This creator is trying to turn a viral moment into a lasting advertising business

A brand-new laptop is expensive. So Vincent Seube let brands pay for his by offering them ad spots in the form of laptop stickers.

He went viral on X for the idea, and the result was a more-than-funded laptop and enough brand interest that he expanded available ad space to include accessories like the laptop’s charger and mouse. But what’s a creator to do once the virality cycle dies down?

Seube is one of several creators who have recently turned unassuming personal objects into advertising inventory. His original post on X about laptop inventory has racked up more than 10 million views, and tech companies like MacPaw and See.io were among the brands that bought a sticker slot.

Marketers have highlighted the appeal of getting in on internet moments while they’re hot and building relationships with suddenly rapt audiences. But once the moment cools down, the creator behind it might not be left with as much upside: A recent report from CreatorIQ found that most creators make under $10,000 a year from content creation; meanwhile, a 2025 study on the effect of viral posts on social media engagement published in Scientific Reports found that “most viral events do not significantly increase engagement and rarely lead to sustained growth.”

Taken together, it’s hard to imagine that a creator sees as much benefit from originating or stoking a viral trend as brands may—which is why Seube took it a step further.

While his laptop-sticker ads generated more than $9,000, more than enough to cover the cost of his device, he went on to launch BrandMyLaptop, an online marketplace that allows anyone to list their own laptop advertising space, with Seube taking a cut of the profits.

“Virology is very temporary,” Seube told us. “The marketplace is a much more long-term project, but hopefully…it’s just a marketing loop that’s going to snowball.”

Beyond the wave

To facilitate his original laptop-advertising plan, Seube built BrandMyMac, an auction site that allowed brands to bid on available sticker placements. After he received several comments online from other people wishing they’d had the same idea, he said, the idea for a wide marketplace was born.

“Because my own auction went viral, I had this big waitlist of 1,000 people who were interested in a marketplace, in trying to do the same for themselves,” Seube said. “It’s actually the first time for me that I built something that’s already validated with that much interest.”

Building BrandMyLaptop took roughly four days, a rather rushed timeline that Seube said he felt was necessary to capitalize on his post’s moment in the sun. In fact, speed and virality were essential, he said, as he’d previously tried to solicit sponsorship interest to buy a laptop and had no luck.

Now, he’s turning more of his attention to the marketplace, and his personal laptop remains unbranded while he figures out how to produce branded stickers. In the meantime, though, he said he is focused on generating attention around BrandMyLaptop with founder-led marketing across TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

So far, 300 people have signed up to list their laptop ad inventory on BrandMyLaptop, 130 of which actively have open sales, Seube said. The venture generated more than $13,000 in total revenue in its first two months, which amounts to about $1,300 for Seube, who takes a 10% cut. Each additional person who signs up to auction their laptop inventory creates a “tiny hype,” he said, which is part of how he hopes to keep the business growing.

Ultimately, Seube said, the success of BrandMyLaptop hinges on more creators signing up, bringing brand attention with them, and actually creating content based on the branded-laptop space. And while each individual laptop has a finite amount of ad inventory, he’s hopeful that the novelty of the idea will fuel continued interest and engagement.

“Ads are basically everywhere. We don’t really always realize it, but just stickers on your laptop—that’s free advertising for brands,” Seube said. “The question is more who can actually advertise for brands than the how. There’s no limit on the how.”