A Filipino university student who went viral for his unique first name has become an ambassador for the sports drink company Gatorade.
Drink Water V. Rivera previously made headlines in the Philippines after his college classmate uploaded a photo of his identification card on social media in January.
“The best Filipino name in existence,” his classmate said.
Drink Water Rivera is the best Filipino name in existence. https://t.co/4tI2t1Zdb3 pic.twitter.com/Yrdq44J95a
— Chain Messages (@itwontworkelija) January 12, 2023
Following his social media fame, Rivera was hired to endorse Gatorade’s No Sugar drink in a commercial.
Rivera, who studied communication at Far Eastern University in Manila, expressed love for his name and explained that his mother could not breathe while giving birth to him without drinking water.
Today, he uses his name as a way to remind everyone the importance of staying hydrated, according to Mashable.
I’m loving my name because as we were told in my advertising class, this is my branding. One of the key factors of good advertising is good branding and its impact, and I think it resonates with my name as people are amazed by my name.
In the Gatorade commercial, viewers are introduced to Rivera’s story through a witty mockumentary.
“No names have been changed. None. Promise,” the commercial begins, referring to Rivera’s hydration-based identity.
The video then follows Rivera as he narrates parts of his life and explains how he has fully embraced his legal name by getting an arm tattoo of his first name, ordering a “water on the rocks” at a bar and sitting by a water dispenser at his office.
My mom craved water a lot when she was pregnant with me. That’s why she named me Drink Water. That’s my real name. Ever since, hydration is my identity. That’s why, day and night, year after year, I’ve always been content with just water.
However, Rivera then admits that he needs more than water when it comes to working out.
“I may be Drink Water, but when it’s time to exercise, I drink Gatorade No Sugar,” he says in the commercial.
The video ends with River adding a “Drinks Gatorade” tattoo under his existing tattoo.
