Lessons Big Brands Can Teach Us About Going Viral

How Ryan Reynolds, The Rock, Reese Witherspoon, and MrBeast are Building the Future of Mega-Brands Once upon a time, massive corporations dictated the rules of marketing. Now? Creators are running the game. The biggest media brands of the next decade won’t be faceless corporations or billion-dollar ad campaigns. They’ll be people. Ryan Reynolds, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), and Reese Witherspoon have built empires on their personalities. But the real game-changer? MrBeast—a non-celebrity who has built a business empire purely from content. Let’s break down why this model is the future. Case Study #1: Ryan Reynolds – The King of Monetized Attention From Actor to Business Mogul Ryan Reynolds figured out somethin g that Coca-Cola still hasn’t: People follow people, not brands. So what did he do? He built a media ecosystem around himself and tied it into his business empire. 🔥 What He Owns & Runs: Aviation Gin → Sold to Diageo for $600M+ Mint Mobile → Sold to T-Mobile for $1.35B Maximum Effort (Marketing Agency) → Genius storytelling powerhouse Wrexham AFC (Co-owner) → Turned a failing soccer team into a global brand Deadpool & Hollywood → His acting career fuels his business machine 💡 How it Works: Ryan creates viral content → ties it to his companies → turns engagement into cash. Example: His Aviation Gin ad mocked the disastrous Peloton commercial. The result? Millions of dollars in earned media for free. He’s built a machine where hi s personality markets his companies. Case Study #2: The Rock – A One-Man Global Enterprise Dwayne Johnson isn’t just a movie star. He’s a billion-dollar brand. 🔥 What He Owns & Runs: Seven Bucks Productions → His media company behind "Jumanji," "Hobbs & Shaw," and more Zoa Energy → His energy drink, now competing with Monster & Red Bull Teremana Tequila → The fastest-growing tequila brand, valued at $3B+ Under Armour "Project Rock" → A full fitness apparel empire 💡 How it Works: Every movie, every workout, every Instagram post is part of a larger sales funnel. Example: When he promotes a workout, he’s not just motivating—he’s pushing Zoa Energy & Under Armour. Everything ties into his personal brand. He’s a walking Super Bowl ad that never turns off. Case Study #3: Reese Witherspoon – The Media Queen Built an empire by betting on storytelling. 🔥 What She Owns & Runs: Hello Sunshine (Media Company) → Sold for $900M Reese’s Book Club → Turns books into blockbusters (like "Big Little Lies") Draper James → A clothing & lifestyle brand fueled by her personality 💡 How it Works: She controls the content pipeline from book recommendations → Hollywood deals → streaming hits. Example: She recommended "Big Little Lies" in her book club, produced the TV show, starred in it, and made millions. She’s vertically integrated content & commerce. Now, Enter MrBeast – The First Non-Celebrity to Do the Same Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) started with zero fame, zero Hollywood connections. Now? He’s outpacing every major celebrity brand. 🔥 What He Owns & Runs: MrBeast YouTube → The biggest channel on the planet Feastables → A candy company doing $100M+ in revenue Beast Burger → A restaurant brand with thousands of locations Beast Philanthropy → A charity arm that gets insane engagement 💡 How it Works: U ses YouTube as the distribution channel Monetizes attention through merch, brands, and businesses Sells physical products at insane scale Example: One video giving away an island → Gets 100M+ views → Sells millions in Feastables & Beast Burger. His model is 100% creator-first, not reliant on Hollywood, TV, or traditional media. Why This is the Future Every major company will either become a media company or partner with creators who already own attention. Here’s why creator-led brands are winning: ✅ They Own Distribution: No middleman. Direct audience access. ✅ They Monetize Faster: No need for paid ads when content sells the product. ✅ They Are Story-Driven: People trust faces, not faceless corporations. ✅ They Scale with Content: Every post is a potential billion-dollar business funnel. What’s Next? This is just the beginning. The next generation of billion-dollar companies will be built by creators, not corporations. Companies like Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola? They've been partnering with creators and celebs for ever (Think Michael Jordna and the Jordan brand). 🚀 The Playbook for the Future: Start by owning an audience. Monetize with products that fit that audience. Scale with content, storytelling, and distribution. The era of corporate-first brands is ending. The age of creator-first brands is here. Welcome to the future.

