Liquid Death Social Media Audit
By: Heleyna Pentuk
Liquid Death’s Story
Liquid Death is an edgy canned water company that was met with success after launching in 2017. With the brand slogan “Murder Your Thirst” and the usage of cans that resemble beer, Liquid Death differentiates itself from its competitors by utilizing a punk image. This brand is dedicated to sustainability and ending the use of plastic, as stated in their mission statement: “We’re just a funny beverage company who hates corporate marketing as much as you do. Our evil mission is to make people laugh and get more of them to drink more healthy beverages more often, all while helping to kill plastic pollution”.
They began their journey by distributing through bars, tattoo parlors and liquor stores. But in 2020, Liquid Death expanded their reach by distributing through Whole Foods, and eventually through gas stations. Only a couple of months after launching, Liquid Death overtook popular water brands on Facebook, like Aquafina, with 100,000 followers. They continued to grow their following through projects such as a partnership with Live Nation which made Liquid Death the official water of major music festivals. Despite being a newer water brand, Liquid Death has gained recognition by utilizing their unique image to attract attention from consumers.
Liquid Death’s Social Media Presence
All of Liquid Death’s social media handles are “Liquid Death” and are all verified except for Facebook. Additionally, all of their social media account have the bio “Don’t be scared. It’s just water & iced tea. #MurderYourThirst #DeathToPlastic”. The shared social media bio reflects their brand image of being a “hardcore” water brand while also inviting the audience to discover more. It also reflects their mission statement by referencing their commitment to end the usage of plastic.
Instagram: Liquid Death’s Instagram account has 2.8 million followers. The brand’s feed consists of photo and reel advertisements. They have collaborations with brands such as Netflix, for the original show Rebel Moon, and Amazon, to promote Liquid Death’s Death Dust product. These posts are the most successful for the brand. They post to Instagram about three times a week and also have highlights that feature unique Liquid Death products. I would suggest the brand to do collars with influencers to increase engagement.
Facebook: Liquid Death has 285,000 followers on Facebook. The brand’s Facebook account posts photo and video advertisements that are congruent to those posted to Instagram. However, the Facebook account posts less often than Instagram, with about three posts a month. Liquid Death’s Netflix collaboration received the highest engagement. I would suggest having more frequent posts to Facebook to increase engagement.
X: Liquid Death has 47,600 followers on X, making it the platform with the lowest audience. They communicate with consumers by reposting and replying to comments and concerns. Their top posts are their advertisements which receive about 120 likes. Their most successful recent post, with 360 likes, is a tweet mentioning Ice Spice, Taylor Swift and Usher at the Super Bowl. Given the high engagement of the Super Bowl post, my suggestion for Liquid Death’s X account would be to interact more frequently with trending accounts or topics to grow their reach.
TikTok: Liquid Death has its largest following on TikTok with 4.9 Million followers. They post video advertisements, along with collaborations with influencers and celebrities such as Travis Barker. Their most liked TikTok has 22.5 million views and 1.7 million likes. The video is a repost of a boy purchasing Liquid Death and correcting a man who thought the child was purchasing beer. They post inconstantly so I would suggest the brand to post to the platform more often.
SWOT Analysis:
Strengths: Liquid Death’s biggest strength is their edgy image that separates them apart from their competitors. Also, their commitment to sustainably is a strength because it resonates with their target audience.
Weaknesses: Liquid Death’s weakness is the low engagement it receives on X. Posts receive on average about 150 likes on average which means that they have a low active following, which can make it harder to compete with other water companies.
Opportunities: Liquid Death’s biggest opportunity is to create more collaborative advertisements. These ads are the most successful on their social media accounts and will increase exposure to the product. Another opportunity for Liquid Death is fan interactions. They should begin communicating with consumers on all platforms to increase engagement.
Threats: Liquid Death’s threat is that it is a newer product and it is not as familiar as its competitors. They can work on this by prioritizing reach and engagement across platforms.
