Liquid Death: Brand Positioning Case Study

 💼 The Brand: Liquid Death

Liquid Death is an edgy water company started in 2018 that sells canned mountain water and has grown from $2M in sales in 2019 to over $100M in 2022.

💛 The Heart (Mission & Vision)

Despite their aggressive, violent branding – Liquid Death does have a heart. Their strategy is actually driven by their mission: “to make people laugh all while killing plastic pollution” — hence their water being canned instead of bottled.

👤 The Head (Strategy & Positioning)

Liquid Death positions itself as a fun, edgy, and alternative option in the $280B global bottled water market. Its branding features dark and irreverent themes, and it markets its products as a "cool" and "bada$$" alternative to other bottled water brands.

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✋ The Hands (Tactics):

 Liquid Death doubles down on its positioning by highlighting the canned water in risky campaigns. One of the most notable ways is through their video ads. Here are 2 of our favorites:

• Super Bowl Commercial With Kids Hydrating at a Party - In this 30 second commercial spot, pre-teens chug tall boys while partying as a pregnant mom sips one in the background. The perfect “irreverent” placements for a can of water that looks like alcohol.

• Electrotherapy For Haters: Liquid Death Blind Taze Test - Liquid Death flew two internet haters to LA to win $1,000 if they chose Liquid Death as the worst water in a blind taste test. However, if they chose another brand, they'd be electrocuted by a taser. Another incredible way to highlight their positioning as a fun, dark, and edgy bottled water alternative.

How You Can Steal Their Strategy

• Identify the heart (mission & vision) and head (strategy & positioning) of your brand and then go ALL IN. Liquid Death has made their extreme positioning obvious across every single channel and avenue: social media, website, copy, design, fonts, graphics, etc.
• Write your copy so that it bleeds your brand. One of the menu options on the Liquid Death website is “Sell Your Soul"
• Focus on entertaining instead of creating virality. The VP of Creative Strategy told Advertising Week “that they try to create relevant content that feels more timeless, because their whole thing is entertainment over marketing.”

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