This week's inspiration is a cool partnership betweenLiquid Death (the water brand) and YETI (the cooler company). Liquid Death is known for their edgy "Murder Your Thirst" slogan, and they worked with YETI to make something crazy - a real coffin that works as a cooler. They made it right before Halloween and called it the "Casket Cooler." Someone bought it at an auction for $68,200!
The commercial announcing the YETI x Liquid Death Casket Cooler got around 27 million views on TikTok and Instagram just on the first day. The campaign was covered by tons of publications like MSN, CBS, Fox5, AOL, Yahoo!, AdAge, Food & Wine, and others, generating 1.2 billion press impressions.
When the auction that started at $1,500 reached $68,200 and successfully closed, the brand achieved an estimated $11.5 million in media reach. CBS Network bought the Casket Cooler to use in their show "Ghosts." So the reach continued even after the campaign ended.
Why I think the campaign was successful:
- It's attention-grabbing work in what you could call a boring category.
- The viral effect was huge. It's impossible to see it and not react or share it with someone.
- The partnership outside their category is inspiring.
- A taboo subject like "death" was handled in a humorous way. Bold!
- The timing before Halloween had a high chance of catching the trend.
- The product is real and they used every bit of available technology. (Triple Foam ColdCell™ insulation, hydraulic lid piston, dual drain valves, T-Latch locks.) This point is here because I love engineering. :)
- Doubling the reach with an auction is a cheap move with high added value.
Lessons I Learned
- We shouldn't trap brands in categories. Unconventional collaborations can be opportunities.
- The ordinary and low-impact way of doing real-time marketing during holidays and special days is "making a film." To create impact, "actually doing something" is more successful. (See: Dali Lokması.)
- We shouldn't be afraid to be provocative. Courage is good.
Action Items
1 Suggest cross-category collaborations for your own brand or 3 brands you follow. For example, a GoPro and Airbnb collaboration. Special houses for outdoor-loving GoPro members: cliff edges, mountain peaks, maybe even a cave. Or a simpler idea: "Netflix and a blanket brand collaboration."
2 What exactly sets your brand or a brand you like apart from competitors? Clearly define the differentiation point.
3 What can you do for real-time marketing outside of the usual special days?
📩 Who among your contacts could this post inspire? Send it to the first person who comes to mind!
