by by Cassia Williams
Left to Right: Phoebe’s initial TikTok, Anthropologie storefront, an in-store Anthropologie rock. Source: @phoebeadams112 on TikTok.
On September 14th, Phoebe Adams posted a video to her TikTok. The video wasn’t that different from her usual posts; it was a prank on her boyfriend, Dan, titled “Showing my bf new home decor except it’s just a rock from outside.” In the video, Phoebe films herself opening a box. Her boyfriend, Dan, stands next to her with a bag of chips. “What did you get?” he asks. “A rock from Anthropologie for our entryway table!” Phoebe replies excitedly. Dan watches in confusion as Phoebe unwraps a flat, gray rock and picks it up in admiration. “Oh my god, it’s perfect!” she exclaims. Dan, flustered, stammers out a string of “wait, how much was—wait, you bought this?” “What do you mean I bought this? It’s the cutest rock ever!” says Phoebe. “It’s a one-of-a-kind rock that they found in the ground.” “Because that’s where rocks come from!” Dan replies, clearly agitated. Phoebe reveals that she bought the rock, on sale, for $150, which only makes Dan more exasperated. She then walks them over to their entryway table, where she places down the rock, making exclamations about how cute it looks there and how perfect it is for their space. The video ends with Dan’s confused yell, “It just looks like a rock!”
Phoebe’s video quickly went viral. At the time of this post, it has 12.4 million views and 1.6 million likes. Anthropologie was quick to see it, commenting, “There’s no rock like an Anthropologie rock.” Other commenters recommended ways to further the prank: “Now you need a friend to walk in and go, ‘OMG, is this the Anthropologie rock?!’” Others commented on how believable the prank was, pointing out that Phoebe specifying Anthropologie made it convincing. At this point, Anthropologie decided to get in on the prank with Phoebe and set up a table in her local store with rocks. Phoebe’s next video featured her and Dan going into Anthropologie and seeing the rock table, complete with regular rocks, bottled rocks, and a 50% off sign. Each rock was complete with an expensive Anthropologie price tag. They furthered the prank by having a sales associate come to talk to Phoebe and Dan about the rocks: “They’re extremely popular; we can’t keep them in stock!” she notes. The video ends with them checking out and buying another Anthropologie rock.
Anthropologies In-Store Rock Collection, Source: @anthropologie on TikTok
Obviously, the Anthropologie rocks are not a real product and you cannot actually buy them, but it has become a media storm for Anthropologie, with many people making unboxing or gifting videos of the Anthropologie rock to prank people. Anthropologie has masterfully taken this prank on, playing into it in full by creating content for their TikTok and Instagram and even making a website, anthropologierocks.com, with rocks for sale and three rock subscription tiers. By playing into the prank and using social media to their advantage, Anthropologie has become a positively talked-about brand and has drawn in more shoppers hoping to catch a glance or continue playing out the story of the Anthropologie rock.
Sources: Phoebe’s TikTok (@phoebeadams112), Anthropologie’s TikTok (@anthropologie), https://anthropologierocks.com/
Written by Cassia Williams
Hey, great post!
I really like how you hooked my attention, and I think Anthropologie did a great job at taking a funny gag and using it to build rapport with their customers. Usually, these things can end up feeling like the company tried too hard, but this one hits the mark. I think part of that is the company actually worked with Phoebe to include her on the follow-up, so it feels pretty genuine!
Hi Cassia!
I think this trend is so funny, I see it all over my fyp! You did a great job of uncovering this trend. So cool how Anthropology also went ahead and played into this viral online trend. Overall, super great job on your blog post!
Hi Cassia!
This post was so funny and interesting! I love how Anthropologie turned a simple prank into a creative marketing moment that made people actually want to join in. It shows how powerful social media can be when brands don’t take themselves too seriously.
Hi Cassia!
I loved your post, and I think this trend was absolutely hilarious! I love how Anthropologie handled it. They could have ignored or gotten upset about the prank, but instead they embraced it and turned it into a fun campaign. It’s such a great reflection of Anthropologie’s brand, showing their playful, creative, and whimsical personality that connects so well with their audience.
Hi! I thought this trend was so funny. I loved seeing everyones reaction to the “price” of a rock. I am glad that Anthropologie didn’t take it seriously either and made them look better as a brand aswell!