'Lightning in a bottle': What 'aura farming' means for brands and nation branding

If you’ve been online at all in recent months, you’ve likely seen it: a boat dance that exploded across TikTok, endlessly remade in streets, stadiums and living rooms around the world. “Aura farming” - the internet’s name for a routine taken from Riau’s traditional pacu jalur race - has become one of Indonesia’s rare “lightning in a bottle” moments.

It began with a boy named Rayyan on a boat. Wearing sunglasses, standing impossibly still as a long, slender vessel surged down a muddy river, he radiated calm while grown men rowed furiously behind him. Within weeks, PSG footballers mimicked the stance, NFL stars copied the gesture and Rayyan became Indonesia’s accidental cultural ambassador.

From a marketing and brand-building perspective, this is more than just a meme. Companies rushed in with merchandise, video remakes, endorsements, and reactive campaigns. Even the government seized the momentum, naming Rayyan as a tourism ambassador and spotlighting pacu jalur on the national event calendar.

But while the moment feels electric, the question is whether aura farming can evolve into something even larger. If it stops at surface-level memes and dance challenges, the opportunity may fade just as fast as it arrived. The bigger task is to ask: how can Indonesia harness trends such as aura farming with more intention? What’s required to turn fleeting virality into long-term equity - for brands, for creators, and even for the nation’s cultural identity?

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The DNA of viral culture

Ayu Sekar Rini Ratmowiyono, senior strategic planner at MullenLowe Lintas Indonesia, noted that aura farming resonated because it struck a balance between quirky local flavour and universal relatability - a reminder that culture, when distilled into something simple and human, can transcend borders and speak a shared language.

“The success of aura farming lies in its perfect momentums of the local and the universal. By mixing quirky Indonesian tradition with gamer slang, it became instantly authentic and memeable, yet easy for global audiences to understand and share,” she told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

This formula - simple to copy, remix, and distribute - is the DNA of today’s viral culture. Brands naturally want to tap into such culture, as it offers organic visibility while signalling relevance and earning respect as hype-friendly players. But beyond the meme, Ratmowiyono sees a lesson: “The real opportunity is to use a trend as an entry point into a bigger story, one that ties back to the brand’s core values. In other words, don’t just chase the meme. Tell a story with it.”

She argued that while TikTok dances, limited-edition merchandise drops, and souvenirs may generate instant likes, they rarely build lasting impact, amounting to little more than easy wins and safe plays.

Marco Nashahta Adriaansz, creative group head at Cheil Indonesia, sees aura farming’s virality not as luck, but psychology.

“Aura farming’s global virality isn’t accidental; it’s a testament to its immediate and powerful impact on audience curiosity. The phenomenon leverages a fundamental principle of human psychology: the allure of effortless charisma,” he said.

A young dancer with unexpected swagger becomes more than a passing clip; they become a mystery audiences want to decode. The best content transforms viewers from passive spectators into active seekers of meaning, he added. Adriaansz also argued that Indonesia should stop chasing trends and instead surface more authentic narratives. “Our nation’s thousands of traditions aren’t just history; they’re an endless source of fresh, compelling narratives waiting to be surfaced.”

The most impactful work doesn’t adapt to the audience; it forces the audience to adapt to it. We’re not in the business of fitting in.

Surface-level activations aren’t inherently bad - they’re rapid-fire moves that make a brand instantly relevant, a punchline to a real-time joke. In today’s social media era, it’s about staying nimble and present. But building a legacy demands more: it requires going deeper, Adriaansz emphasised.

Brands as 'aura amplifiers'

Michael Fabian, lead creative at ALVA Maleo, offers a stark warning, stressing that aura farming cannot be equated with Japan’s kawaii aesthetic or Korea’s hallyu wave, which were carefully cultivated over time through sustained cultural strategy.

