In 2021, a man living out of a $2,000 Craigslist van decided to stop using commercial toothpaste. He started brushing his teeth with plain baking soda, documented the gritty experience on Twitter, and eventually began mixing in eggshell powder. That man was Jeremy, now better known as the Vanman, and that simple pivot from "van lifer" to "natural hygiene creator" eventually built a business generating over $5 million a year. Jeremy’s success wasn't built on a massive ad spend or a traditional corporate marketing department. Instead, it was forged through a meme marketing strategy that focuses on being 'perpetually online' and hijacking cultural moments to drive massive spikes in Shopify sales.
The transition from a $5,000 month to a $500,000 month happened when Jeremy mastered the art of the viral post. By using recognizable faces, controversial topics, and high-speed reaction times, he turned a niche interest in animal-based hygiene into a mainstream e-commerce powerhouse. This article breaks down the exact playbook he used to increase organic reach and build a loyal community that keeps coming back, with a 40% customer retention rate.
Why 'Current Event Hijacking' is the Fastest Way to Gain Organic Reach
In the modern social media landscape, the half-life of a trend is shorter than ever. Jeremy's core strategy involves what he calls "current event hijacking." This isn't just about posting frequently; it’s about taking a fresh event—like a high-profile UFC fight or a viral celebrity moment—and immediately pivoting it to relate to your product. When you catch a trend while it is still "fresh in people's minds," the Instagram algorithm rewards the relevance with massive distribution.
For e-commerce brands, this means moving away from the "monthly content calendar" model. If you are planning your posts 30 days in advance, you are missing the viral Instagram marketing opportunities that happen in real-time. Jeremy’s approach is haphazard but intentional: wait for the cultural spark, then strike. This method allows a small brand to compete with giants by being faster and more relatable than a corporate marketing team could ever be. By leveraging social media analytics for brands, founders can see that these reactive posts often outperform polished, high-production content by 10x in terms of shares and engagement.
The Mel Gibson & Mark Wahlberg Case Study: Bridging the Niche-Mainstream Gap
One of the Vanman’s most successful tactics is using recognizable faces to deliver his brand’s message. A specific example involved a photo of Mel Gibson talking to Mark Wahlberg at a UFC fight. Instead of a standard product shot of his tallow honey balm, Jeremy used this meme format to project his brand's voice through these cultural icons. This works because it uses pre-established trust and familiarity. When a user scrolls past a photo of a famous actor, they stop; when they see that actor "saying" something relatable about natural health, the barrier to entry for the product drops significantly.
To replicate this, brands shouldn't just copy memes—they should find the "voice" of their brand and map it onto existing cultural archetypes. This bridges the gap between a niche product (like eggshell tooth powder) and mainstream relatability. If you're looking to find the right creators to help amplify these memes, Stormy's AI search allows you to discover influencers who already align with these specific cultural niches across TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
The 5-Minute Work vs. 4-Day Research Ratio
Jeremy notes a strange paradox in his business: the posts that generate the most revenue often take only five minutes to create. However, those five minutes are backed by three to four days of being "perpetually online." This is a competitive advantage that most founders ignore. By spending hours consuming content, Jeremy is essentially performing market research in real-time. He is learning the language of his customers, the jokes they find funny, and the topics they are currently debating.
This "perpetual online" state allows for a high ecommerce social media strategy efficiency. You aren't guessing what will work; you are feeling the pulse of the internet. For founders who don't have 12 hours a day to scroll, using Stormy AI's post tracking can help automate this process by monitoring which videos and topics are currently gaining traction in your specific niche. This allows you to spend less time "browsing" and more time executing on high-impact ideas that increase organic reach.
Using Divisive and Controversial Posts to Trigger the Algorithm
The Instagram and X (Twitter) algorithms are designed to prioritize engagement—specifically, comments and shares. Jeremy found that divisive posts are the most effective at triggering this. By taking a hard stance on controversial topics (like fluoride in toothpaste or the benefits of raw animal products), he forces users to pick a side. This leads to heated comment sections, which the algorithm interprets as high-value content, subsequently pushing the post to more people.
While many brands fear controversy, the Vanman embraces it as a discovery tool. "The most divisive posts on Instagram are the ones that generate comments and traction," Jeremy explains. This traction leads to the post being surfaced in the Explore tab, bringing in new customers who have never heard of the brand. This viral Instagram marketing tactic isn't about being offensive; it's about being boldly opinionated. In a sea of bland corporate content, having a strong, polarizing perspective is a magnet for attention.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up an 'Engagement Pulse'
Once a post goes viral, the work isn't over. Jeremy believes that the founder should personally handle the "engagement pulse." This means being active in the DMs and comments for hours after a post goes up. Here is how to set up this system for your own brand:
Step 1: The First Three Hours
Immediately after posting, stay active. Reply to every comment—even the negative ones. This signals to the platform that the post is a hub of activity. Jeremy views this as the ultimate form of customer service and market research.
Step 2: Monitoring the Pulse
Use your interactions to gauge what customers want next. Jeremy’s customers actually suggested the ingredients for his tooth powder. By listening to the comments, you aren't just selling; you're co-creating with your audience. To manage these high-volume interactions without losing track, using Stormy's creator CRM can help organize your most important brand advocates and frequent commenters in one place.
Step 3: Converting Attention to Sales
Ensure your bio and links are optimized for the sudden influx of traffic. Jeremy uses Shopify to handle the spikes in demand, ensuring that the viral marketing leads to actual revenue rather than just vanity metrics. He noticed that sales "go nuts" specifically when he is present in the conversation, humanizing the brand in real-time.
Scaling from $5,000 to $500,000 a Month
The Vanman's growth trajectory shows that a meme marketing strategy is highly scalable. He started on Etsy, which he recommends as the best place to test product ideas with low overhead. Once he found a "winning" product that resonated with his niche community, he moved to his own site to capture more margin and control the customer experience.
A key part of his scaling was product expansion. By moving from a single tooth powder to a full suite of hygiene products (deodorant, hair oil, mouthwash), he increased his average order value (AOV). This is where the real profit in e-commerce lies. When you have five or six products under $20, customers often buy the whole set, reducing the relative cost of shipping and processing. If you are scaling through influencers, it's vital to perform influencer analysis to ensure their audience demographics match your expanding product line. Stormy AI's influencer analysis can detect fake followers and engagement fraud, ensuring your marketing budget isn't wasted on bot accounts. For rapid scaling, you can even use Stormy's AI email outreach to automatically contact hundreds of creators with personalized pitches while you sleep.
Conclusion: The Future of Community-Led E-commerce
Jeremy's journey from a $2,000 van to a $5 million headquarters in San Diego proves that organic reach isn't dead—it just requires a different approach. By being perpetually online, hijacking current events, and embracing the divisive nature of memes, the Vanman built a brand that people don't just buy; they join. The high retention rate is a testament to the power of a founder-led community and excellent customer service.
For brands looking to replicate this success, the message is clear: stop over-polishing and start participating. Use memes to bridge the gap to your audience, and use modern AI tools to stay ahead of the curve. Whether you are finding the next viral creator or tracking your campaign’s success, Stormy AI provides the data-driven backbone needed to turn viral moments into sustainable e-commerce growth. Start by testing your niche ideas on platforms like Etsy, listen to your customers in the comments, and never stop being 'perpetually online'.