What is “fastvertising”?
Fastvertising is Ryan Reynolds' term for newsjacking at the speed of culture: when a major story breaks, his team at Maximum Effort builds an ad around it — usually within 48 hours — to ride the trending topic (Toofab). It treats real-time cultural moments as a springboard for brand buzz, exactly the principle David Meerman Scott described as newsjacking.
The Peloton ad: a newsjacking masterclass
In December 2019, Peloton released a holiday ad that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Within days, Aviation Gin — a completely unrelated brand — swooped in, hired the same actress, and released “The Gift That Doesn't Give Back,” showing her toasting to “new beginnings” with friends (PRNews). It was, as marketers put it, the trendjack of the year — piggybacking on a story everyone was already talking about, with a perfectly on-brand twist.
“Exercise bike not included.”— Ryan Reynolds, announcing the Aviation Gin Peloton spot
Mint Mobile: newsjacking as a growth engine
After buying a majority stake in Mint Mobile, Reynolds used quick-turn, news-reactive marketing to drive the carrier's biggest traffic days, helping grow revenue nearly 50,000% in three years before its $1.35 billion sale to T-Mobile (TechCrunch). Aviation Gin followed a similar arc, selling to Diageo for up to $610 million.
The Maximum Effort playbook you can steal
- Own the speed advantage
Reynolds built a team and process designed to ship in 48 hours. Speed beats polish when a story is hot.
- React to culture, not the calendar
Instead of pre-planned campaigns, he lets the news cycle dictate timing.
- Keep it unmistakably on-brand
Every fastvertising spot carries the same dry, self-aware humor — so the newsjack reinforces the brand.
- Cross-promote your portfolio
His brands promote each other, multiplying reach with every moment.