- Growing Viral
- Posts
- DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON: FROM $7 LEFT TO PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A.
DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON: FROM $7 LEFT TO PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A.
How Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson used 4 genius marketing tactics to take himself from broke with $7 in his pocket to being tipped as the next U.S. President...
Niall Ratcliffe
July 30, 2023
Morning!
How’s your week been? It’s been a LONG one for me.
We have a new website launching for the agency + we’re releasing a secret new project on Wednesday. So it’s been a HEAVY week of work - but we’re nearly there now!
Anyway, today I’m about to break down someone who I genuinely believe is in the top 5 marketers on the planet.
…and I don’t say that lightly.
In 1995, he had $7 in his pocket and no idea what to do with his life.
Today, he’s:
Est. to be worth $800MM
Said to be “The most likeable man on the planet”
And has just been given a 22% chance of becoming the next U.S. President
His name is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and this is how we marketed his way from rock bottom to well… being THE ROCK!
Listen To The Audio Version Of This Breakdown
Breaking Down The Strategy
On 14th December 2011, The Rock posted the following on Twitter:
In 1995 I had $7 bucks in my pocket and knew two things: I'm broke as hell and one day I won't be. #UCanAchieveAnything
This was him sharing his “Rock” bottom (pardon the pun). His lowest moment in life. Only 28 years ago.
At the time, The Rock had just completed 4 years playing American Football at the University Of Miami, before having his dreams ripped from underneath him when he wasn’t drafted to the NFL.
Everything he had been working towards was gone and all he had to show for it was $7.
To rub salt in the wounds, Johnson decided to join a team in the Canadian Football League - but he was cut from them a few months later.
He was a 23-year-old, washed-up college football player, living with his parents.
No team wanted him, no fans loved him, and he was pretty much a nobody.
Today, just 28 years later, things couldn’t be more different.
He has 400M+ followers online
Is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood
And is tipped at a 22% chance of becoming the next President of the U.S.A.
No seriously…
But how in the world did he do it?
How did Dwayne Johnson go from a failure with $7 in his pocket to being coined as the “Most Likable Person In the World” and possibly the next U.S. President?
That was the burning question I wanted to answer.
So I did the research and it turns out “The Rock” is actually a stupidly good marketer.
Here are the 4 key tactics he used to market his way to becoming the most likeable man on the planet:
1) Start Niche
When The Rock hit rock bottom in 1995 he decided to follow in his Dad’s footsteps and pursue a career in wrestling.
At first, he wasn’t much of a star.
But as time went on his energy and charisma led to him building a huge wrestling fanbase.
He went from run-of-the-mill wrestler, to fan favourite, to Wrestlemania main eventer, to:
2-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
5-time WWF Tag Team Champion
8-time WWE Universal Champion
He was a wrestling megastar.
But that’s the key here.
At this point, The Rock wasn’t trying to be some crazy influencer the whole world knew.
All he was trying to do was entertain a small niche - wrestling fans.
“The Rock” wasn’t a household name when he was a wrestler. But he was a person a very small group of people – wrestling fans – absolutely loved.
Little did he know, that small niche of wrestling fans would go on to be the core audience he needed for all of his future ventures.
Lesson: You don’t build an audience by entertaining the world. You have to win over a small crowd first.
2) Leverage What You Have
Although The Rock had a very successful wrestling career he was far from the global celebrity he is today.
That A-list status would only come when he transitioned into acting.
But rather than leaving his wrestling audience behind as he pivoted careers The Rock leveraged them to push his new career.
He’d urge them to watch his new films
Share behind-the-scenes of the movie
And leverage the size of his audience to get better gigs
The Rock promoting his first-ever acting gig
But this wasn’t the only time he leveraged what he had, in fact, it’s a common theme throughout his career.
His wrestling audience kick-started his acting career → which then gave him a bigger audience → which he’s then leveraged to start companies off the back of.
So many brands build up leverage in a specific place and then never actually utilise it to leverage anything.
The Rock isn’t one of those people.
Lesson: Dominate a sector, then use that domination to leverage your next opportunity.
3) Strategic Collaborations
After his acting career began taking off, The Rock was quickly becoming a big-name star.
He even got called Hollywood’s “most bankable star”, whilst also being the world’s highest-paid actor during 2019 and 2020.
But that wasn’t enough for The Rock.
He wanted to infiltrate new markets. Reach new people. Grow even bigger.
And he did this through strategic collaborations with companies in the markets he was targeting.
He wanted to reach more athletes → So he partnered with Under Armour and released Project Rock.
He wanted to reach the MMA community → So he collaborated with the UFC to have the fighters wear Project Rock shoes.
And to say these collaborations were a success is an understatement.
Project Rock is now one of Under Armour’s best-selling lines and still runs to this day.
You can also bet that A LOT of athletes began following The Rock after this too.
Lesson: If you want to infultrate a new market or audience, don’t go it alone. Pick a trusted brand in that space and partner with them.
4) Storytelling
The partnerships, the core audience, the leverage - it’s all great stuff. But none of it would be doing anything without The Rock’s storytelling.
It’s been the cornerstone of his success in every path he’s set out on.
As a wrestler, The Rock was able to hook fans into his narrative and pull them into his journey of being a champion.
In acting & producing, The Rock has been able to captivate fans into his storyline.
In business, The Rock is able to pull people into every single company he starts with his stories.
Take his Under Armour campaign for Project Rock for example. Instead of just promoting the products, The Rock shared the story behind them.
He talked about his own journey, his struggles, and how he pushed through to achieve his goals.
He connected these stories to his brand, making it not just about workout gear, but about resilience, determination, and the pursuit of greatness.
It’s that story that has made Project Rock so successful.
At the end of the day, it’s just Under Armour gear with a bull logo on it.
But to those who have heard the story The Rock tells… it’s much more than that.
Lesson: If you want people to listen, to care, and to buy from you. Tell them a story.
It’s insane to me just how successful The Rock has been in recent years.
Nearly every company he has started has been a hit.
That’s not because he only brings out amazing products, but it’s because he abides by these 4 tactics with nearly every single one.
The guy was a WWE wrestler, now he’s tipped to be the next President of the U.S.A.
Will he do it? Who knows, I suppose we’ll have to wait and see it.
Right, that’s it from me.
What did you think of this breakdown? |
Until next Sunday.
— Niall
If you’ve read this far, why not see how else I can help you:
This has been a breakdown of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s marketing strategy. I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy in your business!
Don’t forget to subscribe to get next week’s breakdown straight to your inbox!