You may know 24-year-old Jimmy Donaldson – aka MrBeast – as the YouTuber behind such elaborate stunts as a real-life Squid game reenactment and “I buried alive for 50 hours.” His videos on various channels have earned him hundreds of millions of followers and billions of views. But Donaldson has business plans that go beyond social media success, and it turns out his fans play a part in those pursuits, too.
Last year, Donaldson announced the creation of Feastables, a food brand that offers chocolate bars. (One of the newest flavors, “Deez Nuts,” is currently sold out.) The company got off to a strong start, reporting $10 million in sales in its first few months. This month, however, Donaldson noticed a problem: disorganized displays on store shelves. He tweeted two images of the Feastables shelf in a Walmart – before and after it was cleaned up – and said it would make him “really happy” if people did the same thing at their local store, at least until he can “build a team to do this routinely.” According to Twitter statistics, some 35 million people have seen the message.
I need your help! Next time you see Feastables in Walmart (and new retailers soon) if you could clean up the presentation and make it look better it would make me very happy 🥺
I am building a team to do this routinely, just need short term help ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CzYqOqQvta
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) March 3, 2023
The request sparked a fierce debate over whether Donaldson asked for it free labour of his audience, many of whom are children. On the one hand, people were appalled that a millionaire could expect such a thing true to its brand – and started joking about it to bully the displays on purpose (or take extreme measures against those who did). On the other hand, a group of true believers was more than willing to meet Donaldson’s needs. They viewed organizing shelving (or “faced,” as it’s referred to in the retail industry) as an easy favor they could perform while doing their own shopping, and did it without a second thought, almost automatically.
.@MrBeast I caught this guy after his shoulder hit a Feastables display and one of your chocolates fell to the floor. He begs for mercy, but I don’t think he’s really sorry. How should I deal with him sir? pic.twitter.com/ONDhx1xTb1
— Ali (@haramcart) March 5, 2023
Yes, the MrBeast military was quick to embrace the spirit of the mission he laid out for them, sharing photographic evidence of their cleanup efforts. While a theoretical impetus for this was Feastables’ promise of a $5,000 monthly lottery for entrants, many were unaware or indifferent to the potential payday — only wanting to help.
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Quentin, 29, who narrates Rolling stone that he’s only “somewhat” a fan of MrBeast was among those who answered the call, even though he thought it was “a little” weird. “I was on my way to Walmart for groceries anyway,” he says. “I just did it for fun because I’m not getting anything out of it.” Another fan, Justin, 28, says MrBeast is his favorite YouTuber, and “considering all the philanthropic work he does for those around him, he deserves the extra help from not just the people who work for him and his companies, but also from his loyal fans and the community as a whole!” He mentions that he was actually going to fix the Festables display for Donaldson mentioned the group effort on Twitter. “I felt I had to step up,” he says, calling his contribution “a small way for me to help with the work he’s doing there” and an opportunity “to be a part of something that means a lot to me.” greater than myself.”
Logan, 25, another MrBeast supporter who hit the shelves, had never heard of the $5,000 draw until he contacted Rolling stone. “I didn’t enter anything, didn’t know there was one,” he says. “It has always been my life’s purpose to be able to help anyone in any way I can.” He describes MrBeast as “a wonderful human being” and notes that “if I had stuff in stores, I’d hope someone would do the same for me.” Stevie, 23, though he dutifully rearranged a Walmart display in Kentucky, also didn’t enter the competition: “Maybe someone else really needs that money,” he explains. As for Donaldson’s content, “I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan, but I do watch all of his videos when I see them.” When asked if he thought it odd that Donaldson was asking people to straighten out his chocolate bars, Stevie replied, “Not at all. People do what they have to do to keep their product clean, so I respect that.”
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“I worked in the grocery store for over 20 years,” says Frank, 42, whose Feastables video has been viewed nearly 200,000 times, “and while shopping with my wife, I was scrolling through Twitter and saw MrBeast’s post. I thought : wouldn’t it be nice to help out and make a video by doing something so simple it can make you smile.” He too “knew nothing about” the $5,000 lottery.
A fan of MrBeast, Kevin, 28, eventually deleted his shelf-clearing tweet because he felt “bullied” by critics of the endeavor. “I don’t have time to deal with that negativity,” he explains. Already at Walmart, when he saw Donaldson’s post, he took action because “the display was right in front of me, so why not, it doesn’t hurt…took me 30 seconds to do it.” He watches MrBeast because “he gives back to the people, it’s entertaining and his videos are unique.” That said, he shouldn’t do that 30 second job again: “Probably not. Just that one time.”
Rick Devens, 38, a communications director at Middle Georgia State University who starred in Survivor: edge of extinctionthe reality show’s 38th season, also received some backlash for it tweet that he and his son would be clearing out a Feastables display on their next trip to Walmart. “My kid and I just love the channel and love supporting our favorite creators. I didn’t think we would make headlines like capitalist pigs,” he jokes. His son is eight years old, he says, and “YouTube content can be pretty hit and miss. MrBeast seems to set a good example for kids, and I’d rather watch him than anyone else, so we bond with it.
Muaaz, 25, a co-creator, sees MrBeast’s ability to mobilize his followers as proof that creator-led brands will dominate for years to come. tweet that “no typical chocolate brand could get consumers to do this.” He tells Rolling stone that Donaldson’s “community is invested in his success, so if he’s starting a brand that wants to compete with the traditional brands, ideally they would want it to do well!” People are willing to do this “work with little effort,” he speculates, “because of the return they’ve had from viewing his content over the years.”
It’s true that people wouldn’t rush to re-shelf Hershey’s or Snickers bars that were knocked out of place just because the company asked them to. And of course, internet celebrities have always depended on the direct involvement of their fan base for success. However, what we’re seeing, especially with those who have staged shelves without expecting a financial windfall, is how those fans can view a star’s success as their own, even if it’s defined as… selling more chocolate bars. That cynics might see them as a wealthy man’s impressionable henchmen hardly matters, as the sense of purpose and belonging outweighs any outside contempt.
That is, you can scoff at this submissiveness, but Donaldson’s viewers will generally never consider it grunt work. In fact, they are more likely to believe that it is a noble, positive, selfless and necessary job – if he acknowledges them, it’s just a bonus. There is real power in this kind of influence. While Donaldson’s PR reps didn’t respond to questions about how big his proposed formal shelf-maintenance “team” might be, or how it would function in stores with existing staff, he has already hinted that such hires may be unnecessary. He tweets and everything falls into place.
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