“Aura farming was lightning in a bottle. But the bottle is already empty. That’s why we cannot kid ourselves into thinking Rayyan is our kawaii or our hallyu. Kawaii wasn’t born from a meme. Hallyu wasn’t an accident. Both were nurtured for years, strategically, with entire ecosystems - governments, industries, artists, communities - building them into exports,” he said. They grew into waves because entire ecosystems of music, fashion, drama, and design rose around them, added Adriaansz.

Fabian also emphasised that the term aura farming has its roots in gaming culture rather than in a wider cultural movement. For him, the real danger is in treating culture as a throwaway internet joke. “If Indonesia keeps treating culture like a meme, we’ll always arrive late to our own story.”

We can’t pretend a TikTok trend equals a nation brand. If we want an export, it has to come from who we are, not from borrowed slang.

Instead, he called for exaggerating Indonesia’s soul - its humour, chaos, and beauty - rather than sanding down the edges to appeal globally. “That’s the lesson. Stop acting like tourists in our own country. Stop sanding down our edges. We don’t need to look like anyone else. We need to exaggerate our own soul.”

Global-friendly isn’t the benchmark; other nations have shown there are sharper lessons to follow. India channels its complexity into stories that feel unmistakably Indian, whether through Bollywood spectacle or deeply human narratives. Thailand thrives on absurdity, from tear-jerking insurance films to outrageous snack ads. They didn’t tone themselves down - they doubled down. And the world followed, Fabian said.

Meanwhile, both Ratmowiyono and Adriaansz pointed to strategies for turning fleeting sparks into lasting flames - transforming playful internet culture into lived experiences that take root in people’s lives. This means loyalty schemes, festivals, community pop-ups, AR/VR experiences, and co-creation with Gen Z and Alpha - audiences that demand authenticity.

Adriaansz emphasised the Indonesian spirit of “guyub,” or togetherness: “When brands try to become ‘aura amplifiers,’ they need to connect with this cultural truth. It’s not about riding on a meme, but about reflecting Indonesia’s deep-rooted spirit of togetherness and positivity.”

This approach transforms viral energy into lived rituals. From football watch parties to Roblox “aura worlds,” the opportunity lies in building experiences that feel communal and authentic.

Investing in anomalies, not exploiting them

Fabian is blunt about Rayyan’s role: “Rayyan was a miracle. But a moment is not a movement.” He compares Indonesia’s handling of the boy to Nike’s long bet on Michael Jordan or WWE’s careful construction of its characters. “Anomalies should be built, not burned. Look at Jordan and Nike… that was belief, patience, and years of building something bigger than sneakers. Look at WWE... They built characters, invested in arcs, created mythologies.”

Figures such as Rayyan shouldn’t be treated as disposable viral talent, Ratmowiyono argued, urging brands and institutions to back their growth, fund their projects, and open paths to explore local culture in new ways.

Adriaansz echoed this call: “Brands should see figures like Rayyan not just as momentary influencers, but as potential cultural ambassadors who can represent Indonesia overtime. Pursue relentlessly and evolve. This is how short term fame turns into long-term cultural equity.”

For all three experts, aura farming is both a warning and an opportunity. It shows that Indonesia has the raw materials to spark global fascination - but sparks need oxygen, not just applause. Ratmowiyono framed it as a national branding avenue.

Aura farming could define Indonesia as the land of playful, optimistic energy but it needs more than virality. It requires structure, storytelling, and support from creators, brands, and institutions alike.

Adriaansz goes further, suggesting that aura farming should be just one of many cultural touchpoints: “Our job is to celebrate these everyday gems and give them a global stage. That’s how we start a truly Indonesian wave.” He said the next big thing isn’t created from scratch - it’s hiding in plain sight. From “badut dekor” ads on lamp posts to the silent pull of the “silver man” on street corners, these raw fragments of daily life are the cultural artefacts that define the nation.

Fabian concludes with urgency: “The boy on the boat showed us what we could be. Calm in chaos. Balance in madness. Rhythm in noise. For one perfect moment, we struck lightning. The next step is ours. The next step is to turn that lightning into a lighthouse the world cannot ignore.”

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