Liquid Death, the viral canned water brand aimed at Gen Z is leaving the UK market. The Grocer reported just last week that the sustainable water brand was to exit the UK after sales didn’t “make a splash”. Despite having had and continuing to have great success in the US,** the brand hasn’t resonated enough over here.
This is a water brand with a difference. At K-A Creative, we think it is important to do things differently. I have written previously about our local funeral director Francis Chappell & Sons opting for a fresher and more positive colour palette and how Costa had to be different in response to copy-cat brands. Brands have to be different or they risk blending into one another and becoming forgettable. And with a can like this, who is going to forget Liquid Death? Yet the difference of their branding wasn’t enough to sustain them in a new market.
In this piece I am going to explore aspects of the brand design to establish why their branding hasn’t succeeded in the UK market.
Confusing & deceptive
Ignoring category cues of relaxing mountainous scenes and gushing waterfalls has obviously been a conscious decision. Visually, this brand is not like the others but in being so different is it possible the brand is just a little confusing?
There are reports of Liquid Death cans, which are tall like a beer can, ending up in the beer aisle, rather than the water aisle, which defeats the object then of being different and standing out on shelf only to end up on a different shelf all together.
Confusion is an issue when consumers get a different experience from the product than was expected. This difference in expectation leads to customer dissatisfaction and a negative brand experience. For example, if a consumer purchased the can imagining an alcoholic beverage then a fruit flavoured sparkling water is going to be disappointing however lovely it tastes.
The deception is key in the marketing as it works to shock and therefore becomes memorable, but is that the only trick? The water also needs to say that it is water to those looking for it that may not have seen the advertising and to enable the correct expectation to be met during the experience of the product.
The confusion has likely led to a lack of universal appeal, which could account for why the brand hasn’t been able to grow in the UK as much as they intended.
Alienated consumers
Admittedly the residents of the UK can be a more conservative bunch. The brash tone of voice is potentially something that doesn’t resonate with us and decidedly gothic styling is a unique taste that lacks universal appeal. There might be issues of legibility for example with the brand mark, with its gothic typeface, and hanging their marketing on the concept of death might not be every one’s cup of tea. This is likely what made it interesting and different to begin with, but in doing so potential consumers have been alienated in the long term limiting the brand's expansion.
Sustainability took a back seat
Liquid Death pride themselves on being a sustainable brand. On their website they explain that the reason they use aluminium cans rather than plastic bottles is because it is more sustainable (“Death to Plastic”***) yet on pack, aside from the format of the product, they do little to promote this aspect. The lack of visual sustainability cues means that potential customers have been lost. It’s probably obvious if the water is in a can, it is more sustainable than plastic, but without this coming across anywhere in the design, someone who has not seen the marketing may not make that connection themselves. In ignoring this part of their reason to buy in the pack design they have potentially missed out on a great number of sales opportunities.
It’s all in the marketing
Liquid Death is certainly a lifestyle brand and with huge influence on social media (6 million followers on Tik Tok, 4 million on Instagram) it is clear that they know how to find their consumers and how to entertain them. Their ads are memorable and there is no doubt that they have reach but entertainment alone doesn’t sell and as Jean Teng remarks this may mean they become a fad, rather than a long-lasting brand.
“By viewing its brand as an “entertainment machine”, Liquid Death risks losing sight of the importance of its product – and the attendant danger of becoming a passing fad. People generally talk about its ads, not about clean water from the Alps or the environmental benefits of its recyclable aluminium cans versus plastic containers” Jean Teng, WARC, Liquid Death: Does viral marketing translate into commercial success?
Being different only works until you aren’t different any more
In relying on their visual difference and unique format, they can only stand out as different until they are copied. Arguably the visual styling of the brand is not ownable in itself, so being first to the market isn’t going to stop retailers like ALDI following suit.
“A clever attitude may seemingly get you a long way, but as a long-term play [the company] needs to be able to predispose more people to the brand. At the end of the day, it is just water, so it’s limited in the margin increases it can sustain, and the packaging is something other brands can copy and are soon likely to adopt. Renegade branding is only one part of the equation.” Jane Ostler quoted in the Guardian, Liquid Death: the viral canned water brand killing it with gen Z (28 May 2024)
Whilst the number of brands of canned water increase, consumers need an added reason to buy on top of the fact that it is a can. This is where their brand purpose could take centre stage or where other brands focus on the source of the water or flavour cues.
So what can we learn?
Brands need to be different but what we can learn from Liquid Death is that difference alone isn’t enough. In designing a brand we have to be careful not to design a gimmick that relies heavily on marketing. It is important that the reason to buy and the brand purpose come across visually without the need for marketing to reinforce it. If the format is unfamiliar, the brand may need to work harder to “fit in” to the category and whilst it is important to have a target market and appeal to them, it is equally important not to alienate other potential consumers in the process. And lastly, when it comes to resonating it is always worth considering what works for the brand in one market, may not work in another.
*Liquid Death to exit UK after sales fail to make a splash, James Beeson, The Grocer (6 Feb 2025)
**Liquid Death: Does viral marketing translate into commercial success? Jean Teng WARC, (1 Oct 2024)
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