Liquid death is a product. This is bottled water. But its extravagant marketing has recently led to a valuation of $700 million. So what can B2B marketers learn from brands that aren't afraid to cash in on punk rock and porn stars? ASAPP's Shiloh Gray explains.
Brands and creative leaders like myself have joined Liquid Death Mountain Water's brave challenge when you need to quench your thirst. Quarterly, we celebrate, share and analyze the work of VP Creative Andy Pearson and his team. And at the heart of this conversation is the dual focus on liquid death brands in a business environment where fully responsible marketing spending has become the primary definition of success.
Now, the interesting thing is that the method of liquid death is nothing new. It builds on what advertising giants (such as David Ogilvy, Dan Weeden and Helen Lansdowne Resorts) have done before by applying this principle: be true to yourself, be attractive, and people will remember you. . But Liquid Death deserves the highest praise for having the courage to trust the emotional intelligence of its brand, team and customers.
Launched in 2019, it took only a few years for the marketers behind the canned water brand, founded by former Netflix executive Mike Cesario, to reach quasi-cornerstone status. While Cesario and his team have built an amazing company, the real stars are the brands they've built. What can B2B brands learn from this growing startup?
Lesson 1: Inspire your followers with your difference
Cesario is a former rock musician who noticed the energy drink company investing heavily in band tours and music festivals during Warped Tour in 2008. In talking with musicians, he finds that they like to hydrate with H2O while they play, but often have to store water in energy drink containers because of sponsorship deals.
Not ideal, right? So he made a watermark for it. Cesario does what all major brands do: he finds real problems for real people to solve, unique enough to inspire the uniqueness of his brand. Brand positioning is most effective with a tangible difference when taken from real life. You really can't make it up.
Lesson 2: Sell your brand to sell your product
First, filling a big guy's body with clear water like a beer can is undeniably brilliant. But marketing strategy is also an important part of Liquid Death's success.
For example, earlier this year Liquid Death introduced a new line of flavored sparkling waters - Severed Lime, Mango Saw and Berry Eat Alive - in an ad campaign. The campaign is a creative effort of asses, jokes and humor, pitting everyday consumers against their $1.99 liquid mortal stature, the world's most expensive liquid. . These include Lobster Bearnaise Sauce ($50), Frozen Japanese Wagyu Cheeseburger ($51), Spanish Squid Ink ($58) and Beluga Caviar ($580). The idea is to play with advertising tropes that people are used to - taste tests. Just one video has been viewed a million times on YouTube.
In May 2020, Liquid Death released the album Greatest Hates, a death metal composition composed using Cesario's background music and lyrics taken from hate comments the company found on the internet. Hateful Comments' next album, billed as Punk Rock, was released later that year. And the rock 'n' roll plan worked, because nearly two years later, during Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, the company debuted a Big Game commercial featuring babies and a pregnant woman mixing drinks to heavy metal music. He played with the idea that tall guys are usually filled with beer, and the spot ended with the tagline, "Don't worry, it's just water." In addition to the estimated 100 million Super Bowl viewers, the venue received advertising. Get millions of views on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social platforms.
The lesson for B2B marketers is to keep giving people what they want in the most compelling way. Then they'll do more than just buy your product—they'll buy your brand. As long as we're in the lead generation business, it doesn't have to be boring.
Lesson 3: State your goals
Liquid Death relies heavily on humor in its marketing, but is serious about the environment and the disposal of plastic drink bottles. And this position is supported by data: 73% of aluminum cans are made from recycled materials.
Aluminum cans are more environmentally friendly than bottled water or cans. For this reason, Liquid Death is packaged in an aluminum case, and the brand has partnered with several non-profit organizations to further their efforts to combat climate change. At the same time, 10% of the revenue from each box is donated to the fight against plastic pollution.
This goal is particularly relevant to the younger generation, but also to almost everyone: a survey by Accenture found that 62% of all consumers prefer objective companies that address issues related to sustainability, transparency and fair employment practices.
The ultimate lesson for the B2B community? Showcase and market your team spirit. It could be the culture you develop, the talent you attract, the processes you use to innovate, or how your brand demonstrates social responsibility. It's not "I want to give the world a Coke," it's got to be you.
There's always more to say, and Liquid Death's work deserves all the ink. So let's start here, B2B marketers. Let's present ourselves to our customers in a unique and consistent way that matters to them. I'll be looking for the "Kill Your Inefficiency" keynote at my next B2B conference.
Shiloh Gray is VP of Brand and Creative at ASAPP.