One way to describe Prime is the ‘everywhere and nowhere brand.’
That, at least, seems to be the secret of the marketing strategy behind the hydration and energy drink’s rumoured $250 million sales since launch. Its marketing bold, brash, and everywhere visible across social media. But the product distributed on a tightly controlled basis.
According to the BBC, the drink is “the result of a business venture between former boxing rivals Logan Paul and KSI - real name Olajide William Olatunji. The pair - who have over 40 million YouTube followers between them.”
Whilst, as major influencers, Paul and KSI have provided the necessary clicks and clout, Congo Brands have provided the heavy lifting of delivering the product to market.
The Kentucky company are specialists in matching relevant product to the kind of reach at scale successful influencers create. And describe themselves as being “at the epicentre of where consumer demand meets product development.”
Besides the 80 million teenage eyeballs commanded by the two YouTube deities who front it, Prime’s phenomenal success seems to a be a classic case of scarcity marketing.
As The Guardian points out, “Almost immediately, the drink became a rare commodity, and therefore precious. Young people posted YouTube and TikTok videos of their epic quests through convenience stores to find it, sometimes at ridiculously marked-up prices. They charged each other exorbitant sums in playgrounds for open bottles and amassed collections of all nine flavours.”
Less then, in terms of distribution, has directly translated into more, in terms of demand.
Other major social media names like MrBeast and the new wave of TikTok influencers such as Bella Poarch will have taken note of Paul and KSI’s retail mega-launch.
“Their win may form something of a blueprint for other content creators as YouTubers become more professional and look to harness the platform’s algorithm for their commercial success,” suggests Hantian Zhang, senior lecturer in media at Sheffield Hallam University, talking to The Conversation.
Logan Paul once said of himself, “I'm everywhere, baby, I'm everywhere. And I'm nowhere, I'm like a ghost.” The same thing also seems to be true of the marketing strategy for Prime he KSI, and Cargo Brands have created.