Want $25,000? Put Your Finger on Your Phone. And Wait.
Credit: TechCrunch
What’s the Story?
Next Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of people will have their fingers on their phones. Not moving. For hours. Why? Because YouTube influencer MrBeast asked them to.
Wait. Can you put that in the form of a question?
Sure: What would you pay to get your brand top-of-mind with hundreds of thousands of Americans?
MrBeast is betting $25,000 is a good round figure. On June 30th at 3 PM ET, thousands of people across the country will compete to win $25,000. The contest: Be the last person to take their finger off their phone.
You’re kidding? No. I’m drop-digit serious. And so is the marketplace of ideas. According to App Annie, Finger on the App is the #1 free app in the iOS app store, with over 3,000 reviews. You can find articles on the contest in TechCrunch, Mashable and Forbes.
Companies pay in the billions to be on the top of the iOS app store. MrBeast did it for $25,000 — plus the price of the app, of course.
This type of press would cost millions of dollars. Companies pay billions of dollars to try to be on the top of the iOS app store. MrBeast did it for $25,000.
MrBeast is an outlast competition, well, beast. Last December, he gave away $1,000,000. The contest? Be the last person to take your hand off $1,000,000.
Let’s pause to appreciate the irony here. In a time when everyone’s competing for people's attention via the utility of an app, MrBeast captured everyone's attention via an app that has no utility whatsoever. In fact, the app renders your phone unusable. During the contest, you can’t use your iPhone as a phone — or to text! (OMG! Is anything sacred?)
Why do these contests work?
People, Americans especially, love free stuff. But don't take my word for it. Take the neuroeconomics professor’s word for it. In a 2012 study for Coupons.com, Dr. Paul Zak discovered:
"Coupon recipients who got a $10 voucher experienced a 38% rise in oxytocin levels and were 11% happier than those who did not receive a coupon. Furthermore, their respiration rates dropped 32%, heart rates decreased by 5% and sweat levels were reportedly 20 times lower than their peers. Consequently, they felt more relaxed and less stressed."
People who get free stuff are happier than people who don't. (And they perspire less, which makes their friends happier.)
Why do we compare ourselves to others?
"Individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others,” notes Leon Festinger, “in order to reduce uncertainty in these domains, and learn how to define the self."
People don't care about public opinion polls. They care about their peers. Or, more accurately, they care about how they compare to their peers. They want to make more money, have nicer things, and be in stronger relationships than their peers.
"Status is a very big part of it. They want to win. That's part of the motivation. We're all competitive in our own way,” says psychologist Brad Klontz, in the NY Times. “It’s part of our tribal DNA. If you think about tribal societies, the person who has the most power also has the most access to resources, and they can protect and provide for their family. The closer others are to that leader, the safer they feel. It's the pursuit that brings them happiness … The money is a side effect, but it's not what is giving them joy."
Am I alone here thinking how sweet it would be to know 15 of my friends were also in the MrBeast contest, and I won? I’d list this prize alone in the awards section of my resume.
Build Community to Capture Attention
MrBeast has gamified the giveaway. The formula? Create a contest, reward your fans, go viral and repeat. Fans love the idea of being part of something bigger than themselves. On June 30th, hundreds of thousands of people will have their finger on an app all for MrBeast.
What’s that type of attention worth?
A hell of a lot more than $25,000, I assure you.
Thanks to Randal Doane for coaching me through this essay.