LATEST DEVELOPMENT
Punk-inspired water brand Liquid Death redefines brand collaborations with viral marketing approach that drives massive engagement and sales.
INDUSTRY TALK
"Big brands are used to paying ad agencies millions of dollars to come up with something that does one-tenth of what this collab did."
BY THE NUMBERS
Recent performance includes:
12B impressions in two weeks for E.l.f. Cosmetics collab
45-minute sellout for Corpse Paint makeup kit
$333M record sales in 2024
9x growth rate vs. bottled water category
$1.4B current company valuation
CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
Standout collaborations include:
E.l.f. Cosmetics coffin-shaped makeup kit
Van Leeuwen hot-fudge-sundae sparkling water
Depends "Pit Diaper" for concertgoers
Live Nation (majority owner)
Goldman Sachs (exploring IPO)
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Smart collab approach includes:
Partners covering production costs
Reduced ad spend requirements
Viral-first creative development
Leveraging founder's ad agency background
Maintaining authentic punk aesthetic
THE BOTTOM LINE
Despite predictions of "peak newsletter," the format continues to grow with platforms developing sophisticated ad tools, though concerns remain about scale limitations and data granularity compared to traditional digital advertising.