Image Provided by Liquid DeathA new campaign by Liquid Death is giving away a real fighter jet, something Pepsi failed to do in the mid 1990s.
A retired Air Force Aero L-39C Albatros aircraft, used for training missions, features the brand’s skull logo. As part of this retail promotion, which began last week, participants will receive one entry for each can of Liquid Death water purchased. For entry, participants must upload a picture of their receipt. The contest closes on September 4, and the winner will also receive six months of hangar space, a jet pilot’s helmet, and a year’s supply of Liquid Death.
As Pepsi’s contest was targeted at Gen X and millennials, Netflix released a documentary titled “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?” that examined the controversy and loopholes surrounding the contest rules. Liquid Death’s contest is aimed at Gen Z, just like Red Robin’s limited-time offering with its 2000s themed item, but this is a different kind of nostalgia for the 1990s, and the brand intends to deliver on that nostalgic contest.
As Liquid Death is planning on giving away a real jet, marketers and agency executives feel that the brand must deliver on its promises, especially in the context of today’s landscape where Gen Z not only craves honesty and authenticity from brands, but will also call out brands if they fail to deliver on their promises. Liquid Death declined to comment on this story.
“It’s smart marketing to reach across generations – from people who saw the program the first time to people who watched the Netflix doc – and getting people to pay attention to Liquid Death,” said Ted Wright, CEO of the marketing agency Fizz. “I’m sure Liquid Death is very strong with younger demo’s but older than teen and early college gens buy tons of water and Liquid Death hasn’t really spoken directly to them very much since their founding.”
Taking advantage of experimental campaigns is Liquid Death’s strategy for standing out. The brand mocks soda companies and their failed branding attempts. The brand demonstrated how to mail plastic bottles of Coke back to their headquarters with a stamp, symbolically returning the garbage. They also mocked Pepsi’s unfulfilled jet giveaway. Other notable Liquid Death campaigns include selling ad space on their packaging during the Super Bowl and collaborating with Tony Hawk to sell skateboard decks printed with his blood to raise money for charity.
“The custom fighter jet helmet, a year’s supply of Liquid Death, and $250K is definitely worth the price of admission, which is a single can of Liquid Death. Limit of 400 entries so you don’t raid your grandmother’s cookie jar or underwear drawer. Seems Liquid Death knows how to beat the shit out of poisonous plastic soda while climbing higher,” said Rick Ardito, executive creative director of Handsome Advertising.
Dustin Siggins, founder of Proven Media Solutions, noted that the campaign stands out against practically every other marketing campaign for its size, cost, and audacity. While other companies offer two-for-one discounts or sign influencers for social media endorsements, this company is giving away a plane.
“Assuming the company can deliver, the jet giveaway campaign is a brilliant marketing idea,” said Siggins. “It’s on-brand for Liquid Death and it has already generated tremendous media exposure.”
Liquid Death team are among the keenest observers of this new reality, having built the company to be brand-first, second, and third. This approach focuses on building a stronger relationship with and affinity for what the melting skull represents, rather than on unique selling propositions.
“Since the brand has built such credibility for seeing through even its wildest promises, they’ve got us all waiting to see an actual jet get delivered to a customer,” said Dan Mazei, founder of the marketing and brand consultancy agency Tangled Roots. “And brilliantly, they’ll get to say they’re the ‘first’ to do it, with the most thinly veiled shot ever at a direct, on-shelf competitor and one of the world’s most sacred marketers.”
