SodaStream’s commercial for Heavy Bubbles –Sparkling Water That Makes You Sweat was initially created as an April Fools’ joke but this silly video has gone on to pop an Israeli Internet record with over 50,000 shares and more than five million views in just a few days.

The SodaStream International  sparkling water brand collaborated with Game of Thrones  star Hafthor ‘Thor’ Bjornsson  on a commercial advocating that carrying heavy bottles is the best sweaty urban-fitness exercise.

Allenby Concept House, the Tel Aviv-based team behind Levi’s Commuter Clothing line, and viral video director Vania Heymann  also took part in the practical joke ad campaign.

As holder of Europe’s Strongest Man title, Bjornson was an obvious choice of brand ambassador for SodaStream.

“Fun, revolutionary and disruptive campaigns are very much part of our culture,” said Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream. “We wanted to emphasize how ridiculous it is to continue to carry bottles home from the supermarket, so we came up with this crazy, out-of-the box campaign. We know that this consumer habit is hard to break, so we brought Europe’s Strongest Man to help us.”

The campaign looked real enough when it first aired on March 31, 2016. There is a regular commercial, a behind-the-scenes version, a website and a Facebook page.

But when Bjornson utters some of his (absurd) lines — “Is something wrong with your head? Why would you believe such things?” or “This is not my home. This is a set. But believe me, I have a home. Not exactly like this but also not very different. Don’t be annoying.” – viewers should realize that SodaStream has served up a practical joke.

The Israeli manufacturer of home beverage carbonation systems wants people to view SodaStream as the sane answer for their sparkling water needs.

Bjornsson is not the first Hollywood face to model for SodaStream. Scarlett Johansson was chosen as the company’s first official global brand ambassador in 2014.
Like Johansson, Bjornsson says he’s been a fan of SodaStream even before they created this April Fools’ hoax.

“I’ve been using SodaStream since I was a kid and was therefore thrilled to collaborate in this video. I’m always open to new techniques for exercising, but you’ve got to admit that carrying bottles home from the supermarket is a hassle and actually pretty stupid when we have an alternative such as SodaStream,” he said.