In the competitive world of marketing, Liquid Death has revolutionized the industry with its bold and creative approach. Andy Pearson, VP Creative of the brand, and his team have shown that health and sustainability can be fun and seen from other perspectives, just as they did with something as everyday as water. When setting out their path forward, the main thing was to be very clear about what their key objective was going to be: reducing the use of plastics and promoting never-before-seen advertising that challenged conventional norms of advertising work. All of us at Comunidad24 entered the conference room with the same question: How did they achieve it?
Liquid Death is a clear example that taking risks and not settling for the safe can turn any product (really anyone) into a resounding success. Pearson raises an interesting question in his narrative about the marketing and success behind Liquid Death, the beginning of which arises from the following questions: What would happen if we presented something healthy as if it were not? Thinking outside the box, and do it really outside of her is one of the pieces of advice we got from talking to Andy.
With questions like this, which seem almost contradictory, they positioned themselves where they are today. Furthermore, their strategy also lies in surprise and confusion in the public’s reactions, which make them say “What am I seeing? I need to take a photo of it and share it with the world.” Appealing for an organic cycle of impact on the consumer.
When chatting with Andy, he shared that to find a balance in originality without alienating the audience, humor is its solid foundation. For him, humor is essential, since behind every joke there is a brutal and honest truth and that is the reason why we connect. His strategy is based on targeting people who not only want to drink water, but also appreciate a sense of humor. It has been so successful that we will now be able to see Liquid Death as part of an animated series directed by Adult Swim’s Will Carsola, this is an impressive leap in how to engage different audiences in an interconnected way.
Andy Pearson understands that no one wants to see ads, much less boring ads, so he emphasizes the importance of treating the audience with respect, adjusting the content to what they really want to see. Using comedy, as complicated as it can be, is an essential overall learning tool that gives you testing small ideas instead of betting everything on large 360º campaigns.
Liquid Death follows a simple but powerful rule: “What would Liquid Death do?” This authenticity is reflected in their marketing, which doesn’t focus too much on the market, but rather relies much more on what the team truly enjoys and finds authentic. Pearson is committed to marketing that is born from personal desire, exploring new, unimaginable forms of advertising.
The questions that remain after listening to this broad and innovative panorama that was born in Liquid Death are whether the bold, ironic and disruptive can really be applied to a wide range of possibilities in the industry or, failing that, how creatives could be nourished by this very different narrative to apply it to your specific projects.
Liquid Death is, without a doubt, more than a brand; is an “evil” plan to make the world healthier and more sustainable, combining innovation, humor and a touch of irreverence to change the rules of the game in modern marketing.
And you as a creative, would you also dare to take these risks?
