The Daily Punch The Creator Economy: Offline to Online
Oct 9, 2025
Ben Brody, a tech reporter from Punchbowl News, sheds light on how Hercules Candy revived its century-old business using YouTube during the pandemic. He discusses a viral video surge that significantly boosted orders and creators' challenges with algorithm changes. Joining him is Tara Walpert-Levy, YouTube's VP of Americas, who elaborates on the platform's evolving role in the creator economy. She emphasizes tools for creators, job creation, and the shift towards interactive media that deepens audience engagement, illustrating YouTube as a modern media powerhouse.
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Small Family Shop Goes Global
- Hercules Candy, founded in 1910, revived by posting on YouTube starting around 2017 and went viral during COVID.
- A June 2020 video drove worldwide orders and made summer busier than Christmas, forcing them to pause posting to catch up.
Platform Boosts Real-World Demand
- Being on YouTube often creates off-platform business opportunities like direct sales and new customers.
- Many creators report primary value comes from customer demand driven by video exposure, not just ad revenue.
One Viral Recipe, Massive Orders
- The Adriano family posted a strawberry lemonade hard candy experiment that amassed about 15 million views.
- Viewers then bought multiple product lines, dramatically increasing direct website sales.