Selling Donuts Online Made Pinkan Mambo a Trendsetter

In today’s digital world, marketing lessons don’t always come from textbooks. Sometimes, they come from unexpected places,  like Pinkan Mambo’s viral donut business on TikTok.

Yes, Pinkan Mambo, once best known as a singer, is now trending on social media for something entirely different: donuts, TikTok lives, and her bold personality. And whether you admire or critique her, one thing is clear, there’s a lot marketers can learn from her story.

How It Started: Donuts on TikTok Live

Pinkan Mambo turned casual TikTok live sessions into a business idea. She started selling donuts during her broadcasts, drawing in big audiences and virtual gifts.

• Donuts were sold at premium prices: Rp 80k–200k per box.
• Pre-orders stretched up to seven days.
• A “fast track” option was even reported to reach as high as Rp 2,000,000 per box.

This wasn’t just food; it was a performance that transformed into a commercial opportunity.

How It Grew: Curiosity + Content

Once the donuts hit the market, reviews spread fast. Some praised the creativity, while others criticized the taste and presentation. Instead of hurting the business, this fueled even more curiosity. People wanted to try the donuts for themselves, just to see if the hype (or the criticism) was true. 

Pinkan didn’t stop at donuts. She expanded her menu to include:

• Fried bananas (~Rp 30k each)
• Capcay, kangkung, and ayam woku (Rp 150k–250k per portion)

Meanwhile, her TikTok Lives became entertainment on their own. Her husband Arya often teased her during the streams, leading audiences to nickname him “Haters Berkedok Suami”. 

The mix of drama, humor, and personal branding turned her content into binge-worthy social media.

Why Did It Go Viral?

So what made this case such a strong example of creative marketing?

This wasn’t just about selling food, it was about selling a story.

People Want to Be Part of the Story

At its core, Pinkan’s success shows a basic truth of marketing: people don’t just buy products, they buy stories.

Her donuts became a kind of social challenge: “I also tried Pinkan’s donuts!” It wasn’t about the taste as much as the experience of being part of the conversation.

As Seth Godin explains in This Is Marketing:

“People like us do things like this.”

In other words, people buy not just for utility, but to feel connected and to signal their identity.

What Can We Learn?

Pinkan isn’t the only case. The same psychology explains why people line up for trendy items everywhere. From limited-edition sneakers to viral drinks, the pattern is the same: it’s less about the product itself, and more about the story and identity attached to it.

That’s the power of creative marketing on social media, it transforms everyday products into cultural conversations.

The Question for Brands

The big takeaway is simple: Is your brand part of the story people want to tell? If not, maybe it’s time to rethink your marketing strategy.

Social media gives every brand the chance to create not just products, but experiences and identities people want to join.