It began with a $100,000 donation, ended with $11 million raised for charity, and someplace alongside the way in which, 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 marketing—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 lift cash for St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital. He began with a $1M purpose and ended up elevating over $11M.
The sequence turned a viral sensation, pulling in thousands and thousands of views every day. Alongside the way in which, manufacturers turned a part of the story—and one specifically.
Enter Lectric e-bikes.
Lectric’s involvement appeared nothing like conventional sponsorship, felt nothing like an advert, but generated outcomes that the majority CMOs might 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 below 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 large 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 worth for an advert learn from a creator at Ryan’s scale.
However the actual genius got here the subsequent 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 by day he rode.
Not like 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 using their bike in each video, naturally, with out having to power a product plug.
Lectric turned 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 mathematics to show it:
- Complete attain: 47 episodes × 5M common views = 235M impressions.
- Market worth: At Ryan’s scale, YouTube integrations sometimes value $30–$50 CPM. Even conservatively, that’s $7M+ in equal media worth.
- Precise spend: $100K upfront donation + $470K in every day using donations (47 × $10K) = $570K complete.
Lectric basically secured prime, high-frequency placement for below 10% of what a standard sponsorship would value—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 mixing 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 fully 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 thousands and thousands of person 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 suggests the extra individuals discuss Lectric, the extra instruments like ChatGPT and Google will advocate it. Principally, that one donation + natural integration triggered a full on advertising and marketing flywheel and I don’t even suppose Lectric absolutely realized what they had 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 opinions, and constructive digital phrase of mouth.
With every person put up, dialogue, and response, AI programs higher perceive that Lectric is a model individuals genuinely belief.
Lectric’s charitable gesture set off a sequence response. Their identify started to point out up in all places on the internet and in AI instruments.
Site visitors metrics in Ahrefs’ Web site Explorer confirmed that what began as modest publicity, grew into a whole lot of 1000’s of natural visits.
At first, Lectric was barely talked about in AI assistants like ChatGPT, and impressions had 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 fireplace and the web ran with it.
Model mentions are one factor. Model adoption is one other.
By using the Lectric bike every day, Ryan made the product acquainted. It turned part of the present and one thing he relied on.
Repeat model appearances throughout entertaining, emotionally resonant content material like this will shift viewers from “that’s a pleasant bike” to “possibly I need 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 progress, when the product delivers.
- Diminished reliance on borrowed audiences, because the model’s personal neighborhood varieties.
Extra clients → extra content material → extra clients.
This loop is the flywheel in movement. It retains momentum going with out the necessity for fixed advert spend.
Ultimate ideas
By unconventional advertising and marketing, Lectric formulated a triple-win technique:
- Promote the model
- Do one thing good for the world
- Get monetary savings 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.
For those who’re spitballing unconventional advertising and marketing concepts, do not forget that true model match is what unlocks all three of these advantages.
Lectric’s conviction counts for much more at the moment when AI makes up a lot of what we see.
Actual experiences, tales, and real human connection are a number of 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 it will transfer from inventive to business-critical.
