Imagine a minor league baseball team in a league no one follows, with players no one has heard of, becoming a global phenomenon that outpaces every Major League Baseball team in social media reach. This isn't a fluke of the algorithm; it is the result of a meticulously crafted viral brand building strategy executed by Jesse Cole. By treating his team, the Savannah Bananas, as an entertainment product rather than a sports franchise, Cole has bootstrapped a nine-figure business with a 3 million person waitlist. This article deconstructs the specific influencer marketing strategy and customer experience design principles that turned a struggling Georgia team into a $100 million powerhouse.
The 'Fans First' Philosophy: Radical Customer Experience Design
At the heart of the Savannah Bananas’ success is a concept Jesse Cole calls "Fans First." In an era where most organizations are looking for ways to squeeze an extra dollar out of every transaction, Cole has built massive brand loyalty by doing the exact opposite. One of the most radical examples of their customer experience design is their approach to pricing. Most fans are used to the "Ticketmaster experience," where a $20 ticket magically becomes $45 at checkout due to convenience fees, processing fees, and parking fees. Cole identified this as a major friction point and decided to "break the frame" of the industry by offering a flat $25 ticket. As discussed on the My First Million podcast, the team even eats the sales tax on these tickets, ensuring the price the fan sees is the price they pay.
This philosophy extends into every facet of the game-day experience. While traditional teams rely on expensive concessions to drive profit, the Bananas include all-you-can-eat food and drinks in their ticket price. By removing the constant "nickel and diming," they create an environment where the customer feels taken care of rather than mugged. This builds a psychological bond with the audience that is far more valuable than the short-term margin of a $10 hot dog. Brands looking to emulate this should analyze their own customer journey using analytics tools or social listening via platforms like Stormy AI to identify where their users feel the most friction or "transactional fatigue."
Operationalizing this level of generosity at scale—especially when playing in 80,000-seat stadiums—requires a deep commitment to the long-term brand equity over short-term revenue. When you prioritize the fan experience, the marketing takes care of itself because every attendee becomes an influencer for your brand. This is a core tenant of social media growth tactics: give people something so remarkable that they feel compelled to share it. Whether you are running Meta Ads or building a community, the underlying product must be "Fans First" to achieve true virality.
Breaking the Frame: Identifying and Inverting Industry Norms
To stand out in a crowded market, you cannot simply be better; you must be different. Jesse Cole’s strategy involves "breaking the frame"—identifying exactly what everyone else in your industry is doing and intentionally doing the opposite. In baseball, the frame is "tradition, slow pace, and serious competition." The Bananas broke this by introducing a yellow tuxedo-wearing owner, dancing umpires, and Banana Ball—a faster, high-energy version of the game designed for entertainment. This is a textbook example of viral brand building through category creation. They didn't compete with the Atlanta Braves; they competed with Netflix and Disney.
This "frame-breaking" mentality is seen in other hyper-successful entrepreneurs like John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan. As noted in recent business strategy deep dives, Morgan broke the frame of the "stuffy lawyer" by being a direct, vulgar, and high-energy personality who focuses on the "common man." Similarly, Jesse Cole recognized that minor league baseball was often boring for the average person. By injecting showmanship and creativity, he made the game accessible to people who don't even like sports. For app developers and marketers, this might mean looking at Apple Search Ads and realizing that every competitor is using the same corporate tone, then choosing to use raw, high-energy UGC content to disrupt the feed.
By intentionally ignoring the "Level 10" standards of your industry, you create a vacuum that only your brand can fill. If you want to find creators who can help you break the frame in your niche, using a tool like Stormy AI can help you discover high-impact UGC creators who specialize in disruptive, entertainment-first content. The goal is to move the volume knob further than anyone thought it could go. When your competition is playing at a seven, you need to show the world what an 11 looks like.
Social Media as an Entertainment Platform, Not a Promotion Tool
Perhaps the most impressive feat of the Savannah Bananas is their digital reach. They currently have more followers on social media than the New York Yankees and every other MLB team combined. This was achieved by treating their TikTok and Instagram accounts not as promotional channels for ticket sales, but as a standalone show. Most brands use social media to say, "Buy our product." The Bananas use it to say, "Watch this amazing thing happen." This is the pinnacle of a social media growth tactics strategy: making the content the product.
The team produces cinematic content that captures the absurdity and joy of their games. From players performing synchronized dances to mid-game stunts, the content is designed to stop the scroll. They understand that on platforms like TikTok, you aren't just competing with other sports teams; you are competing with every other creator on the planet. By focusing on entertainment value, they've built a global audience that will buy merchandise and join a waitlist for games in cities they've never visited. This mirrors the strategy used by top influencers: build a massive, engaged audience first, and the monetization will follow naturally.
For mobile app marketers, this means shifting away from traditional feature-benefit ads and moving toward UGC-driven entertainment. If you are running campaigns on Google Ads, consider how you can make your video assets feel like a "show" rather than a pitch. The Savannah Bananas prove that viral brand building is about earning the viewer's attention through delight, not just buying it through impressions. Their digital footprint is a testament to the power of a well-executed influencer marketing strategy that prioritizes the platform's native behavior over corporate messaging.
