How a viral stunt turned a stormy day in Cape Town into a moment of laughter
The Van Hunks team having some fun in the rain.
Image: Instagram
As a fierce storm lashed Cape Town, forcing most residents to retreat indoors with hot water bottles, Matthew Krone, owner of the sparkling drink brand Van Hunks, opted for an unconventional approach.
Defying the tempest, he took to a Lakeside pavement, donning a shirt and tie with shorts, and set up a beach chair amidst the chaos. His audacious stunt, which involved sitting in a massive puddle while cars splashed through, aimed to inject a dose of humour and resilience into a city grappling with the storm's fury.
The video of the stunt has since gone viral, offering a lighthearted moment amid a week of horror stories and storm-induced havoc.
“A good idea that ran away with us”
The idea wasn't born in a boardroom, but out of the shared shock of the storm's impact.
Krone’s own home hadn't escaped the winds; his outside awning was ripped off during the night, and the brand’s office in Woodstock was battling flooding.
“My business partner and I were chatting on the phone. Sharing some of the usual ‘horror stories’ of all the storm damage,” Krone says.
“We’ve been talking about needing to shoot some new content for our site and socials, so then we laughingly joked maybe we should go do some pics of a picnic in the rain. It seemed like a good idea that just ran away with us.”
What started as a joke turned into a mission.
The team, in fact, started their adventure in the rain at Muizenberg beach, but when they came across a massive puddle in Lakeside on their way back, they simply couldn’t resist stopping.
In a stroke of South African irony, Krone notes that the very first vehicle to drench them was a police van.
This, of course, gave the rest of the drivers the ok to do the same!
For Van Hunks, the crazy act was less about a marketing gimmick and more about staying true to a brand ethos that values resilience and humour.
“Our whole brand ethos is about trying to not take ourselves or the world too seriously,” Krone explains. “Especially with all the drama happening globally, we kinda feel the world should sometimes just remember to have some fun too.”
In a country where the divide between lightheartedness and daily struggle is often thin, Krone is mindful of the context.
“In South Africa in particular, we are very aware of the struggles and suffering that the vast majority of our people go through every day, so we want to give them something to laugh at and enjoy as part of their storytelling.”
Beyond the bubbles
While the video provided a much-needed laugh, the brand is using its viral moment to pivot back to the serious reality of the storm’s aftermath.
The "community-focused" brand is currently running a bubbly giveaway to raise funds for those hardest hit by the Cape storms.
Beyond the immediate crisis, Van Hunks has integrated a monthly charity drive into its operations at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.
“We’re doing a monthly charity drive for people to come to our Tasting Studio and drop off old clothes, tinned food, and blankets,” says Krone. “We will be doing monthly deliveries to various charities doing some amazing work.”
This month, the charity they’ve selected is Pebbles Project, and the event will be taking place on Thursday, May 28.