How a Small Brand Outplayed a $100M Giant A few years ago, I consulted for a brand spending $1.5M a month on paid ads. Their CFO was thrilled with the revenue numbers. Their marketing team was stressed about rising CAC. Their retention rate? Embarrassingly low. Meanwhile, a tiny competitor—operating on a shoestring budget —was winning. They weren’t running massive retargeting campaigns. They weren’t burning through email lists with constant discount blasts. Instead, they were obsessed with organic social. They built a community. They showed up every day. They made people feel like they were part of something bigger than a transaction. Fast forward a year: The big brand kept bleeding money to maintain sales. The small brand built a retention machine that outperformed paid media. 💡 The takeaway? Retention isn’t about how much you spend. It’s about how much people care. And organic social builds trust better than email ever could. Let’s break it down. 👇 Email vs. Organic Social: The Math of Retention Everyone says: "Email is king for retention. You OWN your audience." I disagree. Email is one-time communication. Organic social is daily relationship-building. Here’s how the numbers stack up. Scenario: A brand with 100,000 past customers & subscribers 🚀 Email & SMS Approach : 30% open rate = 30,000 people see it 2% click rate = 600 people click 5% conversion = 30 orders per email Even if you send 8 emails per month , that’s 240 total orders. 🔥 Organic Social Approach : 50K+ reach per post (past, current & future customers) 2% engagement = 1,000 interactions 5% conversion = 50 orders per post Posting 5x per week ? 1,000 orders per month. That’s 4X what email does. The best part? Your content is ALSO engaging future customers—not just past ones. 3 Brands Winning with Organic Social Retention Instead of just blasting emails, these brands turned organic into their biggest growth lever. 1️⃣ Mid-Day Squares – The $10M Chocolate Empire 🍫 They don’t just sell protein bars. They built a reality show. Started with zero ad spend —just raw, unfiltered behind-the-scenes content. Shared co-founder fights, supply chain disasters, big wins —like a reality show for their brand. Went viral when a cease & desist letter from Hershey’s turned into their most viewed post ever. Now? $10M+ in annual revenue, 80% retention rate. And their TikTok is basically a community of superfans. 2️⃣ DEUX – The Cookie Dough Brand That Prints Money on Instagram 🍪 Instead of blasting discounts via email, DEUX turned Instagram into a 24/7 loyalty machine. They crowdsource new flavors directly from their followers. They treat every post like a conversation, not a sales pitch —making fans feel involved. They’ve mastered drops & scarcity marketing , turning each launch into a viral moment. Their reward? A superfan community that buys instantly when a new flavor drops. No need for an expensive email strategy— they just drop a post, and it sells out. 3️⃣ Chamberlain Coffee – The $20M Creator-Led Brand ☕ Emma Chamberlain could’ve just dropped a basic coffee brand. Instead, she turned content into commerce. No paid ads. Just Emma’s YouTube, TikTok & IG pushing organic engagement. Every coffee drop is a “cultural moment” —with UGC + viral social challenges. Built a loyalty loop : Limited edition flavors, influencer collabs, exclusive merch drops. Now? $20M+ in annual revenue —and customers who feel like they’re part of the brand. The Real Advantage: Trust & Visibility Here’s what organic social does that email never can: ✅ It builds trust. Customers see your brand daily , not just when you email them. ✅ It engages cold, warm, and hot audiences. Email is only past customers —social lets you engage everyone. ✅ It scales without ad spend. The more valuable your content, the more free reach you get. The Playbook: How to Turn Social Into a Retention Machine 1️⃣ Show Up Daily – If you’re not posting, you’re forgettable. 2️⃣ Create More Than You Sell – 80% of content should entertain, inspire, or educate. 3️⃣ Build Community – Make your audience feel involved, not just targeted. 4️⃣ Make It a Habit – The best brands make customers feel like they’re missing out if they’re not engaged. Final Thought: It’s Not Email vs. Social—It’s Both Email isn’t dead. But if you’re only relying on it for retention, you’re playing the game on easy mode. The brands that win in 2025? They’ll be obsessed with organic. What’s your best retention strategy ? Drop it below. 👇