‘Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday': Why are people talking about this viral TikTok trend?
One lighthearted video captured water bubbling up outside the train's windows as a woman rested her bare feet in the floodwater. The video was set to an unexpectedly upbeat song, Hold My Hand by British singer Jess Glynne, while a British woman enthusiastically announced, 'Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.'
The popular TikTok 'sound' has gone viral in recent weeks, with users adding the music and narration from a January 2024 airline ad campaign to videos, including dicey vacation moments.
The original campaign for Jet2holidays, Britain's largest tour operator, showcased a deal offering 50 pounds (S$86) off holiday packages that included up to 22kg of luggage. The 30-second ad has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube.
So how did the tagline from a random ad from over a year ago become this summer's ubiquitous travel meme?
The TikTok 'for you' page prioritises content that is doing well, regardless of the time it was first uploaded, allowing users to rediscover older material and create new content incorporating it, leading to a potential snowball effect.
Part of the appeal of the trend, said Jenna Jacobson, an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who specialises in social media, is its paradoxical nature – pairing a fun, lively audio with chaotic events.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Tanjong Katong Road South closed for repairs after car fell into sinkhole
Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole
Asia Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call
Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021
Singapore HSA will not trace vape users who throw away e-vaporisers in disposal bins at 23 CCs
Singapore Mum at 15: More teens in Singapore gave birth in 2024
Business Already owning 5 properties, woman wanted elderly dad's 4 homes
Opinion Metallurgy degree for IT job in Singapore? Why not, says Tata Consultancy's growth markets chief
'You don't need to learn a fancy dance or anything that's complicated. You can put it with a really boring video that everyone's experiencing,' she said. 'And it builds into this remix culture.'
And much like the unofficial, crowdsourced competition for 'song of the summer' awarded to whatever catchy pop song becomes the most inescapable, a social media trend like the Jet2holidays ad remixes can spread quickly at a time when many people are sharing videos of summer escapades.
Jet2holidays is not the only beneficiary of the ad's sudden virality. Zoe Lister, the British actress who narrated it, recently created a TikTok video introducing herself as the voice of summer fun, and saying that she has received messages from people in Brazil, Canada, Algeria and the Philippines, to name a few.
She even joked that she could not believe people in the United States were interested in the trend seeing as 'they don't even have holidays, they have vacations'. NYTIMES
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
12 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday': Why are people talking about this viral TikTok trend?
NEW YORK - As water gushed into the New York City subway system during the flash floods that occurred during torrential rains in July, videos on social media showed dramatic scenes of water pouring across subway floors and passengers standing on the orange seats. One lighthearted video captured water bubbling up outside the train's windows as a woman rested her bare feet in the floodwater. The video was set to an unexpectedly upbeat song, Hold My Hand by British singer Jess Glynne, while a British woman enthusiastically announced, 'Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday.' The popular TikTok 'sound' has gone viral in recent weeks, with users adding the music and narration from a January 2024 airline ad campaign to videos, including dicey vacation moments. The original campaign for Jet2holidays, Britain's largest tour operator, showcased a deal offering 50 pounds (S$86) off holiday packages that included up to 22kg of luggage. The 30-second ad has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube. So how did the tagline from a random ad from over a year ago become this summer's ubiquitous travel meme? The TikTok 'for you' page prioritises content that is doing well, regardless of the time it was first uploaded, allowing users to rediscover older material and create new content incorporating it, leading to a potential snowball effect. Part of the appeal of the trend, said Jenna Jacobson, an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University who specialises in social media, is its paradoxical nature – pairing a fun, lively audio with chaotic events. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong Road South closed for repairs after car fell into sinkhole Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Asia Thai-Cambodia border shelling continues despite Trump's ceasefire call Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021 Singapore HSA will not trace vape users who throw away e-vaporisers in disposal bins at 23 CCs Singapore Mum at 15: More teens in Singapore gave birth in 2024 Business Already owning 5 properties, woman wanted elderly dad's 4 homes Opinion Metallurgy degree for IT job in Singapore? Why not, says Tata Consultancy's growth markets chief 'You don't need to learn a fancy dance or anything that's complicated. You can put it with a really boring video that everyone's experiencing,' she said. 'And it builds into this remix culture.' And much like the unofficial, crowdsourced competition for 'song of the summer' awarded to whatever catchy pop song becomes the most inescapable, a social media trend like the Jet2holidays ad remixes can spread quickly at a time when many people are sharing videos of summer escapades. Jet2holidays is not the only beneficiary of the ad's sudden virality. Zoe Lister, the British actress who narrated it, recently created a TikTok video introducing herself as the voice of summer fun, and saying that she has received messages from people in Brazil, Canada, Algeria and the Philippines, to name a few. She even joked that she could not believe people in the United States were interested in the trend seeing as 'they don't even have holidays, they have vacations'. NYTIMES
AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Gwyneth Paltrow stars in Astronomer ad after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video, Entertainment News
Gwyneth Paltrow is starring in a new ad for Astronomer. Almost two weeks after the tech company's married CEO, Andy Byron, was caught on a Coldplay concert kiss cam with his arms around his HR executive Kristin Cabot, Gwyneth has been hired as a "temporary" spokesperson for Astronomer. Gwyneth, 52 - who was married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin from 2003 until 2016 - appeared in a short video on Astronomer's social media speaking about the company's strengths. She said: "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer. Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common one." The first question, "OMG! What the actual f***?", then appeared on the screen in writing. However, she dodged the question and said: "Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow, unifying the experience of running data, ML and AI pipelines at scale. We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Astronomer (@astronomer_io) The next question to Astronomer was, "How is your social media team holding..." However, she moved on before the whole question could be asked, saying: "We will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer." The video was captioned: "Thank you for your interest in Astronomer." At Coldplay's July 15 concert, a cameraman panned across the crowd and showed Byron and Cabot in an embrace. In a video shared to TikTok, as the couple frantically tried to dodge the camera, Chris, 48, could be heard saying: "Oh, look at these two. All right, c'mon, you're okay. "Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." [[nid:720384]] Both Byron and Cabot have since resigned from the company.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Trump hits Scottish golf course as protesters set to rally
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump (left) and his son Eric at Mr Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland on July 26. Turnberry, Scotland - US President Donald Trump played golf on the first full day of his visit to Scotland on July 26, as protesters prepared to take to the streets across the country. Mr Trump emerged from his Turnberry resort with son Eric and waved to photographers following his arrival in Scotland on July 25 evening. His presence has turned the picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place. Officers on quad bikes or horses, others on foot with sniffer dogs, patrolled the famous course – which has hosted four men's British Opens – and the sandy beaches and grass dunes that hug the course. The 79-year-old touched down July 25 at nearby Prestwick Airport , as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and try to catch a glimpse of its famous passenger. The president has professed a love of Scotland, where his mother was born, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Mr Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Johor faces healthcare worker shortage amid population boom, pull of higher Singapore salaries Asia Death toll climbs as Thai-Cambodia clashes continue despite calls for ceasefire Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Asia Shunsaku Tamiya, who brought perfection to plastic race car models, dies at 90 'You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore,' he said, adding that it was 'killing' the continent. Mr Trump's five-day visit has divided the local community. 'A lot of people don't trust Trump and I'm one of them. I think the man is a megalomaniac,' retiree Graham Hodgson said. 'He's so full of himself. I think he's doing a lot of damage worldwide with his tariffs. And I think it's all for the sake of America, but at the moment I think America is paying the price as well for his policies.' But at Prestwick Airport a boy held a sign that read 'Welcome Trump' while a man waved a flag emblazoned with his most famous slogan – 'Make America Great Again'. 'I think the best thing about Trump is he's not actually a politician yet he's the most powerful man in the world and I think he's looking at the best interests of his own country,' said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock. 'Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas,' he said. As the police rolled out a massive security operation, the Stop Trump Coalition announced demonstrations on July 26 near the US consulate in Edinburgh and another in Aberdeen, where Trump owns another golf resort. Police are also monitoring any other protests that might spring up near Turnberry. Mr Trump has no public meetings in the diary for July 26, but he is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on July 27 and meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. AFP
