How a $0 Sushi Meal Gained 7k+ Instagram Followers in a Few Days

A sushi restaurant in Hong Kong just pulled off what many brands dream of and most never achieve.

They went from zero to 7,610 Instagram followers in less than a week.

No giveaways spam. No “follow to win” mechanics.

Just a very clever idea and one very uncomfortable meal.

Image via ChatGPT

The Instagram account is called Sushirororo, and their growth hack was simple on paper but brilliant in execution. The account only contain 2 Reels made by Jordan Leung, better known as @69ranch, a popular Hong Kong stand-up comedian and content creator with a loyal following and sharp comedic timing.

On 6 January 2026, Sushirororo launched their Instagram page with the first Reel featuring Jordan. The premise was straightforward. Jordan challenged himself to spend HKD$1 for every follower the restaurant had.

Since the account was brand new, that meant zero followers and a total food budget of exactly zero dollars.

Video posted on 6 January had zero followers on their Instagram page

So Jordan sat down for a “meal” consisting entirely of complimentary items. Pickled ginger. Chilli powder. Soy sauce. Plain water. A wet tissue for dessert. Michelin would be rather confused.

When he asked for the bill, the waitress looked equally confused and told him he didn’t need to pay anything since he didn’t order food. Challenge completed. Pride and ego slightly bruised.

The internet loved it.

At the time of writing (7 February 2026), the post had already racked up 75,000 likes and nearly 400 comments. More importantly, people actually followed the account.

On 10 January, Sushirororo posted a second Reel.

This time, the joke escalated. At the start of the video, the account already had 7,610 followers. That meant Jordan now had to spend HKD$7,610 on sushi.

One person. One stomach. Many poor life choices.

Post on 10 January already had 7,610 followers on their Instagram account

To make it even remotely possible, Jordan stayed for both lunch and dinner and brought two friends along. Even then, the group only managed to spend slightly over HKD$4,000.

Still short.

Instead of ending the challenge there, Jordan spent the remaining balance by giving away sushi to followers, neatly closing the loop between content, community, and reward.

That second Reel pulled in another 52,000 likes and over 300 comments at time of writing.

Also at the time of writing, Sushirororo’s Instagram account crossed 17,000+ followers.

5 key takeaways:

1. The idea matters more than the budget
   This worked because the concept was simple, funny, and easy to understand in the first three seconds. No amount of media spend can save a boring idea. Creativity is still undefeated.

2. Influencer fit beats influencer size
   Jordan wasn’t just a billboard. His humor, personality, and audience aligns perfectly. Relevance always outperforms raw follower count.

3. Escalation keeps people coming back
   The second video worked because it raised the stakes. Same idea, higher tension, bigger payoff. Great social content thinks in episodes, not one-offs.

4. The brand stayed in the background on purpose
   Notice how the restaurant never hard-sold the food. The brand let the creator lead, and the audience did the rest. Sometimes the smartest move is not talking too much.

5. Community participation closes the loop
   Giving away sushi to followers wasn’t just generous. It turned passive viewers into participants. When audiences feel involved, growth stops being rented and starts becoming owned.

If this feels obvious in hindsight, that’s the point. The best social ideas usually are. They just look ridiculously hard to copy after someone else nails them first.

Also, respect to anyone who can turn pickled ginger into a growth strategy. Marketing school did not prepare us for that.

Disclaimer: At the time of writing, it wasn't clear if Jordan was collaborating with directly with sushi restaurant Sushiro.hk for the 2 viral videos.

My Car Battery Died, and So Did My Brand Loyalty

Two days ago, my morning started with a small but very real crisis. My car took longer than usual to start. Weak battery. Not catastrophic, but annoying enough when you have a meeting to get to and zero patience for surprises.

The good news is that we live in a world where a car battery can be replaced within an hour, sometimes faster, thanks to apps, chat, and location sharing. Convenience has officially won. The bad news is that convenience only works when the experience actually delivers.

I had two options. Let’s call them Provider B and Provider C.

Provider C was my usual go to. I had used them for my last three battery replacements. They were responsive, reasonably priced, and generally reliable. Provider B, on the other hand, kept appearing in my search results every time I Googled for alternatives. Not new to the market, clearly investing in visibility, and curious enough for me to give them a shot.

So I did what most consumers do. I messaged both providers at the same time to get a quote and see who came back first with the best option. Time mattered. I needed to be in the office by a specific hour and my battery was not interested in my calendar.

Here’s where things started to get interesting from a marketing and experience point of view.

Provider C had recently discontinued their app. Everything was now routed through web chat on their website. The initial interaction was automated. It collected my details, car make, and battery type before handing me off to a live agent.

Provider B took a very different approach. Their entire journey was managed on WhatsApp. The app itself was mostly for profiling, invoices, payments, and showcasing services. Quotes, location sharing, and conversations were all handled by a real human via chat.

Provider C responded first, thanks to automation. It felt efficient. Clean. Structured. Provider B was slightly slower because a live agent was handling the message. At that point, Provider C was winning.

Then pricing came in.

Provider C shared a quote quickly. Provider B followed not long after, though their initial price was higher. Like any rational consumer, I asked both for alternative options on pricing and availability. Same brand. Same battery type. Apples to apples.

This was the turning point.

Provider C went quiet. Ten minutes passed. Then more. Meanwhile, Provider B came back promptly with multiple options, clear pricing, and availability. No back and forth. No waiting. Just answers.

With time ticking and my meeting looming, the decision was made for me.

When Provider C finally replied, the options were more expensive, and the battery I wanted was not in stock until the next business day. That sealed it. I went with Provider B. Faster response. Better alternatives. Cheaper in the end. Problem solved before my second cup of coffee.

From a marketing perspective, this had nothing to do with brand love or loyalty. It had everything to do with speed, clarity, and momentum.

In high intent moments like this, the funnel collapses. Awareness, consideration, and decision happen in minutes. Automation helps until it slows things down. Loyalty exists until urgency shows up. The brand that removes friction fastest wins the sale.

Lessons learnt from a marketing perspective

1. Speed is part of your product
   Response time is not a service metric. It is a conversion lever. When urgency is high, speed beats familiarity.

2. Automation should accelerate, not stall
   Automation is powerful, but only if it hands off smoothly. The moment it creates waiting time, it becomes a liability.

3. High intent moments compress the funnel
   Customers do not move through neat stages. In urgent scenarios, decision making is instant. Your systems need to keep up.

4. Clarity beats cleverness
   Clear options, transparent pricing, and fast answers outperform fancy journeys and polished decks.

5. Meet customers where they already are
   Messaging platforms like WhatsApp reduce friction because users do not need to learn anything new. Familiar tools win under pressure.

6. Loyalty is fragile when time is limited
   Past experience helps, but it will not save you if you respond too slowly when it matters most.

At the end of the day, great marketing is not just about being visible or memorable. It is about showing up at the exact moment a customer needs you and making the decision ridiculously easy. Bonus points if you do it before their battery, or patience, fully dies.

What about you? Do you share a similar experience where brand loyalty is lost through a bad experience?