Olipop vs. Poppi - TikTok's Prebiotic Soda War

Scroll through your "For You" page, and you're guaranteed to see them: the aesthetically pleasing, pastel-colored cans of Olipop and Poppi. These two brands have redefined the soda category, and their primary battlefield is TikTok.

From the outside, it might look like a simple brand-on-brand fight. But a deep dive into the data reveals this is a classic TikTok competitor analysis, a story of two completely different strategic playbooks.

About the Data

The following analysis is based on TikTok posts related to the Olipop and Poppi brands, collected using Syncly Social.

• Data Collection Period: January 1st, 2025 – November 6th, 2025

• Data Points: The dataset includes

  • Key metrics: total post volume, views, likes, comments, shares

  • Demographic details: gender, race, age, location

  • Post details: full transcripts, captions, keywords, hashtags

  • Brand/Product mentions

  • Sentiment analysis

Key metrics

The first stat will shock you: this is a dead heat.

Poppi is keeping pace with Olipop's view count despite having 40% fewer posts.

How? This is where the strategies diverge. It’s a battle of Olipop's decentralized "Ground Game" versus Poppi's centralized "Air War."

Playbook 1: Olipop's "Ground Game" (Winning the Community)

Olipop is playing the long game by building a massive, decentralized community. Their strategy is one of breadth, activating thousands of creators to build a resilient, engaged brand.

The Strategy:

Win the conversation. Olipop has 4,733 total posts, far outpacing Poppi's 2,946. This "let a thousand flowers bloom" approach has resulted in 1.75x more total engagement.

The Content:

Their content is anchored in functional benefits. The top hashtags #olipoparmy and #guttok show a clear strategy: build a community around a shared wellness goal.

The "Secret Weapon":

This broad, community-first strategy uncovered a viral goldmine. Content from East Asian creators drives an average of 917,000 views per post—a hyper-specific, high-performing niche that a top-down strategy might have missed.

The Goal:

Olipop is using TikTok to build a durable brand. They are winning the war for engagement, likes, and comments, creating a "moat" of community that is hard to replicate.

Playbook 2: Poppi's "Air War" (Winning the Algorithm)

Poppi is a case study in raw marketing efficiency. They are waging a centralized "Air War," using high-impact strikes to dominate the "For You" page and drive sales.

The Strategy:

Win the algorithm. Poppi's main brand account, drinkpoppi, is a content juggernaut, driving a staggering 183.1 million views. That's 41% of their entire TikTok presence from a single profile. This is their "air strike."

The Content:

Their content is anchored in vibe and flavor. They lead with celebrity endorsements (like Kim Kardashian) and savvy, Gen Z-focused trends. This is backed by a direct sales message: top keywords like tiktok shop and sale show they are using TikTok as a direct-conversion tool.

The "Secret Weapon":

Poppi's main account is their weapon. They don't need a massive creator base to keep up on views; their centralized content machine is so effective it does the heavy lifting, giving them incredible marketing ROI.

The Goal:

Poppi is using TikTok to build a viral product. They are winning the war for efficiency, mastering the algorithm to drive mass awareness and direct sales.

The Battlefield: One Target, Two Playbooks

Here’s the most fascinating part: for all their strategic differences, they are fighting for the exact same TikTok user.

Ethnicity

Olipop

Poppi

Age Groups

Olipop

Poppi

The demographic data is nearly identical for both brands.

• Top Location: United States

• Top Age Group: 20-29

• Second Age Group: 30-39

This isn't a case of one brand taking Gen Z and the other taking Millennials. They are in a direct dogfight for the same 20-something US consumer. This makes their dueling strategies even more pronounced. One is building a wide, loyal army; the other is launching targeted, viral air strikes.

Who's Winning the TikTok War?

It depends on what you value.

• Olipop is winning the "long-term" war for community, engagement, and health authenticity. Their "Ground Game" is slower to build but is incredibly resilient and discovers new viral opportunities organically.

• Poppi is winning the "short-term" war for marketing efficiency and direct conversion. Their "Air War" is ruthlessly effective, but it's vulnerable. It relies on their central account staying hot and dodges authenticity critiques and a major lawsuit over their health claims.

The real question is who can solve their core weakness first. Can Olipop's community drive the same level of direct sales as Poppi? And can Poppi's viral machine survive if the "vibe" turns, or will it be forced to build a real community of its own?

Right now, it's anyone's war. Grab a can and watch.