Do you know the best place to land if you accidentally fall out of a plane? This situation inspired a now mega-viral meme created by The Original Tamale Company, a family-owned small business in Los Angeles, with some help from ChatGPT. The 46-second social media clip has been viewed over 22 million times in about three weeks, garnering 1. 2 million likes. Celebrities like sports analyst Emmanuel Acho, pro boxer Emiliano Vargas, and "Queen of the South" actor Peter Gadiot have commented on the post. This kind of advertising success, once reserved for marketing agencies or established influencers, is now within reach for anyone with access to an AI chatbot and social media. For restaurants, which often operate on very slim margins, a viral hit can make a big difference. “I made it in 10 minutes, posted it, and it blew up, ” said Christian Ortega, who manages marketing for his family's tamale shop, to Business Insider. “We gained so many followers from just that one video. ” The video depicts a man falling from a plane without a parachute, plummeting toward Earth. A narrator calmly delivers some questionable advice on what to do in that predicament, suggesting, for instance, that landing in water should be avoided. “The thing is, water doesn’t compress well, and you’ll be falling at over 200 miles per hour. The impact feels the same as hitting concrete, ” the narrator explains. As the man rapidly descends, the narrator proposes an alternative landing spot: “For example, The Original Tamale Company. ” The PSA-style video then seamlessly shifts into a digital ad for the restaurant, featuring B-roll shots of its tamales and other menu items. “God, I love good ads, ” one commenter wrote. ‘I don’t see AI as anything bad. I see it as a tool. ’ The Original Tamale Company is located in Pacoima, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. Ortega, the owner’s nephew, shared that his family has been in the food business for nearly 30 years. “I basically grew into it, ” he told Business Insider.

“I started on the front lines selling tamales at farmers’ markets and doing big events. ” Ortega describes himself as creative and enjoys making videos, so managing the restaurant’s social media was a natural fit. While he produces original content, some of his videos incorporate popular memes or trending ideas. The viral ad released in July is based on a meme that had been circulating. “If I see an idea that I know really clicks with the company or the audience, I make something quickly and post it, ” Ortega said. He emphasized the importance for brands to add their own personal touch to ads. “You have to ask yourself, ‘How can I make that work for my business?’” Ortega partially used AI to produce the video, including generating the narrator’s voice and a script written by ChatGPT. However, he strives to balance AI tools with his own creativity and sometimes opts not to use AI at all. “I understand why people say, ‘AI is sucking out all your creative processing, ’” Ortega said. “But I don’t see AI as anything bad. I see it as a tool, and it definitely speeds up the process. ” Since going viral, the video has boosted business at his family’s restaurant. “We’ve had customers come in and mention the video, saying it’s the only reason they came because it made them laugh, ” he said. “Also because they checked the reviews—and many people rave about the tamales!” “It’s very fun, ” he added. “Especially working with the family. ”