The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By Audrey Kemp, LA Reporter

August 10, 2022 | 3 min read

In a world accustomed to Nike’s ‘Just do it’ tagline, Liquid Death encourages consumers to ‘Just murder it’ in a satire-drenched spot that names Indianapolis Colts trainer Travis Poulson as the canned water brand’s first ‘pro football hydration assistant.’

Rather than getting involved with professional sports, Liquid Death typically has more of a penchant for porn or punk rock. However, the cult favorite canned water brand always continues to find new and unusual ways to remind us to ‘murder our thirst.’

As the National Football League preseason kicks off in earnest, Liquid Death has teamed up with Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt to host the first-ever ‘Hydration Assistant Scouting Combine’ in Los Angeles.

On July 13, athletic trainers from pro and college football teams competed in a series of five water-based combine drills. This included a 40-yard dash with water in-hand and an eight-water-case bench press. Based on Travis Poulson’s game stats, it was clear that Indianapolis’s ‘water assistant’ was the winner.

Poulson’s prize is a year-long $100,000 sponsorship deal that includes a cameo in Liquid Death’s latest attempt at reimagining how the healthiest beverage in the world is marketed. “Brands throw insane endorsement contracts at pro athletes all the time – but being the fastest-growing water brand of all time, we know that athletes aren’t the only ones in pro football who deserve to be famous,” said Andy Pearson, vice-president of creative at Liquid Death. “We’ve supported all kinds of amazing people in the music, arts, action sports and comedy scenes. It only made sense that our first sponsored person in football would be the top hydrator in the game.”

In his commercial debut, Poulson darts across a dimly-lit field in slow motion, protecting an open can of Liquid Death, while a voice reminiscent of a movie trailer narrator remarks: “Without water, pro athletes would all be dead. And no athletes means no football. And no football means no America.” The spot conspicuously pokes fun at Nike’s iconic ‘Just do it’ campaign, and even closes with a singularly macabre twist on the famous tagline: ‘Just murder it.’

The ad is timed alongside Liquid Death’s accelerated growth into mainstream channels. Its still and sparkling water products are now gracing Target’s shelves, as well as all stores under the Albertsons umbrella nationwide. “The beverage market is massive, and there are still huge opportunities for us in retail,” said Pearson – and we know he’s dead serious.

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