply, leaving nothing to the interpretation or imagination of our target audience. For example, we can use simple, concrete, everyday language that is easy to understand and remember. In addition, we can tell our audience what action we want them to take, why it is important for them to take it and how they can take it.

The last aspect that made Kanye West’s commercial so effective was that he hesitated as a human, showing a vulnerability and sincerity that made him relatable and relatable. In the video, Kanye West paused before saying the price of his album and then said «thank you» in a tone of voice that denoted a certain insecurity and shyness.
By hesitating as a human, Kanye West built a psychological identification with his audience, that is, an emotional and cognitive connection that makes people feel more relatable and more receptive to a message. In doing so, Kanye West generated greater trust and persuasion in his offer.
According to psychologist and social influence expert Robert Levine, hesitating as a human is a way to tap into the principle of liking, which states that people are more likely to accept and follow the suggestions of those we like or who are similar to us. By showing his human side, Kanye West created a sense of likeability and identification that motivated the purchase.
Indeed, to show a more human side we can hesitate as a human, showing our vulnerability and our sincerity, without fear that this will cause us to lose authority or credibility. On the contrary, we can gain the sympathy and identification of our target audience, since we will be showing them that we are people like them, with the same problems, desires and emotions.

Kanye West’s commercial is an example of how to communicate as «people like us,» that is, as human beings speaking to other human beings, with language, tone and attitude that reflect authenticity, transparency and empathy.
By communicating as «people like us,» Kanye West succeeded in creating an effective narrative that connected with his audience, conveyed the value of his offering, and drove action. Furthermore, by communicating as «people like us,» Kanye West was able to differentiate himself from the competition and position himself as a unique and relevant personal brand.
To communicate as «people like us,» we don’t need to have a big production, a big budget or a big audience. We just need to have a great story, a great passion, and a great willingness to share our message with the world.
In the next part of the article, we’ll give you some tips on how to shoot your own effective sales video using just your cell phone and your Instagram account – don’t miss it!

The first tip is to break the monotony and grab your audience’s attention from the start. Remember that Kanye West’s commercial was successful because it broke the pattern of what was expected of a Super Bowl ad. In the same way, you can break the pattern of what is expected of a sales video on Instagram.
To do so, you can use one of these techniques:

All this with the goal of capturing your audience’s attention in the first few seconds of your video, before they lose interest or get distracted by something else.

The second tip is to be clear and direct and to explain your offer concisely. Remember that Kanye West’s commercial was successful because he talked about money clearly and directly and explained his offer concisely. In the same way, you can talk about money clearly and directly and explain your offer concisely.
To do this, you can use one of these techniques:

The third tip is to make the action easy and reduce cognitive friction. Remember that Kanye West’s commercial was successful because he spelled out the order clearly and simply and because he made it easy for his audience to take action. In the same way, you can spell out the request clearly and simply and make it easy for your audience to take action.
To do this, you can use one of these techniques:

The fourth and final tip is to show your human side and generate trust and empathy. Remember that Kanye West’s commercial was successful because he doubted as a human and because he showed his vulnerability and sincerity. In the same way, you can doubt as a human and show your vulnerability and sincerity.
To do so, you can use one of these techniques:

You should strive to show your human side and generate trust and empathy with your audience, as this will make you more approachable, more likable and more persuasive.

Kanye West’s commercial is an example of how effective storytelling can generate millions of dollars in sales in just one day. By communicating as «people like us, Kanye West managed to create an emotional and cognitive connection with his audience that conveyed the value of his offering and drove action.
You too can create an effective narrative for your sales by following the four tips we’ve given you.
You don’t need to have a big production, a big budget or a big audience to create an effective sales video. You just need to have a great story, a great passion and a great willingness to share your message with the world.
So don’t wait any longer, grab your cell phone, open your Instagram account and record your effective sales video. We’re sure you’ll be amazed with the results.
We hope you found this article useful and that it has inspired you to create your own effective sales video. If you liked it, please share it with your friends, family or colleagues. And if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, leave them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading and see you next time.