'Fans First': Big Brands Are Borrowing Small Startups' Playbook

For Pepsico-owned soda brand Poppi, the fan comes before the consumer. According to Sofia Sesto, who leads the brand's social, creator, and ambassador function, instead of targeting the broadest possible audience, the company tailors its TikTok and Instagram presence to its most loyal fans. That strategy helped the brand capture a 34% share of the "functional soda" market before Pepsico acquired it for $1.95 billion.

Sesto says Poppi's "fans" act as online advocates for the brand while also serving as a source of social listening and trend-spotting — effectively functioning as an instant focus group. Comments, for instance, have repeatedly prompted limited-time product launches, including last summer's Love Island-flavored special edition.

The same approach is spreading to larger brands like McDonald's. Chief marketing officer Guillaume Huin uses his own X account, with more than 40,000 followers, to solicit customer feedback and get ahead of news about limited-time products — creating the feel of an "inside leak" rather than an official press release. That approach helped Huin get promoted to head of global brand strategy two weeks ago, despite having been an intern at McDonald's France just six years earlier.

This fan-centric approach is gaining traction as the social internet increasingly becomes a channel for entertainment rather than self-expression: according to Ofcom, only 49% of social media users in the UK actively post to Instagram and Facebook, down from 61% in 2025, while a separate survey found 55% of Americans say they post less than they did five years ago.

Still, the strategy carries its own risks. Experts say it requires loosening strict brand-voice guidelines and giving employees more freedom on their personal accounts — which raises the risk that a departing employee could take a sizable audience with them. Even so, experts argue the upside outweighs the downside, and marketers who can adapt to this style may well become the industry's leaders in the near future.