A Book to Kill a Vampire.
Hey, it’s Kelsey.
It’s 12:09 am, and I’m supposed to be asleep.
But I found myself staring at a mayonnaise ad about vampires, and now we’re here.
This debut issue (Wooo! We made it!) of The Virality Report is about garlic, BookTok, and why absurd ideas work better than following TikTok trends.
This newsletter will take 3 minutes to read.
So let’s get into it. 🧛
Hellmann’s (yes, the mayo brand), just printed a fantasy novel that smells like garlic.
Yep, It’s a real book.
With real garlic scent.
You’re about to read a real-life masterclass in how to merge product, culture, and absurdity.
Without further adieu… This is how a boring condiment ended up on BookTok and blew up.
📍 The Setup
Hellmann’s has been fighting the “boring grocery aisle” problem for years.
And I don’t exactly blame them…
You don’t see people raving about condiments on TikTok.
Or at least I don’t on my FYP.
So when Hellmann’s launched a new Garlic Aioli, they leaned into a cultural rabbit hole: Romantasy.
A vampire-filled corner of BookTok.
They released a limited-edition print of the novel The Primal of Blood and Bone with garlic-infused ink.
They called it the “Craven-Proof Edition.”
Some extra context: In Jennifer L. Armentrout’s universe, the monsters are called “Craven” and just like vampires, they hate garlic.
Absurd? Completely.
Effective? Absolutely.
But why does this work?
Hellmann’s is a legacy brand.
Garlic Aioli is a product refresh.
They needed something that didn’t feel like a “product launch,” so instead, aimed for a moment people could join.
✅ The Strategy
Print 100 copies of the novel using garlic-infused ink.
Ship them to influencers and fans within BookTok.
Frame it as a collectible that “wards off Craven.”
Link it back to the Garlic Aioli drop through recipes and humour.
The internet ate it up (yes, pun intended).
This resulted in thousands of reactions and shares on TikTok plus tons of press from PR Week to Ad Age.
And now you’re reading about it in this newsletter… Gotcha.
Too many brands chase virality.
But this mayo brand did the opposite.
They became the trend.
They created something that begged to be shared.
And in the age of TikTok and viral videos, that means success.
The brain loves things that almost make sense.
If it’s too random, we scroll past but if it’s perfectly logical, we forget about it almost instantly.
It’s really like walking a tightrope.
Thus my clever image of a tightrope above.
When something is just weird enough, we share it.
How to use it:
✅ Anchor your idea in something real (product truth or benefit).
✅ Twist it with a cultural symbol that barely fits, but fits enough.
✅ Let the weirdness do the heavy lifting.
💬 The Takeaway
You can’t buy attention anymore.
You have to earn disbelief.
🔒 Viral Vault
Here are some more viral examples that I enjoyed this week.
(You can find all of these examples in my viral vault.)
A 46-second AI-assisted meme turned local restaurant ad… absurd, funny, and real.
You can’t fake originality (Even if it’s technically AI?)
Tomatoes with QR codes leading to the farmer’s story.
Proof that even produce can go viral when you humanize it.
McDonald’s hit an emotional nerve by naming a new McFlurry flavour after grandmothers, paired with soft, nostalgic ads showing multi-generational families.
It went viral because it’s a reminder that sentimentality still scales faster than novelty.
🎯 Creator Takeaways
Weird works when it’s grounded.
Tie your absurdity to a truth about your product.Find a loyal fanbase.
Communities over audiences. BookTok, SneakerTok, GymTok → Go niche.Let people tell the story for you.
HINT: If you have to explain the joke, it’s not good enough.
That’s it for me.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading my very first issue of the Virality Report.
I hope it gave you a few new ways to think about the patterns when it comes to virality.
As I continue to refine and improve my newsletter, I’d love to hear from you.
I’ll be including a poll every single newsletter to make sure I am only bringing you value.
So…
What would you like to see more of?
What do you want to see less of?
You can also reply to this email with ideas!
What would you like to see more of? 🔥
Until next week,
Kelsey
P.S. Connect with me on Linkedin. Always happy to chat!
P.P.S. Send me your favourite viral videos and I’ll add it to my viral vault. This will be available shortly.