The viral Coleman lazy river wasn’t real, but the reaction to it revealed a lesson about social listening, brand trust and speed.
“That’s hilarious!”
That was Jimmy Jia’s first reaction when Coleman’s social team showed him the AI-generated image spreading quickly online: a massive, 200-foot Coleman lazy river that did not actually exist.
Jia, Coleman’s vice president of brand, didn’t see the post as a crisis. He saw a strange and funny creation. The image was fake. But boy, were people excited.
Maybe that was something that could be really useful, he said.
“It just was like the perfect intersection of…things that create something that’s so talkable,” Jia said. “You look at it and, face value, it’s a lazy river, but then it’s 200 feet. It’s kind of ridiculous. It’s got a very recognizable, obvious brand that deals with this outdoor space.”
The brand could correct the record and move on. Or it could stay honest but lean in.
Coleman chose the second option and it paid off.
How did Coleman find out about the fake lazy river?
The company’s social listening teams use tools to track mentions, tags and consumer conversations online daily. But the team also spends time directly watching feeds and seeing what people are saying in real time, Jia said.
After noticing the image, which had Coleman’s name attached, the team flagged it internally.
@christophergambin46 Can you imagine having a lazy river in your backyard? This is a backyard lazy river looks absolutely awesome. I would love to get this! ##walmart##walmartfinds##walmartsyncalong##walmart2hrexpress##walmarthaul ♬ original sound – christopher0410
Once the team determined this wasn’t some leaked prototype, they had to decide how to respond.
“Our message was actually pretty simple,” Jia said. “We said, ‘We wish it were real, too.’”
That gave Coleman room to participate without misleading people, he said.
A hard corporate response would have killed the fun, Jia said. Coleman found a middle lane by being transparent, playful and still aligned with the brand’s voice.
“The team really did a good job of balancing that,” Jia said.
How did Coleman turn something fake into a brand moment?
Some videos tied to the fake lazy river hit more than 32 million views and were reposted tens of thousands of times in the first week, Jia said.
“We said, okay, well, let’s drive this conversation. Let’s amplify it. Let’s have fun with it,” he said.
The team brainstormed some ideas and within about 45 minutes, they had a plan to activate across Coleman.com, TikTok and Instagram.
Coleman created a page on its site asking, “Is the lazy river real?” When users clicked, they saw the answer of, “Not yet.”
This confirmed the product was fake while also joining the audience’s daydream, Jia said. The page then directed visitors to real Coleman products that could help create “lazy river vibes” in real life, including coolers, shelters and chairs.
Coleman also created a promo code, “Lazy River,” for 10% off any purchase.
“We were acknowledging this is happening and that Coleman, the brand, like, we love it,” he said. “We want to be part of this.”
Coleman decided to activate on a Wednesday, had creative assets ready by Thursday and launched across social platforms and its website by Friday. Acting on cultural moments requires adaptability and speed, Jia said.
The brand later added a skit on Instagram and TikTok that showed a playful, behind-the-scenes version of the team planning its response. They rotated in chairs with goggles and sunglasses, mimicking floating on a lake as they spouted ideas to each other.
@colemanusaThe Lazy River is Not Real [Yet] The office debate is still very real. Finish the sentence: The Coleman Lazy River needs a __________.♬ original sound – colemanusa
The video also gave people something AI could not, he said: Actual humans inside the brand laughing at themselves.
What did Coleman learn from the response?
The early results showed how much people wanted to keep the fantasy alive, Jia said. He couldn’t disclose financial results because of a blackout period, Jia said. But the weekend after the activation, 90% of Coleman.com’s organic site traffic came through the search terms “Coleman lazy river” or “lazy river,” Jia said.
Coleman also posted an Instagram poll asking whether the brand should make the lazy river. Jia said 100% of respondents voted yes.
Coleman did 3 things other brands can use
There are a few reasons why Coleman’s response worked so well, Jia said, including:
- It had people close enough to the conversation to spot the moment early. The brand’s social team found the post before it peaked and knew how the audience was responding.
- Coleman trusted the people closest to the platforms. Jia said the most junior people on the org chart can often be the most important voices in moments like this because they understand the tone, the comments and the risks. “They’re the ones that are plugged in,” Jia said. “They’re the ones that gave me enough confidence.”
- Coleman acted quickly without pretending the product was real. The brand corrected the record, joined the joke and gave people a useful next step.
As AI makes fake images easier to create and harder for audiences to immediately dismiss, brands need to know when to correct, when to ignore and when to participate, Jia said.
The fake lazy river worked because it revealed a real consumer desire. People wanted a playful summer escape, and they believed Coleman belonged in that space.
Jia said Coleman loved the fan interactions so much that it’s not even opposed to the creation of a giant lazy river.
“We truly aren’t shutting the door on this idea,” he said. “At the end of the day, (we want to) just bring people together outside because we think life’s better when you’re outside, even if it’s floating on a 200-foot lazy river.”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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