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This isn't going to be our typical Creator Case Study.
For this one we're going to be discussing a creator who went from being a struggling artist to creating on TikTok, to suddenly being #1 on The Apple Music Charts and topping The Billboard Top 100.
Jax has hundreds of millions of views across platforms (with ONE video even coming in with 128M, and tons over 10M-50M).
For this one I'll still be dissecting her signature series, and also the growth drivers and triggers she was able to leverage to go viral and make an impact; but I'm also going to be sharing a bit more of her story as well.
After all, as we know by now, stories are what make things sharable, and Jax's is remarkable.
Jax Breakdown
The story goes all the way back to Jax's childhood, where she started as a theater kid, telling Grammy.com:
"I knew I wanted to be on stage from a very young age, so I grew up with theater. I got a sense very young [about] what an audience would respond to, what kind of comedic timing would work, or what kind of dramatic timing would work."I start here, instead of her struggling to make it in LA as an artist, because Jax's comedic timing and personality, dating back to her theater days, is what proved to be the key to her success.
Throughout all of our Creator Case Studies we see our creators find their unique differentiator, the think that makes them remarkable (everyone has it, even you), and Jax's personality shines through at every turn.
Jax went to LA to write songs for other people are she tried to break through in the industry, but struggled.
She tells Grammy:
"I was told I needed more mystery. It was like, "You need to be cooler in this, you need to be sexier" — I've been told to cut weight my whole life. When I started doing pop music, especially, people were like, "You must look like your pop icons if you want to do these types of songs." I started to lose [my] sense of self. That on top of having to pay rent in L.A., you just get really discouraged. You start to associate your skills and your talent and your self-worth with how much money you make, who you're around, what your cuts are, who you know. And I started to really get secluded. And thank God I did, because that's where my quarantine ended up — I ended up hitting rock bottom and then just saying "F— it" and putting out what I felt was good.And that's when TikTok changed everything.
Which is where we'll start her breakdown below.
Let's get into some quick stats:
- TikTok: 14M Followers
- YouTube: 2.82M Subscribers
- Instagram: 1.2M Followers
- Total Views: Hundreds of Millions
- Billboard Hot 100
- #1 On The Apple Music Charts
I have been a fan of Jax's for quite a while now.
And the reason I love that I'm able to share her story here is because it truly shows the power of signature series and content marketing
The potential is limitless.
Jax's Signature Series
Jax's signature series started out right from her first big hit, when she decided to be herself and post what she thought was good.
That first video: Stacy's Mom, from Stacy's Mom's Perspective.
A remix similar to a Weird Al Yankovic, but with her own unique differentiator: her personality and humor.
Now, whether Jax is a marketing genius, was a Weird Al fan at one point is irrelevant to the fact that what really drove her forward was her allowing her true self to shine through.
Breaking Down Jax's Signature Series?
After her first big hit video, which we'll take a look at in a second, Jax realized she was onto something.
Instead of switching to a completely different video type, she realized the power of what a signature series could be.
Here's what she says about it:
So I spent a minute [thinking], Well, if people were into this, and that's why this first thing went [off], there's a million perspectives of songs that we can POV and parody. The wheels kind of started turning, and then in the bigger scheme of things, I was like, I wonder if they would actually like my music, because this isn't my music. This is just kind of fun."
So let's break down what that first video, and introduction into her signature series looked like so we can see why it worked, and why the series as a whole continued to shine.
Signature Series Deep Dive
While there are a ton of incredibly successful videos to breakdown, and I will discuss a bit more, I want to start by doing a deep dive on the first one that took off so we can see what led to so much more.
Let's break it down:
- Jax gets right into with no hook; the hook is the content.
- She's dressed in a robe, with her hair in a towel (for obvious reasons, if you know the song), and she's singing with a deep accent while playing the song slowed down on the piano.
- Here's how it goes: "Stacy, why is your boyfriend being supah weird. He's been on our lawn, since your father disappeared. He asked me 13 times about your dad's affair. Plus I think he's been stealing my underwear."
