Not only are Sidemen taking over social media, the YouTube group – which have amassed more than 240m followers – are also taking over supermarket shelves.
First came alcohol brand Vodka XIX, then last month Cereal brand Best was launched, swiftly followed up by Side Strips, a meat snacking range that made its debut in 3,000 Tesco and 1,000 One Stop shops this month.
We catch up with Sidemen brand manager Jordan Schwarzenberger to find out how the launches have performed, who are its biggest grocery rivals, and what it has planned next in the grocery world.
Stepping into the world of consumer goods
Most people under 30 have heard of the Sidemen, or so Schwarzenberger says. But for those of us not as well versed in social media culture, Sidemen are a group comprised of social media influencers, KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S, who shot to fame on YouTube where they then formed a collective that produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game commentaries.
Sidemen brand manager Jordan Schwarzenberger
However, with a growing portfolio of grocery lines, it is clear the group has moved from mere internet personalities into a powerful brand.
Schwarzenberger says: “The boys have spent a decade creating an incredible relationship with their audience around the world. So for us, it’s a case of how do you provide access to fans around the world and more importantly, find value in various different ways?
“I think what the Sidemen and YouTubers represent is disruption. So, why can’t we take that spirit of disruption and bring it to the world of consumer goods?”
Sidemen fans have certainly embraced the move into the supermarket. Schwarzenberger says its cereal, Best, sold 100,000 units in under two weeks, which led to Tesco immediately offering to stock it permanently.
Vodka XIX had similar successful results, with pub chain Wetherspoons looking to roll out new flavours after the successful launch of its Mixed Berry XIX and Tropical Ice varieties across its pubs.
But there have been learnings along the way as the Sidemen adapt to consumer demand.
For example, Schwarzenberger explains that they found Vodka XIX’s target Gen Z audience less inclined to buy the 70cl bottle as the cost-of-living crisis puts a strain on their budgets.
“We’ve definitely learned the challenges around premium and expense. Vodka XIX 70 cl has been performing well among the distribution interfaces, like Wetherspoons, and we’re super happy about that. But its price point in this climate is more difficult”.
Quick to make the products more accessible, the Sidemen launched £3 cans, the “mode of choice for a younger generation who don’t have money to spend on more expensive alcohol”, he Schwarzenberger, pointing out these have performed well in comparison to the 70cl bottle.
Disrupting a ‘stale’ market
The Sidemen’s mission has been to disrupt the “stale” market in consumer goods, says Schwarzenberger.
“The market has always been dominated by a select few groups who have not needed to innovate because they’ve just dominated for so long. That’s what I what I love about this, and that’s what YouTubers represent.
“[Sidemen] have really shaken up traditional media and diverted eyeballs from traditional players who’ve been basically complacent for generations.”
Now, Sidemen are looking to do the same in the world of consumer goods.
Take Best, the non-HFSS (High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt) cereal launched only last month. The line, which was developed by Mornflake, is available in both Choco Crunch and Caramel Gold flavours and is marketed to a target audience of 10 to 14 year olds.
Sidemen have set their eyes upon challenging Kellogg’s owned milk chocolate-flavoured cereal Krave.
Our goal is to basically beat Krave
“Krave is the 10th highest-selling cereal in the UK” Schwarzenberger says.
“Our goal is to basically beat Krave. It’s a similar shape and type of product – if we can overtake Krave in our first year, that’d be amazing considering they’ve been doing what they’ve been doing for a very long time.”
However, Sidemen believes it could take on the cereal market at large.
Schwarzenberger explains the brand’s healthier recipe, its taste profile, and its cheaper price point of £2.00 RRP per 375g pack will see Sidemen take on many established players in the cereal sector.
“That’s why we call it the Best, because it is just the best of all of those things: health, taste and price.”
“The UK is dominated by Weetabix. It is currently number one, and I believe that Shredded Wheat is number two. So, the UK likes its steady, solid, slightly boring cereals,” says Schwarzenberger.
“These [traditional cereals] are great, but given that we have the same sugar content as Cheerios and are more healthy than Cheerios, we’d like to be competing against a product that people consider to be a healthier line.”
Schwarzenberger has big plans for Best.
“We want to make this a global brand and enter new verticals. For example, we’re looking at potential bars and other categories within the breakfast space.”
But, its expansion ambitions go further than Best as it sees the potential to grow via further brands and in more categories.
Frozen foods is next on its list. Schwarzenberger says it is set to roll out a new frozen Sides range, which will make its debut in Iceland. Sides is a spin-off from its fried chicken restaurant of the same name, which also celebrates side dishes.
The frozen range launch comes amid a rollout of the restaurants, which currently has six locations. Schwarzenberger reveals the Sidemen has “inked a deal on Sides with our master franchisee in the UK to open 100 stores over 5 years, and we believe this is achievable”.
No marketing ‘corporate red tape’
Disrupting the market doesn’t stop at the product itself but how it approaches advertising.
For its latest Best campaign The Sidemen recruited darts player Luke Littler, who recently shot to fame after becoming the youngest darts player to reach the PDC World Darts Championship final.
The advert’s launch promo got 4.5m views alone, and quickly went viral.“These are crazy numbers, which most brands would pay a lot of money for, which The Sidemen can do organically.”
Schwarzenberger says the ad’s success was due to a “perfect cross over of bringing someone who is an online sensation but also being talked about by an older audience”.
He explains that Sidemen take a different approach to marketing than existing brand giants as, unsurprisingly, social media is at the heart of its strategy.
“A lot of brands get stuck in how they do things, by virtue of the fact they’ve existed for so long. They do things the same way. None of them lever social very effectively. Very few of them have big social profiles.
“I think often they’re confined to the corporate red tape around what they can and can’t say, how much fun they can have and how edgy they can be. They have the same media agencies, the same creative agencies.
“Not to in any way be cocky or arrogant, we’re doing something better.”
Schwarzenberger says what works for the Sidemen’s disruptive marketing is a perfect combination of utilising their internet personalities, but also making sure the grocery brands they launch aren’t solely reliant on their presence.
“What works is having humour and fun. People right now don’t want everything to be all serious. Everything we do is trying to be funny.”
However, it’s advertising is also bringing the Sidemen to a whole new audience.
While most people under 30 will have heard of the Sidemen, Schwarzenberger acknowledges there is a “whole big contingent who won’t have”.
“We’ve chosen not to have any reference to the Sidemen on the front of the box, just the logo at the back, because the Sidemen’s YouTube audiences – as big as it is – is still just a drop in the ocean in comparison to the entirety of the world, and also the entirety of the shopping audience in Tesco. We thought about what has the potential to reach everybody.”
And that is just what Schwarzenberger and the Sidemen want to do. With future Best portfolio expansions, the new Vodka XIX summer 2024 flavour, potential brand partnerships and the frozen Sides range with Iceland, it has its eyes set on dominating the grocer aisles.
“Watch this space,” says Schwarzenberger. “The opportunities are pretty endless.”
