It began with a $100,000 donation, ended with $11 million raised for charity, and someplace alongside the best way, an electrical bike model earned 235M+ impressions and $7M value of brand name consciousness.
Ahrefs’ Neighborhood Supervisor, Michelle Lindner, shared Ryan Trahan’s “50 States Problem” in our #Advertising Slack channel after watching it along with her children. She thought it confirmed some superior examples of unconventional advertising—and we agreed.
One model stood out so strongly that it impressed us to make our personal donation… 
…and prompted Ahrefs’ VP of Advertising, Sam Oh, to create a YouTube teardown of their technique.
Right here’s what occurred, how the marketing campaign labored, and why it issues.
In 50 days, YouTube star Ryan Trahan visited all 50 U.S. states to boost cash for St. Jude Youngsters’s Analysis Hospital. He began with a $1M purpose and ended up elevating over $11M.
The collection grew to become a viral sensation, pulling in tens of millions of views each day. Alongside the best way, manufacturers grew to become a part of the story—and one particularly.
Enter Lectric e-bikes.
Lectric’s involvement seemed nothing like conventional sponsorship, felt nothing like an advert, but generated outcomes that almost all CMOs may solely dream of.
By naturally integrating their model into the problem, they pulled off some of the quietly good model strikes of the yr.
Listed here are 4 classes realized from their unconventional marketing campaign…
On Day 2 of Ryan’s problem Lectric donated $100K, and on the finish of the video, Ryan learn their identify aloud alongside different massive donors.
This transfer, alone, acquired their model in entrance of 6 million viewers.
Within the phrases of Sam Oh:
Some would name {that a} good value for an advert learn from a creator at Ryan’s scale.
However the actual genius got here the following day.
Lectric confirmed up in individual and gifted Ryan a model new Lectric e-bike.
Then they sweetened the deal, pledging one other $10K for day-after-day he rode.
In contrast to a paid advert, it was a product placement that felt private, beneficiant, and well timed—and Ryan’s real response made it stick.
Now, Lectric had some of the likable YouTubers driving their bike in each video, naturally, with out having to drive a product plug.
Lectric grew to become an integral a part of the remaining 47 episodes, and so they spent a fraction of face-value charges for a similar protection.
Right here’s the maths to show it:
- Whole attain: 47 episodes × 5M common views = 235M impressions.
- Market worth: At Ryan’s scale, YouTube integrations usually price $30–$50 CPM. Even conservatively, that’s $7M+ in equal media worth.
- Precise spend: $100K upfront donation + $470K in each day driving donations (47 × $10K) = $570K complete.
Lectric primarily secured prime, high-frequency placement for underneath 10% of what a conventional sponsorship would price—and since their product was baked into the narrative, the model integration felt genuine moderately than advertorial.
Unsurprisingly, this sort of airtime led to an explosion in searches for Lectric.
As soon as the bike appeared, so did the net discussions.
Followers on Reddit and X posted about Lectric with out being prompted, as a result of the combination felt like a part of the journey.
They praised the model for his or her donation, their dedication to good causes, and the standard of their merchandise.
The conversations created extra consciousness but additionally one thing completely new: extra coaching information.
AI instruments like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews depend on publicly obtainable content material—together with Reddit threads and social posts—to know what issues.
Reddit has signed offers with Google and OpenAI, permitting them to coach on its tens of millions of consumer conversations.
As Sam Oh says:
The craziest half imo is that, as a result of Reddit signed licensing offers with Google and OpenAI, all these posts and mentions are coaching information for AI which implies the extra individuals speak about Lectric, the extra instruments like ChatGPT and Google will suggest it. Principally, that one donation + natural integration triggered a full on advertising flywheel and I don’t even suppose Lectric absolutely realized what they have been setting in movement.
Our personal AI area visibility analysis exhibits that Reddit is routinely cited in Google’s AI search responses.
When followers celebrated Lectric in boards and threads, it didn’t simply affect individuals—it influenced AI.
Now, when somebody goes to AI assistants to analysis Lectric merchandise, they’re going to return throughout specs, official evaluations, and constructive digital phrase of mouth.
With every consumer put up, dialogue, and response, AI methods higher perceive that Lectric is a model individuals genuinely belief.
Lectric’s charitable gesture set off a series response. Their identify started to point out up all over the place on the net and in AI instruments.
Site visitors metrics in Ahrefs’ Web site Explorer confirmed that what began as modest publicity, grew into tons of of 1000’s of natural visits.
At first, Lectric was barely talked about in AI assistants like ChatGPT, and impressions have been modest: hitting simply 4,000 throughout Might.
However by July, Ahrefs’ Model Radar confirmed that determine had shot as much as 700,000.
This occurred not as a result of they focused choose key phrases or optimized a touchdown web page, however as a result of the story caught hearth and the web ran with it.
Model mentions are one factor. Model adoption is one other.
By driving the Lectric bike each day, Ryan made the product acquainted. It grew to become part of the present and one thing he relied on.
Repeat model appearances throughout entertaining, emotionally resonant content material like this may shift viewers from “that’s a pleasant bike” to “possibly I would like one.”
As extra individuals watch, extra individuals search. As extra individuals purchase, extra individuals put up. And so the loop begins—till Lectric turns into larger than the donation.
As soon as early adopters share their experiences, every new buyer fuels extra content material and dialogue. This compounds into:
- Elevated visibility in search, social, and even AI outcomes.
- Constructive sentiment development, when the product delivers.
- Lowered reliance on borrowed audiences, because the model’s personal neighborhood types.
Extra prospects → extra content material → extra prospects.
This loop is the flywheel in movement. It retains momentum going with out the necessity for fixed advert spend.
Remaining ideas
By way of unconventional advertising, Lectric formulated a triple-win technique:
- Promote the model
- Do one thing good for the world
- Lower your expenses over conventional promoting
However this sort of marketing campaign solely labored as a result of it was completely true to Lectric’s values.
Philanthropy was baked into the model from the outset—not simply bolted on for optics.
Actually, they’ve a full web page devoted to philanthropy on their web site.
Should you’re spitballing unconventional advertising concepts, keep in mind that true model match is what unlocks all three of these advantages.
Lectric’s conviction counts for much more in the present day when AI makes up a lot of what we see.
Actual experiences, tales, and real human connection are among the few issues left that AI can’t replicate.
And when AI begins weighing sentiment and emotional affect as extremely as components like mentions, then unconventional campaigns like this may transfer from inventive to business-critical.
