In a matter of days, Clancy’s Auto Body, a small auto body shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, gained national attention and over 60 million views on TikTok with the help of a dancing cat video. Here’s how the business achieved its viral success:
Clancy’s Auto Body utilized humorous marketing techniques featuring Maxwell the Cat to engage viewers. Its first TikTok post went viral, generating over 22 million views, 2.2 million likes, and thousands of comments in just a few days.
The shop’s social media manager created characters and plotlines that evolved, including appearances by the “boss man” and body shop workers. This strategy capitalized on the platform’s popularity of humor and meme culture.
Clancy’s success stems from being a small business, making it believable and eliciting sympathy. Larger companies may not be as successful if they attempt a similar strategy.
To generate trust and authenticity, Clancy’s Auto Body incorporated more content about its services, including an interview with the company’s founder.
Within two weeks, the shop’s TikTok account amassed over 200k followers and 7.5 million likes, creating its TikTok fanbase known as Clancy’s Cult. Its videos have garnered over 60 million views, and positive Google reviews have started flooding in.
Clancy’s Auto Body plans to expand on its success by pivoting to YouTube for car-related question-and-answer sessions and engaging the younger audience.
Clancy’s Auto Body’s success on TikTok can serve as a model for small businesses looking to increase their social media presence. By incorporating humor and creating relatable content, businesses can generate positive attention and build trust with potential customers.
