The Strategy

Smackin’ didn’t follow the traditional food brand playbook. Instead, they embraced culture-first marketing—building hype and loyalty through creators, content, and grassroots engagement.

1. TikTok as a Growth Engine

Smackin’ made TikTok its home base, posting behind-the-scenes videos, ballpark activations, and unscripted flavor tests. These weren’t polished ads—they were real moments that felt native to Gen Z’s world.

Highlights:

• TikTok named Smackin’ its #1 Food & Beverage product of 2023

• 600K+ TikTok followers

• Massive engagement without a traditional ad spend

2. Athlete-Led Influencer Marketing

Rather than chase generic influencers, Smackin’ focused on people who actually eat sunflower seeds: baseball players. These micro-influencers gave the brand street cred with snackers and athletes alike. The result? Content that felt authentic, not transactional.

3. Feedback-Driven Community Building

From flavor selection to packaging tweaks, Smackin’ invited their customers into the process. Through Facebook groups, comments, and polls, the founders listened—and responded. That kind of transparency helped create not just buyers, but brand believers.

The Results

💥 Explosive Growth: From $2M in 2023 to a projected $20M in revenue in 2024
🏬 Retail Breakthroughs: Landed national placement in Walmart, 7-Eleven, and more
👥 Cultural Relevance: Became a household name among Gen Z snackers
📱 UGC Flywheel: A steady stream of unpaid creator content continues to drive awareness

Yechi Growth POV

What Smackin’ pulled off isn’t magic—it’s a playbook.

And it’s one that diverse, sustainable and ethical brands can follow.

• Start with story and culture. Create content that feels real, not rehearsed.

• Work with creators who care. Whether it’s athletes, moms, or herbalists, find the people who already live the lifestyle you’re building for.

• Build a community, not just a customer base. Use feedback loops to turn engagement into innovation.

At Yechi, we help brands unlock this exact kind of traction—using influencer strategy, content systems, and performance data to fuel smart, scalable growth.

Interested in working together? Get in touch with our team.

The Backstory

Smackin’ Sunflower Seeds began with two college roommates, a shared love for baseball, and a big gap in the snack aisle. Tired of the bland options from legacy players like David and Spitz, they set out to reinvent the sunflower seed—launching bold, unexpected flavors like Dill Pickle and Cinnamon Churro right from their dorm room.

Fast forward to today, and Smackin’ is one of the fastest-growing brands in the category. But what really fueled their growth wasn’t just product innovation—it was a creator-led, community-first approach to marketing.