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If you’re not developing a strong brand identity you’re doing the branding thing wrong.
An article from Funnel Amplified shared that a third of U.S. B2B marketing professionals struggle to implement brand identity because they can’t ensure standards consistently.
… And a Marq.com (brand template platform) survey revealed that business owners could expect a 10–20% increase in overall growth if their brand was consistently maintained.
So what does that tell us?
Obvious point 1: Creatively and effectively branding your business is the most important thing you can do for business growth.
Okay, that’s a tad hyperbolic. I could argue that ANYTHING you do to create a successful business is the most important thing. But… creating a strong, relentless brand identity is the difference between making sales and becoming a household name.
Hubspot teaches us that true brand awareness is when a brand embeds itself into consumer lifestyles and purchase habits so that we buy from them without even thinking about it. For example, how many Apple products can you see in the room that you’re in right now? Unless you’re an Android person, you’re probably reading this on an iPhone.
The good news is that if you are an entrepreneur or a business owner, you can have a kick-ass brand, and you don’t have to try to emulate Apple. There are plenty of highly successful niche brands out there, and I’m going to teach you about my current fave and why they’re great.
In a time when hundreds of brands are born every day, content is constant, and fashion is fast, standing out is hard to do. Yet the most successful brands figure it out, and the top one percent of that group develops a cult-like following like Liquid Death has.
Liquid Death is one of the best examples of brand identity and execution on the market right now. Everything about the company’s branding is laser-focused. Essentially, they never miss a beat. Or a box…
Let’s start with the name, Liquid Death. It’s intriguing and draws you in. I mean, the logo is a melting skull for crying out loud. Pretty hardcore if I say so myself. Not to mention the fact the can of water looks like a can of beer, an intentionally misleading design feature that’s successful in its desired impact—make someone drinking this look hardcore.
Then there’s the microcopy on the product itself. Microcopy is the tiny messaging on your product or web pages that allow you to improve UX and strengthen your brand identity. For example, using the name Smiles Davis as a placeholder on opt-in forms where you’d usually see First Name-Last Name, is a good example of optimizing a microcopy area.
Liquid Death’s product microcopy says on-brand things like #deathtoplastic, and they have 7–11 refrigerator posters read, “Don’t be scared, it’s just water.”
This convenience store branding is what initially drew me in as a customer, and I quickly became an evangelist for not only the water, which actually slays but the sophisticated marketing.
To be fair, I’m into this kind of stuff. As a conversion copywriter and email marketer, I pay attention to brands, their copy, and their email campaigns.
But Liquid Death’s branding is so good—err, badass, that even the average shopper has to notice it. Take my girlfriend, for instance. She’s a very anti-capitalist anti-marketing type of person, yet she admits that Liquid Death’s branding is spectacular. So much so that she went against her morals and indulged me with the best Valentine’s Day gift ever. She bought a heart-shaped box of chocolates 🍫 , dumped the chocolates, and filled the box with Liquid Death.
Cute as hell, I know. And this all happened because of killer branding that turned me into a fan.
If you want to learn what Liquid Death is doing well in more detail, read on to see three examples of their obsessive marketing.
If you’re like this is cool, but I just want some quick ideas on how to up my branding, here is a list of everything I’ve noticed that Liquid Death does well. Look at this list and strategize how you can better imprint your brand and mission on these touch points.
Yes, Liquid Death is just mountain water. But the brand is so much more.
Here are three ways LD is killing its branding.
Liquid Death (LD) has a very cool reward system. It may seem like any other — buy sh*t, get points, collect enough points to get sh*t for free.
But because the people at Liquid Death are obviously always eating, sleeping, and pooping branding, customers who collect Liquid Death “points,” actually collect skulls. And instead of a shopping cart, LD uses shopping coffins.
🤯 💀
This rewards program builds a sense of community, and it’s an amazing example of how to turn customers into loyal followers… a cult if you will.
In fact, when you sign up for LD’s emails and texts, you’re welcomed as a murderer of thirst and a cult member.
This relentless pursuit of branding excellence kept me running to my local 7–11 just to see what disturbing new flavors I’d find that would put my taste buds into a chokehold.
Right now the brand sells — Berry It Alive, Severed Lime, Mango Chainsaw, and Convicted Melon, and they just dropped new Iced Tea flavors.
Obvious point 2: Liquid Death’s branding is unique but most importantly, it’s CONSISTENT across every channel. That makes for a great customer experience. But consistency isn’t just seen in LD’s rewards program. It’s apparent in all of their marketing channels.
So Liquid Death’s packaging and initial marketing messages are on point. But what about the brand’s ongoing communication?
If you’re guessing it’s just as sick, you’re right.
The company’s website, social, SMS, and email copy are all in line with what you’d expect from the brand at this point, yet it’s still refreshing to see brand voice executed exceptionally across channels.
“Lord of Customer Service.” Bravo Liquid Death, bravo.
If I had to make one change, it would be the copy for LD’s email list opt-in. Inexplicably, it’s the only area of the brand not on brand. The generic “stay updated” copy is out of place because every other touch point is branded in excruciating detail. Maybe this was an oversight, but I’d expect this opt-in to say something like, “Stay Murderous” or “Get thirst-murdering updates.”
But overall, with timely emails and SMS alerts, packaging that doubles as a costume, and having a rad mascot, the brains over at Liquid Death have thought of almost everything.
They even figured out a way to create a lifelong bond with their customers—an unbreakable vow if you will…
Liquid Death’s VIP membership is a “life-binding” contract that asks you to sell your soul to the brand in exchange for a T-shirt and exclusive merch.
Why this works: Exclusivity is at play — a staple of any good rewards program or club. This element strengthens loyalty among brand users because they feel a part of something special. And the selling of one’s soul is very in line with the brand’s murder-death vibes. It’s called consistency folks.
This contract also creates a high-intent segment of LD’s customer base. This group will be perfect for emailing special promotions and testing out new products before sharing them with the general public.
By signing a “life-long” contract (even if in good fun, uhh right Liquid Death?) they’re making their customers and subscribers commit to receiving their content and not complaining about it, reporting it as spam, or unsubscribing.
As for me, I’m a black writer from South Central. When a bunch of tatted white folks screaming about their cult asked me to sell my soul to them, I had to draw the line — couldn’t do it on principle.
But the truth is, I’m so in love with the brand, I don’t need the blood pack to bind me. I already willingly spend $200 on groceries at Whole Foods because the lure of a Liquid Death 12-pack (now 8) makes me go in. I want those damn skulls so I can redeem them for swag.
And if by some chance you’re reading this and you’re not convinced how good of a brand Liquid Death is, consider that %10 of their profits go to helping kill plastic pollution. That means an insane obsession with Liquid Death is a good thing.
It’s not easy to think of every single detail and imprint brand identity on every part of your product. It is, however, possible.
If you are a marketer, entrepreneur, or business owner, use Liquid Death as an example of how to brand your business to build a loyal following, get repeat customers, and become a household name.
The lesson here is to have a clear purpose, mission, and vision. Once you hit home on your brand identity, do like Liquid Death and go all in. You’ll find your people, give those customers a sick AF user experience, and create your own cult following.