*By Carlo Versano*
Of all the awards, speeches, and memes inspired by the 76th Golden Globes, what actually endured beyond Sunday's broadcast? That woman giving out the fancy water.
Kelleth Cuthbert was working the award ceremony as a promotional model for Fiji, the bougie bottled water brand, distributing free bottles to stars on the red carpet. And in doing so, she just happened to position herself in the background of many high-profile photos. Her photobombs were enough to get herself trending on Twitter ー #fijiwatergirl ー as the first viral meme of 2019.
In an interview on Cheddar Big News, Cuthbert relished her newfound fame ー but said it was all just part of the gig. With a tray of Fiji water in hand and clad in a head-turning blue dress, her job was to attract attention to the brand.
You might say she over-delivered.
"The goal is to get the Fiji water in as many hands as possible," she said. And with so many photographers jockeying for position to shoot the A-list celebrities walking in, "you just inevitably end up in the shots."
Cuthbert said she didn't know she had gone viral until the end of the red carpet portion of the evening when people started showing her their phones and the trending photos. Even Fiji joined in on the meme, tweeting:
*We’re so glad everyone is talking about our water! \*senses ominous presence\* She’s right behind us, isn’t she?*
It was unknown whether Fiji paid Cuthbert a bonus for the countless impressions, or "earned media" in marketing parlance, that she so deftly delivered. But with the Oscars approaching, other brands might want to take note: Cuthbert told Cheddar she's available.
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