How can you help a brand go viral on the Internet in 2020? By not using the Internet at all, of course.

Let’s rewind. (Pun fully intended.) It was spring of 2020. Tough times. The last remaining Blockbuster on planet Earth was hurting. Lockdowns had temporarily ended the time-honored tradition of browsing the shelves and getting recommendations from staff, sending would-be viewers to the soulless scroll of Netflix’s algorithm instead. Yuck.

We wanted to remind everyone why they loved Blockbuster: the human touch.

For those near the store in Bend, Oregon, we wanted them to try curbside pickup. For those farther away, we wanted them to buy merch. So, naturally, we didn’t mention any of that in our advertising.

We used a decidedly Blockbuster media placement: a random billboard in Oregon. Our message: “Netflix has an algorithm. We have a callgorithm.” We listed the store’s phone number. Then, we waited.

Soon enough, a motorist saw the billboard, and posted a pic to Reddit. Overnight, the post hit #1 on Reddit’s front page. Phones were deluged with people asking for recs. Curbside pickup soared. Merch sold out. NBC News talked about it. Mission accomplished.