With a catchphrase like “Ship my Pants,” it’s easy to see why the spot, from agency Draftfcb Chicago, quickly went viral. What’s more interesting is the strategy behind the launch.

Racine native Sean Burns, shown in the foreground here, was the co-creator of Kmart's wildly popular video ad called "Ship My Pants." The ad, introduced on YouTube in early April 2013, already had ...