The PT Barnum Approach: Personal Branding as a Business Driver
Jesse Cole has effectively resurrected the spirit of PT Barnum for the digital age. His personal brand—defined by his signature yellow tuxedo—serves as the ultimate marketing hook. In any business, having a recognizable face at the helm provides a level of trust and personality that a faceless corporation cannot match. Cole’s personal branding isn't just a gimmick; it is a signal of his commitment to the "show." He is the chief storyteller, the chief entertainer, and the face of the "Fans First" movement. This level of dedication is what allows a bootstrapped business to reach a nine-figure valuation without outside capital.
This high-agency approach is similar to the story of Nick Mobre, a self-made billionaire from New Zealand who used social media trends to build massive toy and consumer goods empires like ZURU. Like Cole, Mobre realized that being first to a platform (like TikTok) and using it with high intensity could yield 100x returns. On the My First Million podcast, it was noted that these "total men" entrepreneurs don't just participate in their industries; they dominate them through sheer force of personality and creativity. Cole’s yellow tuxedo is more than a suit; it’s a viral brand building asset that makes him instantly recognizable in any media appearance.
When you are the face of your brand, you have the power to pivot, to inspire, and to lead in a way that resonates with a modern audience. Consumers today want to buy from people, not logos. Whether you are an app developer or a service provider, developing a personal branding strategy that aligns with your company’s values can significantly lower your customer acquisition costs. By being the most enthusiastic person in the room, you become a magnet for talent, customers, and media attention. Jesse Cole didn't just build a team; he built a movement, and he did it by becoming the ultimate influencer for his own brand.
Operationalizing Creativity: Scaling the Soul-Driven Brand
One of the hardest challenges in business is sustaining a "soul-driven" brand while scaling to massive proportions. The Savannah Bananas have managed to keep their small-town, high-energy feel even as they fill 80,000-seat stadiums across the country. This is achieved through operationalizing creativity. They don't just wait for good ideas to happen; they have a process for generating them. Jesse Cole has written multiple books on his philosophy, and the team treats every game as a script to be perfected. They are constantly iterating on the customer experience design, looking for new ways to surprise and delight their fans.
Scaling virality requires a blend of high-level creativity and rigorous execution. This is where AI-powered tools can play a role. By using platforms like Stormy AI to analyze what types of UGC content are resonating in real-time, brands can stay ahead of trends and continue to produce content that breaks the frame. For a business like the Bananas, this means monitoring social feedback and quickly implementing new "stunts" that their digital audience is craving. It is about being high-agency and refusing to let the brand become "corporate" or "boring" as it grows.
The Bananas' ability to scale also comes down to their influencer marketing strategy—not just with external creators, but with their own players and staff. Every member of the organization is an influencer. When your players are the ones dancing on TikTok and interacting with fans in the stands, you create a 360-degree brand experience that is impossible to replicate. This creates a sustainable loop where the brand’s culture feeds its marketing, and its marketing feeds its growth. For any brand, social media growth tactics should be woven into the fabric of the company culture, not just delegated to a department.
The Savannah Bananas Playbook: 5 Steps to Viral Brand Building
If you want to apply the Savannah Bananas’ success to your own business or mobile app, follow this clear playbook for viral brand building and customer experience design.
Step 1: Identify the "Industry Frame" and Break It
List the top three things every competitor in your niche does. These are the industry norms. Now, figure out how to do the exact opposite. If everyone is serious, be funny. If everyone has hidden fees, offer all-inclusive pricing. This is how you stand out in the Google Ads ecosystem or the App Store.
Step 2: Eliminate Customer Friction Points
Audit your checkout process and customer journey. Where are you "nickel and diming" your users? Where is the friction? By removing even one small fee or adding one unexpected "freebie," you create unreasonable hospitality. This builds the brand loyalty necessary for a 3 million person waitlist.
Step 3: Treat Social Media as Your Primary Show
Stop using social media to announce sales. Start using it to entertain. Every post should provide value—either through humor, education, or awe. Study the social media growth tactics used by the Bananas on TikTok to see how they turn mundane moments into viral spectacles.
Step 4: Develop a Signature Visual and Personal Brand
Whether it’s a yellow tuxedo or a specific color palette in your app’s UI, you need a signature visual that is instantly recognizable. Combine this with a personal branding strategy for the founder or key team members to humanize the business and build trust with your influencer marketing strategy.
Step 5: Operationalize the "Fans First" Mentality
Create a process for creativity. Set aside time for your team to brainstorm ways to surprise and delight your audience. Use tools like Stormy AI to find the right UGC creators who can help you tell your story and scale your soul-driven brand without losing its essence. Stormy is an AI-powered platform for creator discovery, especially for mobile app marketing and UGC campaigns.
Conclusion: The Future of Entertainment-First Brands
The success of the Savannah Bananas proves that in the modern economy, entertainment is the ultimate competitive advantage. By combining a radical customer experience design with a high-energy influencer marketing strategy, Jesse Cole has created a blueprint for viral brand building that any business can follow. Whether you are selling tickets to a baseball game or driving installs for a mobile app via Apple Search Ads, the lesson remains the same: put the fan first, break the frame, and never stop the show. The $100 million brand of the future isn't the one with the biggest ad budget; it's the one that people can't stop talking about.