Liquid Death Marketing Strategy: How Did It Win?

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In this case study, we’ll deeply examine the liquid death marketing strategy, its history, distinctive branding, and the irrational advertising techniques that have aided the brand’s growth.

First, it’s fantastic that pure water is packaged in a tall boy can, similar to a beer can. However, a significant portion of Liquid Death’s popularity may also be attributed to its marketing approach, which includes its target audience, bold branding, exciting content, and ecological activism.

Learn more about the liquid death marketing strategy by reading on.

Liquid Death Case Study

The inspiration for Liquid Death came to the inventor, Mike Cessario, at the beginning of the 2000s after he went to a musical event supported by Monster Energy. On the other hand, the bands preferred to avoid constantly consuming energy drinks while they were on vacation. They wished for water.

Being a sponsor, Monster did not want the bars to consume bottled water while performing, so they produced Monster cans that were identical to the energy drink but contained water.

Mike Cessario

And the musicians would be given that to drink. And the crowd imagined they were drinking energy drinks when they saw them sipping it. That planted a seed in Mike’s head, prompting him to ask why beneficial goods like water don’t sell as entertaining and engagingly as bad ones like fast food, sweets, etc.

Mike thought of an intelligent scheme to demonstrate that Liquid Death was legitimate. To make Liquid Death appear to be a legitimate product, he created a Facebook profile in 2018 using a 3D representation of his can design. He shot a two-minute advertisement to add that extra kick. But what’s this? It performed flawlessly!

The video received a remarkable 3 million watches in only four months. The response was tremendous. They received a deluge of messages and remarks from stunned individuals. Let’s now discuss the liquid death marketing strategy.

Visit: Liquid Death

Liquid Death Branding & Marketing Strategy

The Liquid Death marketing campaign drastically altered the calm visuals of beautiful lakes or ice that are generally used to promote bottled water. Here are some liquid death marketing strategy.

Target Audience

Young adults and Generation Z, two groups that embrace fun, authenticity, and businesses that don’t take themselves too seriously, are the target audiences for Liquid Death’s clever branding. This audience, frequently resistive to conventional advertising, responded favorably to Liquid Death’s unconventional strategy.

Bold branding

More than any other water brand, their tagline, “Murder Your Thirst,” and the skull graphics create the appearance of a metal band.

Murder Your Thirst

This boldness sets the brand apart from rivals and appeals to customers looking for different options.

Interesting Content

Liquid Death distributed attractive, hilarious, and occasionally morbid material through social media, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. They made mockumentaries, viral clips, and an imaginary influential metal band to market the brand.

Ecological Activism

Liquid Death caters to customers concerned about the environment by opting for aluminum over plastic and working with organizations to organize trash pickups and environmental initiatives.

sell your soul

They promoted the brand’s dedication to conservation with their campaign, “Sell Your Soul,” which encouraged customers to “sell their soul” in exchange for an empty bottle of Liquid Death. Liquid Death promised to contribute $1.80 to reduce plastic waste for each “sold” soul.

Read also: Burger King’s Marketing Strategy and Branding [Case Study]

Liquid Death advertising

After learning Liquid Death marketing strategy, let’s talk about its advertising.

Ways to use social media and humor

The boundaries of conventional marketing and placement of goods are no longer applicable in the modern digital era. Brands must communicate, connect, and interact with consumers in distinctive ways.

liquid death social media

The marketing strategy used by Liquid Death is a lesson in how to use fun, edge, and social media platforms to generate attention and build brand loyalty.

Social Media Environment

Due to their extensive social media use, Gen Z and Millennials were the primary demographics that Liquid Death targets. The company needed a solid and well-rounded internet marketing strategy to connect with them.

Instagram: A Platform for Visual Communication

Instagram users may find various amusing photos, fake adverts, and user-generated material on Liquid Death’s page. The heavy metal motif permeates their style, which includes depictions of zombies, spirits, and bones.

Engaging Content:

Liquid Death frequently creates surveys, quizzes, and challenges in their Instagram stories to continue an ongoing discussion with their audience.

User Generated Content:

The brand fosters community and promotes more fan participation by sharing artwork by fans, tattoos of their logo, or any Liquid Death-inspired works.

Liquid Death campaigns

After reviewing its Liquid Death marketing strategy, branding, and advertising tactics, let’s talk about the campaigns for Liquid Death.

TikTok

Short, engaging, and amusing material rules TikTok and Liquid Death early on understood this. The risk involved with this idea could be better for any of the major firms to take. These represent a traditional marketing strategy for a disruptive brand that we may observe with a small-town artisan brew.

TikTok and Liquid Death

Mock commercials

These brief, humorous skits mock typical commercials and frequently include inflated plots that finish with someone soothing their water cravings with Liquid Death. These films parody the anticipated, drawing amusing and surprising results that appeal to TikTok’s younger audience.

Contests & Collaborations

To naturally and extensively promote their brand throughout the site, Liquid Death has collaborated with well-known TikTok personalities and sponsored contests.

Video of Liquid Death via TikTok

Liquid Death created this outrageous video blind taste test in reply to a customer who said they would like to lick sweat off a man’s back.

YouTube

YouTube gives Liquid Death a place to explore more in-depth material, whereas TikTok is for shorter content:

Mockumentaries:

Liquid Death has created lengthier mockumentary-style videos. These parodic faux-documentaries explore the “origins” of Liquid Death or the methods used to develop the brand while maintaining its ironic humor.

Behind-the-Scenes:

These films attract more followers by making them believe they are a part of the brand’s adventure by providing a look inside the development of their marketing or product procedures.

Taking Criticism Seriously:

Liquid Death’s openness to interact with supporters and detractors was a crucial differentiation in the group’s approach. They have transformed the unfavorable feedback from their advertisements into amusing videos, further winning over their audience and displaying their humor and resiliency.

FAQs

What makes Liquid Death a cult brand?

Liquid Death’s mindful brand image, metal-inspired creative guidance, tallboy beer can wrapping, and, most importantly, shocking social media material are all examples of how the playbook is used. It eventually transformed socially, first, materials for enjoyment into a potent cult brand by harnessing the power of story.

Who is the creator of Liquid Death?

Mike Cessario, a former Netflix director, established the company in 2018. Contrary to its moniker, Liquid Death only offers water in a tall boy can. According to Mike Cessario, energy drink corporations extensively sponsored musical groups and rock shows throughout the 2008 Warped Tour.

What motivated Liquid Death to work for Amazon in 2021?

The deal struck by Liquid Death with Amazon in 2021 increased company expansion. According to Cessario, Liquid Death exceeded a crucial measure Amazon uses to determine when to offer a product wholesale. As a result, the water firm will no longer get payment for each bottle of water it sends through Amazon.

Where can we obtain water that is Liquid Death?

Popular U.S. retailers like Whole Foods, Amazon, and 7-Eleven carry refreshing water from Liquid Death.

Conclusion

We hope that this post about the Liquid Death marketing strategy is helpful. The popularity of Liquid Death is evidence of the potency of marketing and content production.

The brand successfully developed a vibrant and active audience that aligns with its beliefs and message by effectively establishing itself in alternative arts and entertainment. By defying conventional marketing conventions, it has astounded both supporters and detractors.

See also: How to Create a Digital Signage Marketing Strategy?