Brand Spotlight: Liquid Death
To the uninitiated, Liquid Death sounds macabre; but it is not so edgy a product as its name denotes. In fact, that very contradiction is part of the brand’s entire strategy, as Liquid Death is a simple product: water.
Liquid Death: A Marketing Twist
Liquid Death debuted in 2018 with its (arguably unremarkable) canned water; hydration wrapped in recyclable aluminum and decorated with a dripping skull and a few choice words. “Murder your thirst.” “From the Australian Alps.” Two versions, to start: “Mountain water” and “sparkling.”
No, it doesn’t taste much different from literally any other water, from the Australian Alps or otherwise. The variation is only as much as Dasani may differ slightly in taste and mouthfeel from Fiji or Aquafina. The true magic of these oft-overpriced cans is in the branding.
How Liquid Death Built a Weird (and Effective) Brand
The water company has refused to shy away from–nay, has indeed embraced–uncommon marketing tactics to build an entirely unexpected brand. Irreverent and insane, here’s some of their best work:
It just looks cool.
Serving hydration in tallboy cans with heavy metal typography, Liquid Death is rocking its own aesthetic.
Why it works: The packaging not only looks vastly different from other water options, but also looks more akin to a craft beer than a simple water. Imagine sitting in a bar, or wandering a music festival; for those not wishing to partake in alcohol, the Liquid Death option blends in rather than clashing with a boring plastic bottle.
“Keep the Underworld Beautiful”
A marketing campaign by Liquid Death featuring a retro live-action video of hell itself, overrun by plastic bottles raining down from Earth above. The surrounding demons are upset–after all, this waste is ruining the underworld’s carefully curated aesthetic. #DeathToPlastic.
Why it works: It’s fun, weird, and eco-conscious. The video is entertaining and can be repurposed as shorter clips, all while employing a hashtag that avoids being too brand-specific to be more widely applicable.
Plus, they have a point, as single-use plastic is worse than ever. Plus, it’s educational: The video features savvy points, like how most plastic bottles aren’t profitable enough to recycle, so they often go straight to landfills. (The demon zaps the silly earthlings for foolishly believing otherwise.)
“Greatest Hates”
Another bright idea from Liquid Death was to turn the haters into content. Specifically, an original album of songs inspired by their least supportive social media commenters.
Let me be clear that these songs are objectively and utterly brilliant. I mean, I am personally not a heavy metal connoisseur, and each installation of the album is a raging, screaming anthem, but it really works.
Song titles, born of actual hate comments found online, include:
“Reconsider Your Life Choices”
“This Crap is Pure Evil”
“Huge Tools (Every Single Person Involved)”
“Selling Your Soul is Deplorable”
“There’s Not Even Alcohol in It”
“It’s Dumb and I Won’t Buy It”
“This is Very Demonic”
“F*** Whoever Started This”
“Another Contribution to a Very Sick Culture”
“I Thought This Was Alcohol”
“Good Try, Devil”
“Think It’s Funny to Joke About Eternal Damnation?”
Why it works: It’s simply hilarious to go this all-in on hate comments. The album twists Liquid Death opposers greatest critiques such as calls against the marketing department for selling their souls and marketing “pure evil,” but doesn’t stop there with the joke. The brand actually released this album on Spotify, laughably asserting that the music will undoubtedly be enjoyed “again and again.” Hey, maybe it will be.
They embraced the hate and turned it into a very, very committed joke. Now on Volume 3 of “Greatest Hates,” it’s clearly been worthwhile to keep the joke going.
“Murder Your Meditation”
Also on Spotify, this hour-long track is a homage pastiche of traditional meditation tracks. With sounds of calming water trickles punctuated with hard drum lines, a deliciously deep voice spends the full 60 minutes saying absolutely insane things. I won’t even dissect this one here–just listen to 30 seconds of it yourself and you’ll understand.
Why it works: Like I said, you’ll understand once you hear it. Just trust me and go have a laugh. Note: Do not attempt to actually meditate to this track. That would be very weird.
Adult Film Star/Eco-Warrior
Adult film star Cherie DeVille went on camera (fully clothed) to deliver a message for Liquid Death: “Don’t f*** the planet.”
Why it works: The words of Liquid Death co-founder and CEO Mike Cessario say it best: “Instead of guilting or mindlessly preaching to people, we make health and sustainability fun and irreverent. We wanted to highlight the breadth of an issue by bringing in spokespeople you wouldn’t typically associate with an eco-related message. The real taboo here should be single-use plastics.”
“The stats for adult entertainment sites really speak for themselves—22 percent of the world’s population goes to one of five porn sites every month. That’s 17 Super Bowls every month.”
Proof in the Pudding (Well, in the Water)
Liquid Death’s efforts have not been in vain. Since Netflix exec (this person) launched the brand, Liquid Death has earned a $1.4 billion valuation. And it’s right on the cusp of broaching the coveted IPO status. Honestly, I’d invest.
Beyond all the marketing campaigns readily available online, there has been a personally experiential value to the brand’s efforts. I myself have seen Liquid Death at events, entrapping passerby with their “Death to Plastic” ideals. They provided branded spots near massive crowds and encouraged plastic hand-offs in favor of a free can of Liquid Death. And, yes, I have been influenced enough by the sheer vibe to fork over my hard-earned cash for a can or two, despite unreasonably elevated prices at concerts and festivals. Whatever they’re doing–really, everything they’re doing–is flawlessly flawed, both gritty and perfect, and a genuinely fantastic example of out-of-the-box branding.
Note: Check out Liquid Death’s Timewaster 5000 for an archive of insanity from the brand. These include a golf club you can urinate in, a nod from Chase Crawford in the popular Amazon series The Boys, and a raffle to win an actual L-39 jet plane branded with Liquid Death.
