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4th January 2022 - PRIME launches

4 hours later - Entire stock sold out

24 hours later - PRIME valued at $200 million

How in the world did it happen?

You’re about to find out!

Company Overview

Valuation: $200 million (Source)

Revenue: Unknown

Social Presence: 850k

If you spent a lot of time on social media recently, you will have seen PRIME all over your feeds.

For those who haven’t…

PRIME is a hydration drink with the aim to “fuel any lifestyle.”

Here’s how the company describes it:

I know what you’re thinking: “It’s just another sports drink”

You’re not wrong.

The drink is not the competitive advantage…

It’s the faces behind it.

Breaking Down The Strategy

The launch of the company was all about two things:

• Social media

• Two of the biggest influencers on the planet

Some would say it’s a match made in heaven.

Those people would be spot on.

The first sighting of anything to do with the drink was a simple post on both Logan and KSI’s social media.

If you’re not familiar with the two stars, let me give you a quick rundown on their history.

The two both blew up on YouTube in the “vlog era”. KSI from the UK and Logan from the USA.

The pair were seen as the biggest YouTube stars in both countries and were the first to successfully dabble in the YouTube boxing space - the two fought each other twice!

So when the promo dropped with “The Final Chapter” as its headline, everyone thought the two were about to have a third bout.

It generated quite the buzz with both of them almost instantly trending on Twitter.

Said announcement posts racked up 2.6+ million likes on Instagram alone.

From then on the two went ghost building up a huge amount of suspense and really ramping up the rumour mill.

Finally on January 4th Logan jumped on Instagram live to unveil the announcement with KSI joining him in the video.

The live was viewed by over 4.5 million people and the internet exploded.

People rushed to the site to attempt to get their hands on a bottle, whilst others took to Twitter to slander the pair. Both helping KSI, Logan and PRIME get more and more exposure.

4 hours after the Instagram live…

The ENTIRE online stock had sold out.

We’re currently just 3 weeks after launch and things have only gotten crazier.

• PRIME estimated to be worth $200 million

• Stocked in 2200 Kroger stores across the US

• Stocked in 4500 Walmarts across the US

• Launch video was #1 trending on YouTube

Not to mention that people are now selling PRIME on eBay for 5X the retail price.

To say the launch was a success is an understatement.

But when you really break it down, all they did to launch the product was post across their socials.

- 1 post on the pairs socials

- 1 live video

- 1 YouTube video

Technically, this launch campaign may have the biggest ROI ever.

So why did it launch into outer space?

1. The tease

No matter, what the pair were launching the “Final Chapter” teaser post was always going to create real heat online.

So, although it was just a social media post, it was a genius!

The fact there was no other marketing around the launch actually built more “hype” around it, as it allowed the rumour mill to really get going.

The next minute every man, woman and dog became Sherlock Holmes and took to social media to give their take on what was happening with the pair and who would win the alleged final fight.

1. Influence of “Influencers” 

Notice, throughout this article that I have added speech marks around the word influencers. It’s because I honestly no longer see the pair like that, in fact, I believe they are so far from it.

An influencer to me is someone who solely earns money from their social media following and promoting products on their - these two are definitely not that.

These two are arguably becoming some of the most powerful men on the planet.

Now that might sound crazy and yes, they aren’t in charge of any nuclear weapons or anything. But when you see the pull the pair have on consumers, you begin to realise there are not many people on the planet who could do what they do.

This is why you’re seeing huge corporations like Walmart and Kroger’s stock their products. PRIME is not in Walmart because it’s a great hydration drink. It’s there because Walmart understands that no matter what Logan and KSI sell, it sells.

Whether you like them or not, you have to hold your hands and admit it’s impressive.

1. Creator communities 

Another misconception with the pair is how big and how strong their communities are.

When companies release new products they have to create huge marketing campaigns to ensure the product sells.

That’s not the case with Logan and KSI. They have a huge audience that will simply purchase ANYTHING that they sell. We’re talking millions of people who will buy anything solely because it’s connected to one of the pair.

They don’t even need to market to the masses. They have an army of super fans who they can target and generate substantial sales through.

1. Gateway to the world

My favourite thing about this launch?

It was all done on social media - the gateway to the world. The pair have shown again and again and again that social media is so much more powerful than you could ever imagine.

In this case, they showed that you could launch (nearly) a 1/4 billion-dollar company and sell out ALL online stock purely through social media.

The product looks awesome: great packaging, branding - also had some great reviews.

At the end of the day though, the most magnificent thing about the product is the fact it was launched by two YouTubers in their 20’s.

A true embodiment of the crazy things you can do in this digital age of the modern world.

I am here for it!

How To Implement It

There are various things you can do to follow in the footsteps of PRIME.

Here are 3 of them:

1. Social media focused 

58.4% (4.62 billion) of human beings are on social media. If you want to access a large audience, social media is the place to start.

This doesn’t mean your launch has to be solely online, however, it does need to have an online aspect.

Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign is a perfect compromise. The campaign is run across billboards but also has a huge pull on socials with the #shotoniphone accompanying it.

1. Utilise “influencers”

This doesn't mean you need to try and reach out to people as big as KSI and Logan. Instead, aim locally. Who are two really renowned influencers in your area? See if they would be open to working with you on the launch of a new product.

Studies have shown that micro-influencer campaigns are often more persuasive when promoting products. Essentially, because they come across as more authentic than the macro-influencers. (Source)

Finally, you have to realise that the world is changing and so is marketing.

In fact, it’s honestly already changed.

Running launch campaigns has to have an online focus and it can’t be done in solely a traditional fashion.

The digital age isn’t coming.

The digital age is now!

This has been a breakdown of PRIME’s marketing strategy. I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy into your business!

Don’t forget to subscribe to get next week’s breakdown straight to your inbox!

I’ll see you next Sunday!