In 1968, long before the internet, iPhone, and Instagram, Andy Warhol famously predicted, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” It was quite the foresight from Warhol, but could even he have predicted the rise of TikTok star Nathan Apodaca, or @420doggface208 as he’s known on the short-form mobile video platform?
By now, most of you have probably seen the viral 23-second video posted on September 25 by the self-proclaimed #happyhippie, leading to worldwide fame and his unofficial role as Ocean Spray’s unlikely brand ambassador.
There’s nothing inherently spectacular about the video - it’s just a guy filming himself skateboarding and enjoying a few swigs of Cran-Raspberry Cocktail while lip-syncing a few lines from Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “Dreams.” There are hundreds and thousands of skateboarding or lip-syncing videos out there. So, why did this one strike such a chord?
The answer is simple, we’re living in unprecedented times. When you can’t turn on the TV, click on a news article, or even listen to a leadership debate without wondering if what you’re seeing, reading or hearing is real, let alone trustworthy, @420doggface208 gave us a truly authentic moment - and oh, did we ever need it.
As a result of being isolated and quarantined for more than half a year, there’s very little authenticity in our daily lives. The novelty of our Google Meets and Zoom cocktail hours has started to wear off. For many of us, the moment we click ‘Leave Meeting’ we go back to that feeling of loneliness and isolation that experts say is leading to an historic rise in mental health issues.
We’re also dealing with an authenticity deficit across just about every facet of leadership. Our political leaders tell us they have our best interests in mind, but do we really know who we can trust? It appears that Dr. Anthony Fauci is the only straight shooter who authentically and clearly communicates to us, even when the message isn’t what the public wants to hear.
Business leaders are also facing an authenticity crisis. Back in March, it was relatively easy to send everyone home, give them the tools to operate remotely and say it was business as usual. If we estimate that we’re at least a year away from the majority of the population being immunized, how much longer can business leaders keep employees engaged, happy, and, in some cases, even employed? It will be interesting to see which companies and which leaders are open, honest and transparent with their employees about their future, and which CEOs kick the proverbial ball further down the road without addressing the concerns of their employees in an authentic manner.
At a time when we don’t really know who we can trust, Nathan Apodaca seems like the closest thing to the real deal we’re going to get for a while. He’s a hard-working Idahoian labourer with a mix of Native American and Mexican heritage. He enjoys skateboarding, dancing, tacos and he’s a recreational cannabis user, all of which are on full display in his videos. As he approaches 30 million views for his “Dreams” video, others have taken notice and are looking to capitalize on the moment.
This week, Ocean Spray’s CEO took notice and partnered with a local truck company in Apodaca’s hometown to deliver a brand new ‘Cranberry Red’ pickup truck with a plentiful supply of his drink of choice in the cargo bed. Nothing says ‘influencer’ like 30 million views and surging Cran-Raspberry cocktails sales.
With musicians struggling to figure out how to make up for lost revenues caused by the cancellation of their main source of income, touring, it must have been a nice surprise for Fleetwood Mac to find themselves at the top of the iTunes singles chart and seeing sales and streams of a 43-year-old song triple overnight. Mick Fleetwood certainly seems to be enjoying the ride.
While Ocean Spray and Fleetwood Mac literally hitched their wagons to the unlikely phenomenon that the “Dreams” video has become, others have jumped on their longboards in an attempt to appear authentic to their audience. Everyone from Canadian NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to Dr. Phil has attempted to pick up on the “Dreams” vibe, while Jimmy Fallon took the trend to late night.
As for Nathan Apodaca, he continues to post new content and now receives a modest 2-3 million views on his videos. He’s hired a manager and is likely seeing a surge in sales for his Doggface clothing line - did I mention he’s passionate about embroidery? One has to wonder when his 15 minutes of fame might come to an end, and whether his authentic vibe takes a hit if he starts taking on further influencer work or making cameo appearances in other brand videos - we all remember the Whassup Guys, right?
A friend of mine recently said that we haven’t really been living the last seven months as much as we’ve just been existing. The “Dreams” video gives us hope that we will one day start actually living our best authentic lives again and feel as alive as @420dogface208 does when he turns up the volume, grabs an ice-cold jug of his favourite fruit juice cocktail, and hits the open road on a beautiful, sunny, fall afternoon.