When contemplating who to be taught from within the advertising area, one model stands out: Liquid Demise.
They’ve mastered the artwork of turning wholesome drinks right into a sought-after model, making them best advertising mentors.
However they’ve completed greater than reinvent water — in some ways, they’ve reinvented advertising, as effectively.
I spoke with Greg Fass, Liquid Demise’s VP of Advertising, to learn the way he is cultivated an anti-marketing method, why a few of his favourite campaigns contain Tony Hawk and Martha Stewart, and his perception that Liquid Demise’s success comes right down to understanding folks aren’t “brainless consumers of products”.
How Liquid Demise Wins at Anti-Advertising — And What You Can Study from Them
1. Do not overcomplicate your audience.
Most goal personas are awfully particular: “Marketing Melvin likes long walks on the beach, reading true-crime thrillers, watching videos on TikTok, and is interested in budget-friendly ways to grow his e-commerce startup.”
And there is energy in figuring out a couple of key traits of your purchaser – however it’s additionally inherently limiting.
Fass believes there are many the explanation why somebody would possibly join along with your model.
As an example, Fass believes his audience might be any of the next:
- Somebody who likes leisure and humor
- Somebody who appreciates the sustainability angle (i.e. “bringing death to plastic”)
- Somebody who acknowledges that Liquid Demise is the rationale their youngster is lastly excited to drink water
- A sober-curious particular person who needs to have a fun-looking drink whereas at a celebration
- Individuals who like skulls
I will add one only for enjoyable: Thirsty folks.
Granted, water arguably has the largest demographic of any product on the market. However his level nonetheless holds true: Get too hyper-focused on increase your ‘goal persona’ and you would be lacking out on all of the completely different causes somebody would possibly join along with your model first – and your product second.
2. Folks aren’t brainless shoppers.
This is a enjoyable reality: At Liquid Demise, they do not use the phrase client. Ever.
As a substitute, they’ve a group known as “human insights”.
Fass is proud to work in opposition to the mindset that individuals are simply “brainless consumers” whose sole objective on Earth is to eat merchandise. (Yep – that is a direct quote.)
As a substitute, he says, “At Liquid Death, I’m proud that we think of our audiences as people. And when you think of them as humans, you understand they’ll get a piece of copy that isn’t straightforward, or jokes other brands are afraid to make. They’re intelligent, and have a sense of humor.”
It is a philosophy that has served them effectively. Simply think about the business the place Martha Stewart is a serial killer chopping off fingers to make candles — not precisely one thing that will go over effectively in a typical advertising pitch.
Liquid Demise has completed greater than reinvent the better-for-you beverage class — they’ve reinvented advertising, as effectively.
Embracing their anti-marketing method will help you uncover recent and novel methods of connecting higher with, effectively, different people.
3. Folks will purchase your product if you can also make them chuckle.
A Liquid Demise advertising assembly seems like the start of a really odd joke: The lead singer of a punk band, an ex-Onion author, a co-creator of grownup cartoon Mr. Pickles, and a former aggressive snowboarder all stroll right into a convention room.
Fass says it resembles an SNL writers room greater than a advertising division.
“We’re not just a brand that’s a funny brand,” Fass tells me. “We put out true comedy. That’s the bar for us. I’m proud to work on projects that compete with real entertainment that exists on the internet, because that’s why most people are on the internet in the first place. Not to buy a product.”
You have to hand it to them: It isn’t simple to create a hilarious advert for water or iced tea. Nevertheless it works as a result of Liquid Demise’s content material is not actually in regards to the product. The product is an apart to grandiosity and playfulness. That is what they’re promoting.
Like their latest marketing campaign the place a fan might win a $400K fighter jet together with six months of free hangar area (pilot not included); or Ozzy Ozbourne reminding youths to not snort Liquid Demise’s new hydration powder.
For Fass, it is easy: “When you can make someone laugh, they’re more likely to give your product a try.”
4. Do not put up if you do not have something worthwhile to say.
Fass hates the standard knowledge that you must “always be posting.” For Fass, an obsession with amount can in a short time diminish good content material.
At Liquid Demise, they will not put up for 2 weeks if they do not really feel they’ve something worthwhile to say.
“There’s celebrities and hilarious meme accounts on social media — that’s why people are on there,” he says, “The bar on social is very high. So you need to be competing at that highest level with everything you do.”
He additionally tells me he cannot consider when large manufacturers push apart social as a “nice-to-have” or one thing for the interns to steer.
“You should be putting your top brains in creative on social,” he fervently believes. “There’s a feeling like, ‘Well, it’s just social.’ At Liquid Death, social is a major priority for our entire brand and creative team.”
5. Humor comes right down to pressure.
Fass believes there is a sure comedic science behind Liquid Demise’s success, and it is comparatively easy: Stress.
In different phrases — two issues that should not go collectively, however do.
Case-in-point: A wholesome beverage with a cranium on it; e.l.f. Cosmetics and black steel corpse paint; plush sea creature stuffed animals which were closely mutilated by single-use plastic.
You get my drift.
“What it comes down to is we have these ideas that other people would never try,” Fass says. “They’d think, ‘no way a client would ever approve of this’, or ‘our CEO will shut it down’. Those ideas never get to see the light of day — but at Liquid Death, we’ve created a culture where we celebrate those ideas and go forward with them.”
And you realize,“ he adds with a grin, ”Generally we find yourself successful the web that day.”
