Hank The Hellion
Hi. You may have seen me in the news; I’m known as either “Houston Woman,” or “Foul-Mouthed Foster Mom,” depending on which headline you read.
To summarize: several months ago, I found a stray dog and fostered him. I quickly started to realize that finding this dog a permanent home would be one of the biggest challenges yet, so I knew I had to be creative and get Hank’s name out there.
I’d seen several stories go viral about Prancer the Chihuahua and Quilty the Cat, and decided to approach Hank’s marketing in a similar manner – just with my own spin.
With my background in digital marketing, I decided to build a website, so I secured the domain and hosting, and started to craft a winning website that would attract potential adopters. Having laid out the basics, I realized that – while his bio might be amusing – the site needed more spiciness.
So I dropped the f-bombs. A lot of them. A fuck-ton of them.
I thought I could capture the attention of my local Houston network; Houston pet groups, NextDoor, etc. I knew the spicier the site was, the more likely the site would be shared. As I’ve repeatedly stated, the language I used on the site was intentional. I was going for the shock-factor, the amusement, and (to my knowledge) nobody has ever tried to write a dog biography using so many curse words before. It worked. The first shares and comments started coming in, all using the f-word. “Fucking adopt Hank!” they said. “Fuck, this is funny!”
Posts/Opinion Pieces
- BetterMarketing – The Marketing Genius Behind the “Hellion Dog” Adoption Page
- BestFriends.org – The Public is the Solution
Hank in the News
National Headlines:
- HuffPost
- Yahoo! via ScaryMommy
- People
- The Today Show
- Daily Mail
- New York Post
- Inside Edition (Digital) (with video)
- Inside Edition (TV) (video)
- iHeart Radio
Local Headlines:
It’s important to me to mention that I created this plan without the permission of the rescue organization, Friends For Life. I was nervous about the reaction from the shelter, but figured if I could keep the website up for a day or two before they found out about it, then I’d have at least reached a couple hundred people in Houston before I had to nuke the website. Then the Executive Director of Friends For Life shared the website with the words, “Fucking Adopt Hank.” I had received the golden blessing from the top-of-the-top.
Suddenly, Hank’s website was featured everywhere – first HuffPost picked it up, then People. After that, Hank was featured on Today, Yahoo, MSN, and the New York Post.
I made no effort to hide my identity, so the emails started rolling in. One said she was reporting me to both the ASPCA and the FTC. While I was waiting for that knock on the door from those organizations, I read hundreds of other emails thanking me for my “brutal honesty,” Many shared their own stories, pictures, and videos of their foster dogs or challenging rescues. I even got a message from the owner of a dog who could be Hank’s actual twin sister.
Most of the messages were uplifting and positive. A few of the messages were filled with vitriol, which I fully expected. I calmly replied to those with the same message: if you’re easily upset by words, then perhaps rescuing a challenging dog like Hank isn’t the best match. I don’t expect Hank’s future owner to love the cursing or even curse at him, but I do expect they need a thick skin and a sense of humor. Hank makes us laugh every day with his shenanigans; I want Hank’s family to get just as much enjoyment out of him as we are.
After the news headlines, a few more opinion pieces were written from experienced rescue organizations and volunteers. To me, this was the icing on top of the cake: not only was Hank mentioned and featured, but my idea was recognized and celebrated. As a digital marketer, it’s exciting to receive high praise from your peers. Thank you for that.
Anyway, if you’re in the market for a ridiculously happy-go-lucky giant goofball of a dog, Hank is still available for adoption as of the writing of this post. For pete’s sake, adopt #HankTheHellion and save us, his very exhausted foster family. Thank you.
Going Viral on TikTok
I first went viral on TikTok when I posted my passive-aggressive response to a job application. At last count, that video had 2.8 million views, and based on the comments, I had struck a nerve.
The CEO was advertising for a no-nonsense perfectionist; the ad actually used the words, “I need a little dictator.” The posting continued to describe the importance of perfection:
- “I’m a perfectionist, so you’ll need to fill in the details, and be absolutely anal about it.”
- “…ASTOUNDING attention to detail.”
- “…be as perfect as possible.”
- “…if an email has typos, I’ll be very annoyed and it could cost me money.”
Further down, there was a list of requirements to apply, including a cover letter not only describing my qualifications and goals, but also whom I admire and why. Then, “for priority consideration, include a video introduction explaining why I should hire you.”
The job listing struck me as overbearing and brash. Not only was the post poorly worded, but the thought of possibly being considered and/or rejected based on my looks was a red flag. The job description itself was right up my alley, but I wasn’t sure the company was right for me.
I met all the criteria on the job posting, however. I love it when I can present perfection. I obsessively re-read everything I type. I am organized, fanatical when it comes to work, and I can be strong-minded — or “a little dictator” — in order to get things done. I matched, point for point, every skill they required for the position. However, based on my initial feelings of discomfort, I originally wasn’t going to apply.
Then I went to the company’s website to check them out. Staring me in the face was a glaring and obvious typo on one of their pages. Curious, I used the Wayback Machine and saw that the typo had existed for at least three years.
I decided to have some fun with it and submit my application to the company, pointing out the typo on their website. I included a screen recording “correcting” it using Chrome DevTools. I finished the video introduction explaining my personality and how well I fit the position. I knew I knocked it out of the park; not only had I proven that I could spot and fix minor details, but also displayed my computer skills and video editing knowledge within the first 20 seconds. I posted the video to YouTube, unlisted so that I could watch the view count.
For my friends (all 24 followers I had at the time), I posted a short clip of the beginning of the video and uploaded it to TikTok.
Shortly after I posted it, the notifications came rolling in and I realized I was trending on TikTok’s #FYP. Then my phone starting blowing up with comments on the TikTok.
“This company sounds TOXIC.”
“Tell me your company says ‘perfection’ as an empty motto without telling me…”
“Did you also tell them that perfection is a ridiculous concept? Strive for improvement, not perfection.”
That last comment hit the nail on the head for me. It clearly explained why I was so put off by the original job listing in the first place.
I spent a lot of time reading and responding to the comments and questions while keeping an eye on the YouTube unlisted video’s view count. The next day, I saw the video count go up by one… then two… then three. Somebody in the company was watching it. 15 minutes after that first view, the typo was fixed on their website.
Being unemployed and now officially viral, I started worrying that my sassy TikTok was giving the wrong impression of me. I decided to upload an older video of a prank I’d played on my boss, so that potential employers googling my name wouldn’t discount me completely for being a snotty asshole. I wanted to show that I have an amazingly fun and creative side at work too.
That video also went viral with over 1.3 million views.
Most of the news articles just mentioned me as “a woman,” and not by name, so it was difficult for me to track down all the posts and news articles about it, but here’s a few:
- Viral Video: A Woman Pranks Her Boss – KiddNation
- A Woman Pranks Her Boss by Programming His Computer to Talk – WRIF
- Boss Pranked with Talking Computer – i94Online
The rest of the articles I found read pretty much the same. Weirdly, it seems as though radio stations really liked that prank.
So did I learn anything by going viral on TikTok? No.
Did I get the job with the company demanding perfection? Also no. They never even responded to my application. They did watch the video a total of nine times, though.