Companies have become accustomed to using social media influencers to market their products, specifically drinks. For the past 140 years, brands have used celebrities to promote their products, starting in the late 1800s with a famous actress endorsing Pearl Soap. Throughout the 20th century, products like Coca Cola, cigarettes, and the famous Air Jordan shoes were all endorsed by celebrities. Given the rise of social media over the past 20 years, companies have been experimenting with new marketing strategies. Well known brands now have prominent social media accounts and market through creators on social media.
Many companies market heavily through influencers. For example, on Tik Tok, Bang Energy and Bloom Nutrition utilize creators with large followings to promote their brands. Bloom Nutrition has over 130 million views under the hashtag #bloomnutrition on Tik Tok, and Bang Energy has more than 18.4 billion views. Additional companies market directly through social media accounts. Duolingo and Chipotle are two notable examples, and both have several million followers on TikTok and a few viral videos. The brands are known to partner with prominent creators, but primarily promote their companies through their own accounts.
TikTok star Charli D’amelio coined the Charli Drink at Dunkin Doughnuts in 2020 and created a huge rise in popularity for Dunkin. The release of the Charli Drink triggered a 57% spike in app downloads. A few years ago, David Dobrik, a famous Youtuber, partnered with Chipotle to create a loyalty program with a chance of winning $10,000. Campaigns like this have become common online and successfully promote the companies and their products.
Now, influencers have been releasing their own brands of drinks. Josh Richards and Bryce Hall, both TikTok stars, released ANI Energy in 2020. While it wasn’t incredibly successful, making under $100k with the last deal, it demonstrates a shift in online presence.
Previously, product placement on social media platforms was mainly through outside companies as a form of marketing. Now, more and more social media personalities are starting their own brands.
Internet celebrities Logan Paul and KSI recently launched Prime Hydration, which has been incredibly successful. At the moment, all flavors of the drink are sold out on their website and Prime is only available at select health stores nationwide. After its release in January, Prime is already the 6th largest sports drink brand in the US. At $29.99 per 12-pack Prime has sold over 110 million drinks and generated almost $200 million in revenue.
Another internet celebrity who has built a brand is Emma Chamberlain. She has a large following on Youtube and many other social media platforms and rose to fame in the last 5 years. Emma now has a very successful podcast, Anything Goes, and her own coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee. She sells matcha, chai, coffee, and a variety of cups and tote bags. Founded in 2020, Chamberlain Coffee has been extremely successful, bringing in more than $7 million in revenue. Emma built her brand and personality on social media platforms and now has deals with brands like Louis Vuitton and a net worth of over $90 million.
While social media has, and always will be, a creative space for everyone, influencers have begun to blur the line between trend setting and marketing. This has effectively transitioned social media platforms into a marketplace. Influencers working with brands as a form of income has become the norm. However, it has also become increasingly common for creators to enhance their income by promoting their own brands. A shift is evident in social media personalities making money through their own products instead of brand deals or acting as a company’s ambassador.