Sponsorship of the Golden Globes doesn’t come cheap, but it paid off for Fiji Water yesterday as its red carpet model went viral on social media. 

#FijiWaterGirl gained tens of millions of social media impressions after Kelleth Cuthbert stole the show by photobombing all the stars.

Cuthbert was standing on the carpet handing out Fiji Water bottles to thirsty celebrities and managed to successfully insert herself into a slew of photos. 

As A-listers poured onto the red carpet, the internet began to notice someone unexpected in the shots.

Ad Week noted: “Since the start of the Globes, the hashtag #FijiWaterGirl has been used nearly 7000 times (and counting) on Twitter, earning a whooping 98.9 million impressions on the platform, according to Brandwatch. (And the lesser-used hashtag, #FijiGirl, nabbed an additional 698,000.) And even on a night full of big stars, sentimental speeches and viral moments, the only other hashtag that earned more impressions during the Globes than #FijiWaterGirl was the #GoldenGlobes hashtag itself.”

It was also a boon for Cuthbert who scored 74,000 likes for a photo she shared from the night (above) on her personal Instagram account captioned: “Not the worst way to spend a Sunday… #goldenglobesfijigirl #fijiwatergirl” 

So how much does Golden Globes sponsorship cost?

Companies keep their cards pretty close to their chest on how much they pay to be part of the action on Golden Globes night.

But it was revealed in court documents last year that Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli paid The Weinstein Company $400,000 back in 2015 for exclusive confectionery rights to the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Golden Globes Awards.

The company sued when there was no party in 2018 following disgraced former co-chair Harvey Weinstein being accused by a slew of women of sexual harassment, misconduct and rape.

And then there’s the product provided on the night …

Last year, Moët & Chandon served over 1500 Minis on the red carpet and over 500 cocktails. During the ceremony, tables this year, tables were set with more than 125 cases of Moët magnums of Grand Vintage 2008 and Rosé Impérial.

The Champagne maker also supplied bubbles to the after-parties. Around 2000 Minis, 500 750ml bottles and 50 magnums were delivered to the locations of various venues around Los Angeles.

But what’s it worth?

Ad Week noted that for Fiji Water it was “a serious payoff after years of appearances at the Globes”.

“The brand has served as the official water sponsor of the show since 2015, but this is the first year that sponsorship resulted in some serious brand buzz,” it reports. 

Fiji Water released this statement about the event: “The award for Best Supporting Actress in (literally) Every Picture goes to FIJI Water Girl! FIJI Water Girl is a Los Angeles-based model and first-time FIJI Water Brand Ambassador.

“For more than a decade, FIJI Water has proudly maintained a presence at high-profile events, including major award shows, international film festivals and movie premieres. As the official water sponsor of the Golden Globes, FIJI Water, along with its FIJI Brand Ambassadors, hydrated guests on the red carpet and during the star-studded show. FIJI Water will continue to hydrate more of Hollywood this coming awards season.”

It also shared this montage of shots on Instagram …

And joked about the photobombing with this tweet …

According to Jeff Ragovin, chief growth officer for Social Native, a branded content platform: “Becoming a viral sensation is priceless for a brand. It makes Fiji more than just a product, it’s now an inside joke, a social sensation, the ‘cool’ brand that people want to be associated with. Evoking emotions from consumers is key to standing out in the competitive landscape where social trends dominate buying behaviors.”