When it comes to merch marketing, Liquid Death is killing it.
Nearly everything about the canned water company is a study in how creating a truly unique brand and marketing it in line with that image can transform a bland commodity – water – into something fiercely cool that large audiences crave.
And for sure, wildly singular branded merchandise has had a significant role in the attention-grabbing effort.
In keeping with the off-your-rocker, death-defying extreme vibe the company foments, Liquid Death partnered with Yeti to create a Casket Cooler.
Released in late August, the life-sized (or death-sized?) Casket Cooler weighs 85 pounds and can hold a whopping 378 cans of 12-ounce Liquid Death cans. There was a bidding contest for the mortality-reminding branded cooler, and it sold for a reported $68,200.
“We partnered with Plunge to create a state-of-the-art cold plunge shaped like a giant can of Liquid Death for true psychopaths like yourself,” said Andy Pearson, Liquid Death’s vice president of creative, in a very on-brand message on LinkedIn. “Enjoy a relaxing near-death experience inside the world’s largest ice-cold can of Liquid Death.”
Only 300 were made. They were retailing for $5,999. And what’s really impressive? People were willing to pay.
To my mind, there are a number of valuable lessons that promotional products purveyors can learn from Liquid Death’s merch initiatives. Here are four.
1. Go Uniquely Custom
What’s something about your client’s brand and/or offerings that truly differentiate it? Answer that question and then pitch ideas for custom products that bring such elements to life.
Maybe your customer owns a food truck business that specializes in spicy foods. Consider creating a custom lunchbox built to the shape and style of the truck. Include spice samplers and perhaps an introductory note in the box. Have the client send the kits to potential end-clients that may be interested in having the food truck company onsite at corporate outings and various festivals/events.
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2. Capitalize on Seasonality
The Casket Cooler debuted at the end of summer – in time for the fast-approaching Halloween season and the start of football tailgating, when coolers get heavy use.
In other words, the custom casket cooler was timely – in tune with broader cultural happenings. Take a similar approach with your clients. In what ways can you use merch to tap into seasonal occurrences or other events/developments given the industry the client operates in? Consider that and then creatively craft a campaign.
3. Align Merch With Popular Trends
No doubt cold plunges are hot, so to speak, in health and wellness. It’s something augmented by social media influencers who play in the fitness/wellness space, with countless videos of plunges populating social networks like Instagram and TikTok. Liquid Death brilliantly inserts its brand into these pop culture currents with its cold plunge bath.
Promo distributors should look for opportunities to do the same for clients, seeking ways to wed the customers’ brands to trends emerging in the pop sphere. Of course, the “craze” has to be a match for the client – clearly the case with Liquid Death. But that guiderail shouldn’t be an impediment to trend-tapping through swag. It’s the distributor’s job to flex their creative muscles and find the right fit.
4. Maximize Impact With Brand Partnerships
Liquid Death teamed up with Plunge and Yeti for its campaigns. Such moves expand the reach of all the brands involved and can be a smart strategy for your clients, too. Some might say brand partnerships are the reserve of big-name players. But they don’t have to be. Smaller entities can team up to advance their respective missions on a local level, and branded merchandise can be part of driving that.
A deftly consultative distributor might even be able to identify and suggest such partnerships for high-quality clients. Maybe one community nonprofit focuses on combatting hunger among the working poor, while another helps people experiencing homelessness. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for them to work together on a fundraising campaign/event that benefits both organizations. Merch, naturally, can advance the effort.
At the end of the day, Liquid Death gives water the cool brand cachet of a risqué adult beverage or extreme-sport-themed energy drink. It proves creativity can take any product/brand and elevate it to unimagined heights. Use that as inspiration and have a blast trying to do the same for your clients.
