InShape Nutrition’s recent overtaking of Red Bull is not just a statistical anecdote. This is the signal of a historic shift.
The latest Reech x LSA ranking had the effect of a bomb in the world of retail and marketing. In 2025, InShape Nutrition generated 3.3 billion impressions via influencers. To give an order of magnitude: it’s 3.5 times more than Red Bull and 5 times more than Nutella. Historical giants like Coca-Cola or Kinder today find themselves left behind in terms of visibility by brands carried by a single face. This observation makes it obvious: creators are no longer simple ambassadors, they have become the founders of the most formidable brands on the market.
The inversion of value: the audience as “Moat”
For decades, building an industrial empire required owning factories, trucks and distribution networks. This entry ticket is no longer necessary: the subcontracting and the white label now make it possible to launch a brand with almost no capital. Conversely, capturing a loyal audience has never been more expensive. The new “moat” (sustainable competitive advantage) is therefore no longer the industrial tool but rather attention. Creators like MrBeast already own it, where every multinational marketing department is desperately trying to buy it with millions.
The evolution of the model: industrial co-construction as a lever
This is how we are witnessing the decline of the era of “showcase” influence. Previously, a brand paid a creator to rent their audience for the duration of a campaign. Today, creators are bypassing this process by becoming their own clients. They transform their share capital in financial capital. This change will accelerate. In the coming years, we will see the emergence of new kinds of partnerships: manufacturers directly offering cutting-edge operational solutions to influencers. The scheme is simple and extremely effective: the creator brings the audience and the creative vision; the partner manages the manufacturing, logistics and operational. It is the perfect alliance between the strength of a historic group and the media velocity of a creator.
The scale of possibility: the MrBeast effect
In June 2026, MrBeast became the first creator in history to cross 500 million subscribers on YouTubeat the head of Beast Industries, valued at more than $5 billion since its fundraising in January 2026. The model did not need to cross the Atlantic: on June 1, 2026, McFly and Carlito launched their Brosti chips into national distribution, the same day that Squeezie, Léna Situations and Inoxtag unveiled Ciao Energy, following on from Ciao Kombucha, which has already sold more than 3 million cans. Tibo InShape, cited at the opening of this article, is the most striking proof of this: 7.2 million euros of turnover and 1.6 million units sold in less than a year for InShape Nutrition. It is no longer an American phenomenon observed from afar, it is a market economy which functions, in France too, at all scales.
For traditional brands, the message is clear: ignoring this wave is no longer an option. Those who will survive are those who will no longer only be able to “use” creators as advertising billboards, but who will agree to integrate into this new grammar where humanity and authenticity dictate the market shares. Attention is the currency of 2026, and for now, creators hold the keys.
