March 23, 2025, a morning routine was seen around the world, as fitness influencer Ashton Hall dunked his face in Saratoga® Spring Water before most of us were awake.
But real time moments don’t create great brands. Great brands earn the right to show up in real time.
Since 2023, Saratoga has been deliberately building its premium presence. From partnerships with Top Chef, Food & Wine Magazine, Michelin, and the Golden Globes, to introducing Saratoga Signature Blue with Pantone, Saratoga consistently invested in elevating its brand in culture as a luxury player.
So when Ashton’s post went viral, our unmistakable blue bottle appeared. Not as a paid placement or sponsored integration, but as a genuine choice.
Our objective was clear: Harness a viral moment, keeping authenticity without diluting our premium identity.
Ashton’s video demanded attention, and the internet did what it does best.
Countless personalities and brands took the plunge with Saratoga blue bottle becoming a visual anchor in the conversation. The moment evolved by the minute, eventually crossing into mainstream pop culture, including a full length segment Saturday Night Live.
While the internet had already handled awareness, our challenge was how to respond and participate without being overpowering. Responding purposefully, in real time, we activated across channels, from social and community engagement (yes, at 3:00 AM), to placements across Amazon and DoorDash. We capitalized on the video content with in-store displays built alongside bananas, as we turned culture into commerce.
Most importantly, we recognized in real-time that this brand now had permission to speak to a new audience—the mostly young men who follow Ashton day-in, day-out. So, we leaned into the moment and flexed our voice with more confidence and a bit of attitude, without compromising our premium identity.
Because the foundation of our social presence had already been built through Pantone, Top Chef, and cultural events, the viral moment amplified our presence rather than disrupting it.
Our response garnered some serious success, as Saratoga’s Instagram following grew by 213% during the viral moment.
Still, the impact went far beyond a short-term spike. By adapting in real time, we not only retained our new audience, but by the end of 2025, Saratoga grew a total of 456%. Owned posts and responses reached 4.7M people and generated 212,000+ engagements, while the broader conversation delivered 2.46 billion in reach.
The press also couldn’t stop talking about the brand, with more than 4 billion earned impressions from Today.com, The New York Times, Business Insider, AdAge, GQ, and E!. The Skimm even quoted our social caption as their headline, "The pairing we never knew we needed - Saratoga's response to viral moment."
At the height of the moment, Saratoga’s velocity increased by 49%, and Saratoga became the top searched branded water on Amazon.
Beyond reacting quickly, we were able to rely on the brand we’d built. As a result, Saratoga didn’t just show up with real time responses; it expanded its cultural footprint, reached a new audience, and turned a viral moment into lasting brand growth.
