Inside Ninja’s creator-led video strategy

This is a common practice for the brand. Even before Ninja finishes the development of its kitchen appliances, influencers and content creators are already testing out the product.

Ninja CMO Kaitlyn Hebert said that’s because the company wants to ensure its new products are ready for video-centric storytelling.

“We’ll go back to engineering and design to say, ‘Hey, look at this video we just prototyped. Our message in our campaigns all about accessibility and approachability, but the product doesn’t look like that. How do we work together to make the right design improvements?'” she said. “We just need to do it early enough so they can actually make the changes. So it’s a big tool for us.”

In a moment when brands are increasingly competing for attention from social media scrollers, Ninja, part of SharkNinja, is bringing a deeply strategic approach to its video content. Some of the company’s biggest marketing priorities this year include continuing to push content on Instagram and TikTok and tapping into audiences on YouTube and Pinterest.

From a consumer standpoint, the more succinct a brand can be in telling its story, the better. The 2025 Sprout Social Index found 42% of consumers want to see short-form videos of 15 seconds or less, and 3% are looking for videos of 15-30 seconds. And even if the future of TikTok remains cloudy, video is still dominating how brands are reaching their customers, with Wyzowl finding that 89% of companies use video in their marketing this year.

Phil Masiello, a marketing and branding consultant and founder of CrunchGrowth Revenue Acceleration Agency, said video content is a key way for brands to drive spending, primarily because they can show the value a customer gets from the product. “You’re boiling it down to 45 seconds or a minute — or, in some cases, two minutes, if you can get away with it,” he said. “But what you’re doing is you’re demonstrating the product and giving it to the product in a fun, vibrant way.”

Ninja’s content, he said, succeeds in part because it’s so simple. “You have to be smart about what your product is, who you’re talking to and how you’re going to get that point across,” he said.

But simple doesn’t equate to cheap. Overall, SharkNinja spent about $585.3 million on advertising in 2024, equivalent to 10.6% of its net sales, per an SEC filing. That’s up from $409.2 million in 2023 and $270.8 million in 2022. SharkNinja wouldn’t confirm to Modern Retail its projected 2025 spend but shared with AdWeek that it’s in the neighborhood of $700 million.

A compelling video strategy also takes time and experience to cultivate. Ninja, a 31-year-old company, got its start showing products in infomercials, and it still deploys long-form content on television and online. Lately, the sweet spot has been in 15- and 30-second short-form commercials. From a campaign perspective, Ninja may be working on videos for its next launch six to nine months in advance.

One big hit from last year was the Ninja Slushi launch that tapped into a wide network of creators to showcase making up their own flavors. It also launched on July 11, a nostalgia play to tap into memories of getting slushies at 7-11.

From there, Ninja coined the term “slushie scientists,” and creators showed off unique flavor combinations and recipes. One Mountain Dew slushie yielded nearly a million views, while dozens of Slushi owners showed off how to create an imitation of a Wendy’s Frosty. Some recipes tied into other trending topics — like when Dua Lipa revealed she enjoys drinking pickle juice and diet soda, Ninja took that momentum and ran with it. “We actually started to feed this idea of slushie scientists, giving them a brief to say, ‘Go figure out how to translate some wow recipes for people, and give them tips on what you need for sugar and alcohol and fat to make the best slushie possible,” Hebert said. 

Hebert said Ninja is still getting tagged regularly with new recipes from creators and Ninja users. “There’s a lot of pride people have when they’re experimenting,” she said.

Beyond big launch moments, Ninja also uses social video to revive interest in items that may have seen sales flatline or decline.  Hebert said that includes product seeding and working with affiliates, aiming for user-generated content that can start more conversations.

On the more produced side, Ninja can lean on big names to help fuel engagement. Last fall, it contracted with David Beckham to be its global brand ambassador, which has led to multiple product-centric commercials and a “Beckham-approved” landing page. One recent social spot for the Ninja Crispi air fryer shows Beckham watching a match on TV and cooking up chicken wings during the halftime break.

“A big job for us is to continue to use our media to communicate the innovation and value, not just like, ‘Why Ninja?’ The how behind the products is so critical,” she said.

Other videos focus on unboxing, setup and product demonstration. But some of the biggest hits are the ones made by creators. One from cooking influencer Mandi Conley demonstrates how to use the NinjaSwirl to make a soft-serve cone with a sprinkle-filled center. It racked up more than 400,000 in one week. Like many other videos, it doesn’t show the creator’s face or have much narrative; rather, it’s a tight shot on the product itself.

“Our secret sauce is being consumer-centric and being amazing storytellers — getting those [creators] here to help us, then figuring out how that comes to life across different channels and in different creative,” Herbert said.