On July 23, 2026, Kim Kardashian posted an ad for UPDATE, the energy drink she co-founded earlier this year. In it, she holds a mock press conference, fields questions about her workload, her appearance, and—most notably—her failed bar exam. Attorney Gloria Allred walks up and asks the question everyone has been waiting for: “Did she even ever pass the bar?”
Kardashian’s reply lands perfectly: “No, I didn’t pass the bar. I raised it.”
The ad went viral almost immediately, recording 7.7 million views in nine hours. Marketing experts have called it a “masterclass,” praising the psychological tactic known as the “pratfall effect”: revealing a flaw often makes a person or brand more likable, provided the underlying competence is never in doubt.
But viral ads don’t always translate to viral sales. So, what is actually happening with UPDATE?
The Good News: The Launch Is Big
Kardashian joined UPDATE as a co-founder in February 2026, though the brand was actually founded in 2022 by Daniel Solomons and the Hess family. Her involvement is not just a branding exercise. According to the company, she has been hands-on across formulation, packaging, creative direction, and long-term vision.
The relaunch has significant momentum:
- Walmart distribution: UPDATE rolled out to 4,000 Walmart stores nationwide on March 1, 2026, in five flavours.
- Expansion plans: The brand expects to reach more than 14,000 retail doors and 100,000 points of distribution by the fourth quarter of 2026, with 20 new SKUs arriving alongside.
- Pop-up activation: On July 26, 2026, the brand opened a “Focus Lab” pop-up on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, translating the viral ad into a physical experience.
The American energy drinks market is valued at over $20 billion and growing, even as it becomes increasingly crowded. UPDATE’s differentiation is significant: no caffeine. Instead, it uses paraxanthine, the compound the body naturally produces when the liver metabolises caffeine. The argument is that this delivers focus without the jitters, spikes, or crashes. The formulation also includes Alpha-GPC, L-Theanine, and an active form of vitamin B12.
The Challenge: A Crowded Market and Unproven Science
Despite the buzz, UPDATE faces real hurdles.
The competition is fierce. The energy drink space is already dominated by established players like Celsius, Prime, and ZOA, all backed by their own celebrity founders. Shein.com, the fast-fashion giant, generated $809,875,018 in online sales revenue in January 2026 alone, dwarfing Forever21.com’s $729,023. While UPDATE is not competing in fashion, the scale of the challenge is clear: breaking through in a saturated market requires more than a viral ad.
The science however, is not settled. UPDATE’s key ingredient, paraxanthine, is not well-researched. According to Women’s Health, “there isn’t a ton of research out there about the effects of paraxanthine.” Experts cannot provide an accurate conversion rate from caffeine to paraxanthine, and the recommendation is to “treat it as a one-to-one conversion, even though we really don’t know”. With the daily recommended allowance of caffeine at 400 mg for adults, UPDATE’s 300 mg of paraxanthine essentially maxes out your intake for the day. If you drink this alongside coffee or another energy drink, you risk overstimulation.
The brand is betting on a shift. Mintel analyst Julia Mills argues that the future of energy is not louder or stronger but “smarter,” and that winning brands will pair functional performance with cleaner ingredients and everyday relevance. It’s a near-perfect description of what UPDATE is attempting, but it remains an open question whether consumers will embrace a caffeine-free alternative.
The Bottom Line? It’s Too Early to Tell
So, is UPDATE failing or succeeding? The honest answer is that it’s too early to know.
The viral ad has generated enormous attention. The Walmart distribution deal is significant. The expansion plans are ambitious. But the brand has not disclosed sales figures or market share data, so we cannot independently verify its performance.
What is clear is that UPDATE is using a smart marketing play: turning a personal failure into a brand asset. The ad is one of the most psychologically dialled celebrity campaigns of the year, and it has successfully positioned UPDATE as a differentiated product in a crowded market.
But the real test is not whether the ad goes viral. It’s whether consumers keep buying the drink after the buzz fades. And that, for now, remains an open question.
