How Ridiculous: Perth pranksters convert 24 million fans into serious sales

Perth-based YouTube group How Ridiculous, best known for dropping cars, boats and bowling balls off insane heights, have turned their stunt-driven fandom into serious commercial power, selling 115,000 bottles of their new sugar-free iced tea brand within 30 days.

The creator trio, who have 24 million subscribers, launched Tea Industries with a typically chaotic YouTube stunt: dropping a car and a boat from a crane onto thousands of exercise balls to see if they bounce. The video doubled as a product launch, pushing fans straight into retail.

And it worked. The brand sold out across multiple Australian retailers, moved 20,000 units in the US and entered Amazon’s top 20 most-purchased drinks within days.

How Ridiculous co-founder Brett Stanford said the speed of adoption shows the force of creator-led commerce when audiences are truly engaged.

“We knew our community was excited, but this has been incredible.”

From prying to buying

Nathan Powell, chief product and strategy officer at Fabulate, says creators are finally sitting at the intersection of trust, distribution and frictionless commerce.

“Creators now have the distribution, the trust, and the frictionless paths to purchase all in the one place,” Powell said. “When you’ve spent years building a direct relationship with millions of people who actively choose to watch you, turning that influence into commerce isn’t a leap - it is the natural next step.”

He says the shift isn’t just about creators maturing - it’s also about audiences changing.

“We’re seeing a generation who have grown up buying from people, not from faceless brands. They want products with a story attached, ideally created by someone whose values and personality they already feel connected to.”

The sell-through reflects a broader shift in the creator economy: audiences aren’t just watching creators, they’re buying from them.

According to Stuart Hood, executive director of social and content at Havas Red, the rise of creator-led brands is being driven by both economic conditions and creator maturity.

“The economic climate isn’t getting any easier and creators are looking to diversify their revenue streams as ad revenue or brand partnerships aren’t guaranteed,” he said. “Creating and selling products gives them another earning potential.”

But the real shift, Hood argues, is that creators have earned what FMCG brands spend billions trying to build.

“Creators like How Ridiculous or Elle Effect have built strong, loyal communities over years. That trust translates into purchase intent,” he said. “Instead of just recommending products, they’re leveraging their credibility to launch their own lines, because audiences already see them as authentic and aspirational.”

Lower barriers to entry, from e-commerce infrastructure, fulfilment operators, global logistics platforms and payment rails, have also made the move from influence to commerce easier than ever.

But authenticity isn’t the only advantage. Hood says creator-led brands have agility and speed that traditional FMCG players simply can’t match.

“Being a creator is tough. There is a lot of pressure to maintain entertainment day in day out - that’s what social audiences expect,” he said. “The advantage for creator-led brands comes from authenticity and trust, as they have that direct emotional connection with their audience that FMCG brands can’t replicate. They also have a ready-made audience who actively wants to support them. Creator brands have agility and speed. They can launch, iterate and pivot faster than legacy brands tied to process and red tape.”

That doesn’t mean FMCG powerhouses are suddenly on the back foot.

“Let’s not be fooled into thinking FMCG brands don’t have incredible brand power,” Hood said. “They have distribution power in the shape of shelf space, global logistics and retail partners. They’ve also got large capital feeding into research and development at scale, and brand love built over decades.”

CMOs can’t sit this one out

Hood believes CMOs should now treat creators as far more than campaign amplifiers. Heading into 2026, he says creators should be at the top of earned strategy planning.

“Creators are scaled distribution channels with built-in audiences and trust,” he said. “They provide cultural relevance and speed that even the most nimble brands struggle to match.”

Hood adds that the smartest brands will view creators as long-term partners, not one-off tactics.

“Your creator strategy should look to help shape brand love as much as it can help drive sales,” he said. “The agility that creators have - to set trends and grow earned cut-through - is much stronger than what a brand can do even with large budgets.”

Powell takes it even further, arguing creators are now embedded across the entire marketing value chain.

“Creators are now part of the marketing supply chain,” he said. “They are media channels, creative partners, production studios, customer research units, cultural translators - and in many cases direct competitors for attention and wallet share.”

He says the smartest CMOs in the year ahead will be those who embrace long-term collaboration.

“In 2026, the smartest CMOs will treat creators as long-term partners, not interchangeable ad units. They’ll co-create, test ideas together, build recurring formats and share creative risk. And they’ll understand that creators aren’t a threat to brand building - they’re a new form of it.

“The brands that embrace that mindset will win. The ones that try to hold creators at arm’s length will spend the next five years trying to catch up.”

The drinks are now rolling out across IGA and convenience channels in Australia, with Amazon and Walmart handling US distribution. Restocks are already underway.