The VIRAL PRODUCT Gameshow

Today we're going to play a game called Pop or Flop, where you guess what viral products took off and made millions and what products absolutely face planted like your drunk Florida uncle at an open bar wedding. Let's start with an example that is unfolding right now, prebiotic soda. Pop or flop? See, a few years ago prebiotics were only found in digestive health supplements. Then something changed. Prebiotics blew up. Prebiotic gummies, powder, soda, deodorant, toothpaste. Prebiotic sodas are now stocked on every shelf and Pepsi even acquired the company Poppi. >> This soda brand went from a farmers market to a $2 billion Pepsico acquisition. >> At the same time, the competitor Olipop hit a $1.85 billion valuation, making more than $400 million per year. Coca-Cola then launched their own line. Everything was looking up for this new healthy prebiotic soda craze and then >> Poppi's got problems and it is not just their pending lawsuit. Well, it turns out that they might be lying and now they could be on the hook for millions of dollars. >> Poppi drinks only contain 2 g of fiber from inulin, which isn't sufficient to provide any of the health benefits for your gut. >> And this is where we see trends flop. Because behind loads of explosive and viral trends are lies. Sometimes those lies are small, but sometimes those lies are huge. If you learn how to spot those lies, you can predict which trends pop off with crazy accuracy and which ones are set to flop. So, welcome to the first episode of Pop or Flop. First up, let's talk about a sexy little product called aphrodisiac chocolate. I'll explain what it is and then you tell me if you think it's going to pop or flop. >> You do not want to eat this chocolate alone. These chocolates are meant to be shared with a partner. This chocolate will have you doing a lot of this and that's not something you want to be doing by yourself now, is it? >> See, it's a type of chocolate believed to enhance sexual desire with ingredients like maca, chilies, cinnamon, which are known for having stimulating effects on the circulatory system and vitality. So, the answer is a big, fat, flop. If you look at the 5-year graph alone, you might think it's actually doing okay, but then you look at that monthly revenue, that's just sad. Then, look at the reviews. And, uh-oh. Truth is, they're just a lie. Largely built around TikTok marketing campaigns and the placebo effect. The real lesson here is do your research and look at the science. But, just as importantly, look through the reviews. If you don't have a tool like Exploding Topics, then you can go to Amazon and specifically filter for three-star reviews. Usually, these are unbiased. So, if there's something wrong with the product, you're going to find an honest opinion in that category. Next up, look at these. >> Everybody's talking about these Nike Alphafly 3s right now, and honestly, for the right runner, these can feel insanely fast and springy. But, as a foot and ankle surgeon, I can also see these becoming a huge problem real fast for the wrong foot type. >> These are carbon-plated running shoes. Supposedly, they improve running performance with this carbon fiber plate in the midsole. That increased stiffness and energy return thereby gives you running efficiency and speed. And, the big reveal? They're a big, old pop. Runners across platforms like Reddit all agree they actually do make you faster. Not to mention that massive search growth, over a quarter of a million dollars per month in sales and glowing reviews. It's a great example of a solid idea that was executed well, then adapted by bigger brands like Nike. We actually found this one back in December of 2024, way before they actually took off. So, if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe because I'm bubbling up these trends way before they hit the mainstream. If you've already been following this channel for a while, then you know the answer to this next one. This is the smart posture corrector. It's designed to improve your posture by giving you feedback and reminders to go back to an upright position. So, what do you think? I'll give you a hint. Remember when I said to always have proven research? Well, that research shows that this strategy doesn't actually fix your posture. More specifically, people had no change in pain, fatigue, or activity in the muscles. Sure, it might show you how your posture is supposed to be, but actually fixing that problem means strengthening the muscles that are actually responsible for keeping your body upright. And here's the cool thing. When a product like this is fugazi, it does not take long for everybody to catch on. Just look at how it climbs, it climbs, and then it drops. And all you have to do is look at the reviews. Just terrible. To verify if it worked or not was easy. People just had to ask medical professionals if they worked or not, and that was the end. The lesson here, any products that you see, even if they're already going viral, that promise some shortcut for physical therapy or health, is usually going to be BS. All right, check these out and tell me what you think. These are patches designed to support metabolic processes like fat burning, energy production, and appetite control through transdermal delivery systems. They do that with ingredients like caffeine, green tea extract, L-carnitine that are absorbed through the skin. If you chose pop, you would be wrong. You can see from the graph here how people discovered it, they got really excited, and then you can see the exact moment that everybody realized these were BS. And then the reviews started rolling in. You can see they have a terrible score here. And of course, it did not take long before people took to Reddit to express all their frustrations. Sometimes finding an answer is literally as simple as conducting a Google search. So, the super complex and intricate lesson here, just Google it before you sell it. Next up, we got a jar of gummies that promises to improve your circulation and improve your overall heart health. So, what actually are nitric oxide gummies? These gummies have ingredients like L-arginine, L-citrulline, and organic beets along with vitamins, antioxidants, and the goal with these ingredients is to improve circulation, support heart health, and boost energy levels. So, what's the verdict here? They are a resounding pop. So, why do these have massive growth, raking over 230 grand per month, and have glowing reviews? Because they actually work, and people know. So, yes, the concept is proven. These actually do give you the benefits they claim to, but you should always research the brands because two brands selling the same supplement might have varying levels of that ingredient in the supplement. And if those levels are too low, it doesn't give you the actual effects that you're paying for. So, the lesson here is that even if you find a product that's going viral, it's proven to work, there are still going to be a lot of snake oil salesmen trying to sell you a version that doesn't work. Conduct heavy brand research and look at ingredient lists. >> Using this hair dryer, I've been able to dry my hair in about 5 minutes. The air flow on this is really powerful. >> Next up, we've got the high-speed hair dryer, and this one could go either way. Basically, they got more powerful motors, often with this digital or brushless technology. Usually, they've got heat control sensors to prevent hair damage and ionization to reduce frizz. I mean, hair dryers have already been such a huge industry for so long. So, what are the odds that this high-speed version is suddenly popping off and actually set to continue growing into 2027? Pretty good because these are a pop. These are absolutely taking off. Over 360 grand per month with absolutely massive search growth and thousands of glowing reviews. So, how did this happen? Several technologies like brushless motors and ionic air flow were once only limited to premium products, but now they're more affordable and more widely available than ever before. And the great thing about products like this is that you have a pretty immediate understanding of whether or not they work. It's not like a supplement where you have to wait weeks or months to understand if you're actually getting any benefits, and even then, it's hard to tell. All you have to do is watch a video of somebody drying their hair, and you can see from their reaction if it works or not. So, keep that in mind. If all the other trend signals are positive, if it's a product that's very easy to prove its efficacy, that's a winner. It's a quick one, but I want to know, did you like this game? If you do, you got to let me know in the comments, because if you don't, I'm going to assume you hate it and I'll never make more. In all seriousness though, if you did make it to the end, I do want to say thank you for supporting my channel and supporting the work that I'm doing. If you want any products in a specific niche that you want to see blowing up soon, just drop that niche in the comments and I can give you a trending product totally free. Stay tuned for the next episode.