The Virality Marinade: How Grillo's Pickles Gained 2 Million Followers

"I think the tone sounds very organic thanks to the live conversations with customers we've been having for almost two decades," he explains.

The "pickle in the sky" format has spawned a wave of user-generated content: people photograph pickles against sunsets and baseball games. Another recurring feature is the character Pickle King, who challenges fairgoers to pickle-eating contests. According to Andre, this character has taken on a life of its own, just like the videos of pickles raised to the sky.

"Sometimes something starts as an idea, then we see it works, and we ask ourselves: how do we build on it?" he says, describing the mechanics.

Reposts over virality

All of Grillo's engagement is still mostly organic. The team defines the key metric unambiguously: reposts. "Our goal is not to go viral every time," Andre says. "Our goal is to create authentic, relatable, organic content that will resonate with anyone, not just pickle fans."

The product's polarizing nature also works in its favor. "Some people don't like pickles, and some people love them," Andre reasons. "That's why pickles have a very passionate fan base, and that helps our content a lot."

From influencers to partnerships

Grillo's has stopped working with individual creators. Instead, the brand opts for partnerships that take it to niche audiences and fuel word of mouth online and offline. Among the unexpected collaborations are candle maker P.F. Candle Co., Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and skateboard brand Shut Skateboards.

According to Andre, users photograph pickle tattoos, share recipes, and tag the brand in skate clips. "That's where community building comes into play," he says.

The brand maintains its live roots through pop-up events, which also provide material for social media. Before offline events, the online audience is "warmed up" by the mascot Sam Sam the Pickle Man.

The team's strategic framework is simple: don't chase trends, create them — and try as hard as possible not to look like a brand. "Community, people, underdogs, and subculture matter to us," Andre sums up. "If that's visible in our social media, it means we're moving in the right direction."