Navigating Global Expansion: What Brands Can Learn from Liquid Death’s UK Exit

When Liquid Death, the edgy, death-metal-themed water brand that took American social media by storm, announced it was pulling out of the UK market, marketing Twitter(X) erupted with hot takes.

Was it the irreverent branding that didn‘t connect with British sensibilities? Or proof that even viral marketing can’t guarantee product success?

According to behavioral science expert Phil Agnew, the answer is more nuanced.

1. Who Needs Premium Water?

In the UK, tap water isn’t just acceptable, but a point of pride. Scottish tap water is famously excellent, and many Brits are genuinely proud of their municipal water quality.

The cold climate creates another unique challenge: water comes out of pipes already refreshingly chilled. This natural advantage eliminates one key selling point of bottled water — coldness — before the marketing battle even begins.

“The idea that you’re going to splash cash on something you can get for free out of your tap is quite hard for a lot of Brits to swallow,” Agnew explains.

2. The Marketing-Behavior Mismatch

People in the UK fall into two camps: loyal tap water drinkers, or price-sensitive bottled water buyers. Asking either group to buy premium canned water was fighting deeply ingrained habits.

As Agnew points out, when Red Bull came to market, they weren’t asking people to drink soda for the first time. But Liquid Death was trying to get Brits to buy canned water, something they just don’t do.

This challenge was compounded by a channel mismatch. Liquid Death‘s social media prowess didn’t align with UK purchasing behavior. Brits don’t buy water online. They grab it at stores while shopping for other items.

“There’s something slightly perverse in trying to sell it online when the sale point is actually in person,” Agnew notes.

3. No One’s Drinking The Kool-Aid (or Water)

Despite killer marketing that made the brand stand out in a “sea of sameness,” UK-based Agnew points out a crucial flaw: “I have not seen a single person drinking Liquid…

ObadeYemi

Adeyemi is a certified performance digital marketing professional who is passionate about data-driven storytelling that does not only endear brands to their audiences but also ensures repeat sales. He has worked with businesses across FinTech, IT, Cloud Computing, Human Resources, Food & Beverages, Education, Medicine, Media, and Blockchain, some of which have achieved 80% increase in visibility, 186% increase in month on month sales and revenue.. His competences include Digital Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, Paid per Click Advertising, Data Visualization & Analytics, Lead Generation, Sales Growth and Content Marketing.

Share
Published by
ObadeYemi

Recent Posts

How to scale your hypergrowth marketing team from 5 to 25 people using this template

In times of chaos, marketing team structure is often overlooked, but for companies in hypergrowth,…

17 hours ago

YouTube, newsletters, and X — the AI workflows that will help you dominate them all

Let‘s be honest: if you’re running a business focused on AI tools and you‘re not…

17 hours ago

16 best practices for email design, according to an email marketing consultant

Email design is a mix of art and science. You can have the best email…

1 day ago

Marketing without the cringe: Jayde Powell on Gen Z audiences

I am “just threw out my back while turning to adjust my seatbelt” years old,…

2 days ago

Leon Kiptum, fintech executive who believed in people and purpose, dies at 44

When Leon Kiptum left his role at Flutterwave in June, his goodbye post on LinkedIn…

2 days ago

Update: DigiTax gets technically approved to expand into Nigeria

DigiTax, a pan-African e-invoicing firm, has secured technical approval from Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service…

3 days ago