How Ashton Hall’s Video Brought Unexpected Fame to Saratoga Water and Hostage Tape

Waking up every morning is something a person must do the days, weeks, and months of the year. That is until you record yourself doing it and show the world your six-hour routine in the morning.

Last week, the Twitter account “Tips for Men – Fashion | Essentials | Luxury” posted a brief video featuring fitness influencer Ashton Hall. In just one minute and 26 seconds, Hall shares his daily habits, accompanied by the text “The morning routine,” showcasing some rather absurd scenarios.

The video quickly became viral, capturing the attention of over 700 million viewers on X within just four days. Its popularity inspired other creators to put their own spin on Hall’s original video, leading to a wave of memes and copycat videos. Some of these creators who did this are Jeremie Frimpong, Tony Statovci, Marvinachi, and others.

After the creators had fun with it, brands like McDonalds, Spotify (Smart of them to not have Saratoga’s logo on the front), IMAX, and Halo joined the viral trend with their own memes of Hall’s video.

Ashton Hall has been publishing his own videos of his fitness and routine on his TikTok since last year. It was not until February of this year that it started to catch on once Saratoga Water was featured in his videos. Since posts and retweets on X can happen faster than reposting on TikTok, Hall’s videos were bound to go viral quicker on that platform. 

Primo Brands Corp. owns the Saratoga brand and its stock went up by more than 2%. Since March 10, the stock has gone up by 11%. The company bought the Saratoga sparkling water brand in 2021, and it’s helped them earn $71 million in sales.

The same has happened for Hostage Tape as it is the first product shown on Hall’s video as it gained more visibility with curious people wondering why Ashton Hall had his mouth taped at the start of his video.

Saratoga Water and Hostage Tape did not sponsor or provide product placement in Ashton Hall’s viral videos and the creators that followed suit. 

Saratoga Water’s Viral Moment: Recognizing Ashton Hall’s Impact

Primo Brand’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kheri Tillman said they had been following Hall’s social media posts in recent weeks and recognized that there was something special with his content. While he isn’t a paid partner, Tillman noted that Hall understands the brand. Tillman acknowledged the excitement of seeing Saratoga Water organically featured in the videos and memes.

“We love being at the center of his story and of this moment; people see us as the [bold upgrade to their everyday] and that opens up the door for more creativity and awareness of the brand,” said Tillman.

Saratoga Spring Water highlighted the unpredictable nature of viral moments on social media. They emphasized the importance of maintaining the brand’s identity and tone while engaging in real-time conversations. Tillman noted that Saratoga has been making bold moves to establish itself as the premium choice for spring water, using this focus as a guiding principle for all brand decisions.

Olivia McNaughten, GRIN’s Head of Marketing, noted that while Ashton has been creating content for some time, his morning routine video stood out by blending extremity and opulence. From waking up unusually early to washing his face with Saratoga water instead of tap water, the exaggerated take on routine tropes felt both aspirational and satirical.

“It also created a moment for other creators to jump in, which fueled the virality even further,” said McNaughten “It’s a great reminder for [creators that sometimes it’s not about reinventing the wheel] but taking a trend and putting your own unique spin on it to capture attention and drive engagement.”

Hostage Tape’s Viral Surge and Capitalizing on the Moment

Alex Neist, Founder & CEO of Hostage Tape, said that when the videos went viral, his team quickly responded to posts on X, reminding users about their product with a photo of him wearing mouth tape and a nose strip. By capitalizing on the moment, the brand saw an 11x spike in web traffic, further boosted when Joe Rogan praised Hostage Tape on his podcast to his 19 million subscribers.

“When we see any post that is related, we always respond and have fun,” said Neist.

Hostage Tape joined the viral trend following its recent campaign aimed at connecting with millennial couples who experience sleep issues. Earlier this year, the brand made its retail debut to expand its reach and availability beyond online sales.

Kate Andreeva, Head of Influencer Talent Relations at HypeFactory, noted that audiences are gravitating toward mindful content, especially around physical and mental health. She attributed Ashton Hall’s viral success to this shift, as his focus on sports and a healthy lifestyle resonates with current trends.

“There are still many creators filming videos without going viral like Ashton. I believe that the secret to social media virality is consistency. Consistency trains social media algorithms, which prioritize content that: is published regularly, has a high view depth, and has high audience engagement,” said Andreeva. “Ashton is a good example of consistency, as he has published regularly for several years, which ultimately signals the algorithms to show his content to a wider audience.”