A few weeks ago, a familiar blue bottle appeared in the Café… and disappeared just as fast. When word got out that the Café started selling Saratoga water, students flocked to the Café faster than they would during a Wednesday ASB. Possibly influenced by TikTok star Ashton Hall, it seems as though Sodexo wanted to profit from the trend as well.
The Saratoga water trend centers around Ashton Hall’s morning routine, which is characterized by absurd wake-up times, face dunking into bowls of ice water, and rubbing banana peels on his body, each time with a glistening bottle of Saratoga in the frame. These videos have garnered millions of views, leading to a significant spike in Saratoga’s popularity and even a brief increase in the stock price of Primo Brands, Saratoga’s parent company.
It’s incredible that this new age of marketing is so clear to see through Saratoga’s campaign. Companies now recognize the power of social media platforms and have started collaborating with influencers to promote their products discreetly.
Influencers play a pivotal role in shaping consumer behavior. Brand deals have been around for a long time—what makes Ashton Hall different is how it’s done. Though Hall does not name the endorsement, Saratoga water is a norm in every one of his videos, so much so that he is considered the face of the brand. There is no proof to say that Hall’s videos were part of a paid partnership, yet the impact on Saratoga’s brand visibility is undeniable.
Similarly, the Instagram persona known as the Gstaad Guy has done the same thing for the Italian luxury clothing brand Loro Piana. Through his satirical portrayals of the ultra-wealthy, the Gstaad guy has managed to both mock and promote the lifestyles associated with Loro Piana by “bullying up.” His collaboration with Loro Piana has led to the fastest-selling product in the brand’s history, the Loro Piana Summer Walks loafer. I even have a navy blue pair myself. The brand has skyrocketed in popularity over the past two years, demonstrating the effectiveness of these new, unconventional partnerships with influencers.
Consumption as a whole is becoming increasingly influenced by social media trends and personalities. Choices from the beverages we drink to the brands we wear now seem to be primarily dictated by Instagram and TikTok and shaped by the content we consume online. As companies continue to leverage influencers in this new age of marketing, we must recognize the subtle ways in which our choices and personalities are influenced by the digital content with which we frequently engage.
