The Thirsty Skateboarding TikTok Star
Odds are, if you have a TikTok, you’ve seen this post.
On the surface, it’s a mystery why this has gone absolutely viral. But the real reason is a combination of factors that all play off of each other.
The TikTok is of a middle aged man, skateboarding on what seems to be on off ramp to a highway (dangerous?), calmly sipping on a family sized bottle of Cran-Raspberry, Ocean Spray — all while filming it for his TikTok followers. (TikTok user: @420doggface208)
Simple enough, right? It wouldn’t be surprising if this got a few hundred or thousand views and people moved on.
A feeling of complete serenity takes you over as you watch it, in almost an addicting way.
You’ve also probably also seen the hundreds of copy cat posts in a fun way (paying respect and not making fun of) this man. Even the CEO of Ocean Spray has done one.
Check them out, they’re pretty funny.
I think it’s a combination of the “chill vibe” as well as the unorthodox and unique nature of the post. It’s almost like 2 worlds are colliding. What do skateboarding, Fleetwood Mac, and Ocean Spray have in common? Have they ever been seen before in the same image?
I don’t think so, which just adds to the novelty of the whole situation.
People Like The Vibe
This guy could not be any more chill. This is the true core to the video.
But there’s also an edge to it that can’t be replicated. This action is extremely genuine.
He’s probably done this hundreds of times, but just hasn’t thought to post it on TikTok. That’s something to think about. As you can believe he had no idea this post was going to blow up. It was just another day to him.
While listening to Fleetwood Mac in the background. He seems at complete peace. The sort of state of mind that only an enlightened Buddhist Monk can attain.
He’s also doing something that seems borderline dangerous in many ways: He’s skateboarding. On a highway off ramp. Without a helmet. Drinking a large bottle of juice. While taking a long selfie.
He acts as if nothing in the world could alter his state of mind. For these 10 seconds, all is right in the world. He has an enlightened attitude.
Why don’t other “chill” TikTok videos go viral?
This TikTok is “multi-dimensional”, meaning, there isn’t 1 reason alone why this went viral. It’s a combination of factors, shown in a novel way that has people talking about it. It’s funny, it’s edgy and honestly — it’s just pure random.
But people are eating it up!
Ocean Spray Noticed (And Took Action)
Once the post hit millions of views, Ocean Spray started to notice.
I can only imagine what the marketing department thought when they realized how much publicity their brand was getting, in such an odd and unexpected format.
Marketers can be seen as taking advantage of certain situations. We can only hope that they had good intentions to help this skateboarder, and not that they just wanted to sell more of their own product.
Ocean Spray got in contact with Nathan, the man in the video, and gifted him a brand new bright red Nissan truck!
Nathan has likely contributed to an uptick in Ocean Spray sales nationwide.
I suppose the idea, even at a subconscious level might be “So many people have now seen the video, so when they’re at the market and going by the Cranberry Juice section, they’ll definitely pick ours!”
The fact that it was also documented on their TikTok shows that their goal was obviously attention and eye balls.
Now this is the job of any marketing department, so I don’t want come off as being critical of them gifting him this truck, they’re just doing their job and every product needs to be marketed. This was just randomly an excellent opportunity that fell into their laps. There’s a fine line to walk between morality and sales when it comes to marketing.
This TikTok had such a perfect combination of chill and humor, that it’s just impossible to replicate.
Nathan no longer needs to skateboard around town, but I have a feeling he’ll keep doing it.
What do you think makes a TikTok go viral?
What’s the science behind virality?