You'll have to imagine it in the tune of Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, or you can still go back and check out the clip, but that's it.
But guess what?
Jax found her remarkability.
Here are a few things we can note:
Not only did Jax take advantage of what the platform was pushing by immediately grabbing attention and keeping the video short and shareable, she also used what we call authority and growth drivers to leverage familiarity
If you're new to Creator Case Studies, here's what I'm talking about:
Jax leveraged familiarity and borrowed authority from something we already know, AKA Stacy's Mom.
As we move through her signature series Jax continued to jump right into the songs, instead of attempting to start with a hook (which was smart, considering the song and how she is dressed up IS the hook), and followed the same formula that already worked.
While some people would take that initial success and pivot into other songs or doing something else, Jax kept what worked, kept what she loved doing (writing songs and entertaining), and turned it into a signature series that led to fame.
The theme of doing what you love tends to come through in our Creator Case Studies more and more as I break down these signature series that stand out the most...
Jax's Signature Series Anchor
If you don't have what I call an "anchor" then you may not have a signature series.
A lot of people have templates, pillar content and the same 5 things they know how to say 1000 different ways, but when you have an anchor you can put out the same exact content on repeat while changing one small variable to make the content uniquely captivating each time.
So while this one may be obvious, I like to break it down for people who are new to signature series and may not know what an anchor is.
Jax's anchor is the song that she is remixing.
It's the same exact formula each time, all she has to do it choose a different song that fits her brand.
She doesn't have to go remake the system.
Signature Series Layers And Leveraging Authority
Jax kept her signature series going, and didn't look back, but she did eventually add what we call "layers".
She included her own songs in the mix, showing off her songwriting some more and building her personal brand, and included her boyfriend (now husband), parents, and even the girl she babysits in her videos to continue leading with her incredible personality.
Not only did her personality shine through, but she also came off as extremely transparent, which is something she continues to make a big piece of her brand and message (her top song "Victoria's Secret" was inspired by the girl she babysits after taking her shopping and a bathing suit making her feel fat - the song is empowering girls to be confident in their own skin).
And, jumping back to the girl she babysits, whose name is Chelsea, by the way...Chelsea is featured quite often throughout the videos, including Jax's top video, racking in 128M views on ONE clip.
But there's one more layer I want to discuss, which brings in Jax's superpower personality and personability, while leveraging more familiarity and borrowing even more authority!
What's better than remixing songs to leverage the familiarity and borrow authority, you ask?
How about having celebrities right in the videos with you...?
Jax's Signature Series Layer Borrowing Authority
Once Jax had enough followers on TikTok she stepped it up a notch.
Instead of just remixing songs, she was able to collaborate with people like:
- Shania Twain
- Carrie Underwood
- Andy Grammer
- Derek Hough
- Montana Tucker
And TONS of others, including big creators on TikTok.
So while you may be thinking "well, sure...if I was able to bring on celebrities I would too...", I want to be clear that you SHOULD when you can...but also point out that wasn't all Jax was doing.
Jax knew the power of collaborating and was also doing tons of collabs with other TikTok users with follower counts similar to hers.
Even tons of collaborations with Patrick Renna...AKA the redhead from Sandlot.
How To Replicate Jax's Success
Jax is the biggest creator we have done a Creator Case Study for, and she may be the biggest we ever have (but who knows, it's early).
That said, I really wanted to show how far the power of signature series and digital marketing can go when you dive into following your passions and find your unique differentiator.
While you may not think you can replicate Jax's success, as she is an outlier, we can still learn a lot from her signature series, and what led to her incredible success.
Here are some of the takeaways we discussed, and some bonuses you should think about:
- Borrow Authority
- Transparency Wins
- Leverage Familiarity
- Find YOUR Unique Differentiator
Signature series have allowed Jax to go from struggling artist to being at the top of The Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Apple Music Charts.
All while doing what she loves...
So remember: Build a business you wake up excited about, to live the life you dream about.
