YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI released their drinks brand Prime Hydration in January 2022. A year later, Paul said the drink produced USD$ 250 million (PS209 million) through the retail market worldwide, most of which came from January 2023.
In the UK, There were purchase waves throughout the nation, with stores constantly selling out of stock. The popularity and lack of Prime caused purchasing restrictions that were imposed by supermarkets, with some selling the drink, which was initially costing PS24.99 per bottle and up to for more than the price of PS1,000.
Why is Prime so well-known? Sure, it can be attributed to the fame of its founders, two of the most prominent YouTube stars on the planet. Between Paul and KSI, Paul and KSI have more than 39 million subscribers to their primary YouTube channels.
As a researcher on social media, with a particular concentration on YouTubers, the drink’s popularity is due to their involvement with their audience. However, their clever usage of Google’s algorithmic networks in which similar video content is linked by YouTube’s algorithm for a recommendation has also played a role.
Prime’s engagement with its audience
“Audience engagement” describes the combination of consumption (such as watching videos) and participation (such as commenting on, liking, or sharing video clips) by YouTube viewers.
Engaging with the audience is essential for YouTubers to be successful and create successful commercial products like Prime. To get their followers to engage, YouTubers employ a variety of methods. The two most important include “interaction” and “self-disclosure.”
Youtubers communicate with their users in various ways, from responding and asking questions to comments from viewers to co-creating tasks like sourcing new ideas for video content.
Shoppers rush to buy Prime, the energy drink.
Paul has created videos to answer viewers’ queries and questions. KSI has also made videos in which he reads and comments on fans’ posts on Reddit with information about the Prime drink.
People who watch YouTubers often experience a sense that they are part of a community. They might also maintain relationships with the creator through YouTube, which was developed to foster the idea of participation in culture through subscribing to their channel, for example.
Self-disclosure is the practice of YouTubers giving their private experiences to viewers. Many in Paul and the KSI videos contain personal information about their families and close friends. Sometimes, the disclosure has drama.
KSI, along with Logan Paul, at a promotional shoot for Prime. Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo
In 2020, KSI shared updates on an ongoing story of a family feud involving his brother, who is also a YouTuber – Deji. Deji posted an unpopular track (a song penned to insult) criticizing KSI after a fan left negative feedback on his channel.
The brother-sister relationship was strained following Deji openly sharing KSI’s banking account information. Disclosure of information can give an impression of authenticity in the eyes of viewers.
In combination, self-disclosure and interaction can result in incredibly parasocial emotions ( one-sided relationships between fans and celebrities), which makes people feel as if they have a personal connection with the YouTubers. This can lead to constant interaction through YouTube.
Thus, whenever KSI and Logan Paul promote the Prime drink, some customers may think that their peers are recommending products.
Collaboration and algorithmic networks collaboration
The algorithmic networks created by collaborations between content creators via YouTube are also essential to generating a loyal fan base. Paul, along with KSI, has worked with other well-known YouTubers.
For instance, Paul invited MrBeast to join the Podcast channel between 2019 and 2022. KSI has worked with a variety of major YouTubers, including PewDiePie. Each of MrBeast and PewDiePie have more than 100 million subscribers on their respective channels.
The research has revealed that the most famous YouTubers dominate YouTube’s algorithms for recommendation. The result is that their videos are more prominent on YouTube and result in more significant amounts of similar material being suggested to viewers. Thus, these collaborations could alter the recommendations algorithm to benefit each of Paul and KSI’s users and viewers of their YouTubers who collaborated.
During the Prime drink launch and the drink launch, other YouTubers like Markiplier (34 million subscribers) were also invited to try drinks in the video. The influence of their videos could have triggered YouTube’s algorithm to suggest Prime-related videos to viewers, increasing the popularity of the glass for YouTube users who aren’t fans of Paul and KSI.
With their strategies for engaging with audiences and intelligent use of YouTube’s algorithmic network, Logan Paul and KSI have provided Prime an excellent chance to achieve commercial success. Combining this strategy with other strategies for marketing, like limiting the number of products to generate demand, has made Prime a well-known brand.