These days, many social media influencers make money by simply filming themselves going about their daily lives. “Get ready with me” videos are especially popular among the ladies, but the most common trend now is the morning routine. Influencer Ashton Hall took this trend to the next level, creating an outrageously over-the-top morning routine that had the entire internet buzzing.
Advertisement
Mornings are tough for a lot of people, but they are so important because they basically set you up for the rest of your day. Millennials and Gen Zs often struggle with being productive in the early hours of the day, so there’s a lot of demand for content that can “help them” improve their lifestyles and routines.
As a man who is about to go into his 15th season as an NFL defensive lineman, Heyward understands the importance of a good morning routine more than most.
Heyward was a first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers way back in 2011. He has only missed 16 of a possible 227 games over the course of his 14 years in the league. He’s been named a First-Team All-Pro four times, the most recent of which came after last season at the age of 35. We say all this to say that Heyward knows how to take care of himself.
Therefore, his reaction to Hall’s viral and comically stupid morning routine video was worth a look.
“It’s the water and bananas guy who went viral. Ashton Hall… I don’t really understand the point of the banana peel. I’m a little confused by that. Your point you told me, when he’s on the phone and he asks, ‘We can only get $10,000,'” a baffled Heyward shared.
The defensive lineman is referring to a part in Hall’s video where he eats a banana while looking at himself in the mirror. Upon finishing, he uses the peel as an exfoliant on his face. That’s certainly a new one, but hey, to each their own. Hall also pretended to be on a business call talking about “we need to get $10,000” during the video.
As one of just 27 non QB/K/P players in NFL history to earn a First-Team All-Pro designation at the age of 35 years or older, Heyward knows how to take care of his body. So if he thinks it’s a little (or a lot) silly, he’s probably got a point.
https://twitter.com/notjustfootball/status/1904567979443904873?s=46
Hall’s peculiar routine video starts with mouth tape, which looks as weird as it sounds but actually has oral health benefits. Just don’t try it with a clogged nose. You’ll probably wake up in quite a fright.
Then he does what turned out to be the whole point of the video: an “ice water facial.” But it wasn’t the facial that was the crux of the video. It was the brand of water Hall used: Saratoga Sparkling Water.
The video could be either a hilarious satire on the influencer culture of today (unlikely) or simply another entry in an infuriatingly massive library of useless online influencer videos (likely). But whichever of those it is, it was a marketing play for Saratoga first and foremost.
Hall has been a partner of theirs for months now, regularly featuring their products in his videos. Now that he has finally found the dumbest way possible to go viral (taping your mouth shut, rubbing banana peels on your face, and spending four minutes in mid-air during your morning dive into the pool), the partnership is paying dividends for the high-end water company.
Saratoga has seen an uptick of two percent in its shares and 11 percent in its stock value over the last two weeks.
