Liquid Death: Water Made Metal

Founded in 2017, the canned-water company Liquid Death had raised about US$125 million in venture capital funding and created a strong following within the punk and heavy metal communities. However, the brand was seeking to expand and needed to choose the best growth strategy, which involved deciding which customers to target, whether to develop new products or line extensions, how to continue to use promotions and communications to defend the brand’s “cool” and eco-friendly image while appealing to a broader range of consumers, and how to stave off competitive threats.

This case is suitable for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in marketing management or strategy and can serve as an introduction to the importance of brand building, image-based advertising, perceptual positioning, and purpose-driven marketing. It could also be used in a consumer behaviour course to illuminate the psychology of cool consumption, visual marketing, signalling, identity, and the persuasion knowledge model.<br><br\><br><br\>This case highlights the opportunities and challenges associated with marketing and branding decisions for image-focused campaigns, particularly given the dynamic and heterogeneous perceptions of “cool” in consumer culture. It also illustrates how irreverent marketing can be a viable strategy for attracting consumers.<br><br\><br><br\>After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Explore the elements of cool marketing and branding.</li><li>Discuss the necessary components for cool brands and the difficulties of keeping brands cool over time, particularly when brands or products are designed for mass (versus niche) consumption.</li><li>Understand the role of communities in the creation and maintenance of cool marketing, as well as how this role informs targeting and product development decisions.</li><li>Discuss the role of packaging design in reinforcing positioning and conveying key image- and attribute-based reasons for consumers to believe brand positioning.</li><li>Analyze how brands can use guerrilla marketing, merchandise, support marketing, influencer marketing, and celebrity or brand partnerships to strategically grow a brand and reinforce brand image.</li><li>Discuss the defensibility of attribute- versus image-based positioning against competitive entry by new or existing brands.</li><li>Discuss the use of irreverent marketing in the context of a health and wellness product.</li></ul>

• marketing
• brand
• sustainability
• aggressive marketing
• packaging
• targeting
• product development
• brand positioning
• guerilla marketing
• influencer marketing
• celebrity partnership
• brand partnership
• brand image
• brand building
• image-based advertising
• perceptual positioning
• purpose-driven marketing
• visual marketing
• signalling
• identity
• persuasion knowledge mode