Ashton Hall's viral morning routine video reportedly generated $1.8M in EMV for Saratoga Water
According to marketing experts, fitness influencer Ashton Hall has unintentionally delivered a multi-million dollar digital media win to Saratoga Spring Water—for free.
Hall's recent viral video, "The morning routine that changed my life 3:50am to 9:30am," detailed his wellness practices and prominently featured Saratoga's signature cobalt-blue bottles throughout the clip.
The routine begins before dawn with Hall removing mouth tape and hydrating with Saratoga Water, setting the tone for a meticulously documented morning of push-ups, meditation, and repeated face dunks into a bowl of ice water mixed with the same brand of bottled water. The consistent visibility of Saratoga Water in such a visually driven, high-engagement video quickly captured the internet's attention.
Since the video's release, Google searches for Saratoga Water have skyrocketed by 1,379%. Basic EMV (earned media value) analysis estimates that Hall generated approximately $1.8 million worth of unpaid digital exposure for the brand—excluding reposts, commentary videos, and parodies inspired by the viral content.
I did some basic calculations and he generated about 1.8MM in earned media value for Saratoga. That's not including reposts, screen grabs, all the parodies, and other organic posts.
He gave Saratoga a full digital media campaign for free. Creators gotta stop doing that. https://t.co/pvUX49lLSM — Domo (@DapperDomo) March 24, 2025
EMV is a widely used metric in influencer marketing to calculate the monetary value of brand exposure from social media engagement, mentions, and user interaction. Hall's video created the kind of buzz that brands typically pay influencers handsomely to produce—yet in this case, Saratoga Water gained a complete online campaign organically.
While some suspect, Hall's video was a commercial, the FTC mandates that social media influencers disclose paid partnerships with brands, or both the influencer and the brand may face fines. Hence, unless a disclosure was overlooked, it appears Hall either promoted the product for free or potentially violated regulations.
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