World Cup tourists go viral for first visits to Buc-ee’s and Walmart. Could brand deals follow?

Shaun Alexander landed on U.S. soil last week, excited to witness his home country of Scotland’s first appearance in the World Cup in 28 years. What he did not expect was that he would quickly land a partnership for posting about his American food adventures.

Alexander, who has nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram, struck a paid social partnership with drive-through chain Sonic to film his first taste test of an American corndog. The partnership didn’t come completely out of nowhere. Alexander goes by Shaunvlog on his social media pages, and often posts about trying new foods and tourist attractions during his international travels.

But even he admits his posts during the World Cup have taken off in a way he didn’t expect. Over the last few days, his Instagram, X and TikTok accounts have gained tens of thousands of new followers and hundreds of thousands likes, which helped him land the Sonic partnership. “I’d be lying if I said this was all totally planned,” he told Modern Retail.

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