GoPro

Nick Woodman broke his wrist trying to film himself surfing. He couldn't capture the moment from his own perspective. No camera was small enough, tough enough, or cheap enough. So in two thousand two he borrowed money from his parents, built a prototype strap-on camera, and shipped devices to action sports athletes. He had no money for traditional marketing. But he didn't need it. The cameras were so easy to use that customers filmed themselves skydiving, snowboarding, surfing, climbing mountains and uploaded to YouTube. Millions watched. Those videos were free advertisements for GoPro, showcasing the camera's durability and field of view to the audience most likely to buy.