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It’s no secret that Liquid Death revolutionized the beverage industry with its edgy and dangerous, unconventional branding, high-octane digital marketing tactics, and rebellious marketing campaigns, including skull imagery and dark colours that characterised it far other than traditional water firms.
Similarly, Plunge’s cold dip tubs have established themselves as probably the most sought-after and popular cold dip tubs within the industry because they design probably the most elegant tub at a cheaper price than tubs with similar aesthetics.
Last month, Liquid Death and Plunge combined their pioneering minds to release the “Freeze to Death” Cold Plunge. “Enter the abyss with Liquid Death x Plunge – the ice cream box that’s not just cold, but death-defying cold,” Plunge shared on their website, along with “This upright cold plunge will immerse you in goosebump-tingling sensations.” Full-body freeze, perfect for anyone living a life on the sting.”
As a limited collaboration Only 300 of those were madedesigned for outdoor use and retails for $5,990. The package included a cooler, an insulated lid and a certificate of authenticity.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Plunge’s co-founders and co-CEOs, Michael Garrett and Ryan Duey, in addition to Liquid Death’s marketing director, Greg Fass. From my observations of this campaign and conversations with them, below are five lessons entrepreneurs can find out about memorable and effective marketing strategies.
1. Do what nobody else does
In this case, Liquid Death goes for a rebellious punk aesthetic, unlike other water brands on the market. With a mission to “murder” plastic bottles, fueled by its unorthodox slogan “Death to Plastic Bottles,” the brand maintained its shocking message with the “Freeze to Death” campaign.
In this collaboration, the brands were completely independent of one another, yet each were convinced that they were bringing an unexpected product to market. The “Recovery” theme was a sensible move as each brands will be related to recovery and self-improvement through hydration and overall mental and physical health.
By injecting humor and irreverence, the collaboration gained widespread engagement and notoriety, serving up “ice cold water” in a very different way than you’d expect – and more importantly, in a way that also is not nobody had done it before.
Fass explained this to me as “trying to win over the internet… in other words, compete with the memes, celebrities and other content out there to entertain and win audiences!”
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2. Take advantage of trends and seasonality
While Liquid Death CEO and former punk rock skateboarder Mike Cessario is already known for his creativity and fervour for health, the partnership was sensible given the rise of the cold dark trend in America. The two brands already had an exquisite relationship and mutual respect for one another.
The timing at the top of summer was ideal, because the “big can” is ideal for tailgate parties firstly of football season, Halloween events, and a time when people typically have to proceed to deal with their very own health and well-being .
Cold soaks are known to spice up mood and metabolism and supply physical health advantages. Given the recognition that Plunge has gained, this partnership idea literally couldn’t have been cooler for Plunge’s founders at a time when Cold Plunge studios and Cold Plunge are on the rise.
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3. Maximize impact on social media
Both Liquid Death and Plunge have built large, reputable, and constant followings on social media. When I first heard about Plunge, I keep in mind that they’d made their tubs available to many high-profile wellness experts and athletes that I knew or knew of, including Andrew Huberman, Tony Hawk, Aubrey Marcus, Rich Roll and among the fitness trainers whose workouts are a part of my program, like Callie Gullickson Howell of Peloton and Courteney Fisher of Fit With Coco.
Followers and ambassadors from each firms immediately supported the campaign. The collaboration post received over 21,300 likes and 342 comments, including “fucking genius” and “collaboration of the year.” The Bold and eccentric posts also sparked engagement on TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.
4. Take advantage of the chance to provide back and tackle social responsibility
Plunge donates to varied environmental and humanitarian organizations through its Plunge for the Planet program. Liquid Death is committed to eliminating plastic pollution with its rebellious can designs. Both firms need to encourage their audiences to make more sustainable selections for people and the planet. In itself, it is a win as consumers turn out to be more focused on supporting brands that care about and support people and the planet.
Related: Corporate social responsibility is greater than just charity – here’s why it’s good for business.
5. Use your superpowers
As people and entrepreneurs, we’re all encouraged to tap into “our superpowers,” be it the power to approach challenges analytically, a track record of scaling businesses, or, in my case, the strength of my personal relationships and network.
Through a superb brand and a well-executed marketing plan, Liquid Death built a community of cult-like, loyal followers to fuel this collaboration. Plunge, then again, focused on designing and developing its own products in-house. The co-founders are proud to have an in-house team that has a nationwide customer support network.
They also design and manage their app in-house, which controls temperature and smart cleansing, amongst other things. Additionally, their website positioning has been and continues to be a superpower for the reason that early days of their founding, as they named their company Plunge and when looking for the term “Cold Plunge” landed at number one on Google.
From messages to pictures to entertainment beyond the unexpected, the Freeze to Death cold therapy tub is bound to generate more leads for each firms, each leading the best way in their very own categories.
So the subsequent time you end up questioning an offbeat marketing tactic or collaboration, ask yourself whether you are going completely against the grain, aligning with growing consumer preferences, and whether your customers are more likely to agree with the campaign. If you’ll be able to check these boxes, I like to recommend you give it a try. As long as your campaign is authentic, distinctive, aligned with a trend, cause or event, and you’ll be able to create an emotional connection together with your audience, you need to go for it!
Why? Because why not?
