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Liquid Death challenges Super Bowl advertising with auctioned space

Biggest Ad Ever by Liquid Death, US

US – Prior to the Super Bowl 58 in February 2024, canned water company Liquid Death, known for its renegade approach, offered an alternative to the league’s traditionally expensive commercials. The brand launched an auction on eBay, inviting marketers to place their ads on 500,000 of its packages, aiming to rival the Super Bowl's reach.

The top retailers who stock the drink receive 200m shoppers each week, so Liquid Death sees its cardboard packaging as prime advertising real estate, even compared to the Super Bowl’s millions of viewers. Bidding started at £398 ($500, €465) and promised significant exposure. The only condition is that the winning bidder must adhere to guidelines barring illegal or store-disruptive content.

Previously known for its quirky marketing tactics, such as its own Super Bowl ad in 2022, Liquid Death's latest move signals a shift away from the high costs of traditional advertising and showcases its capacity for adaptation, a topic we explore further in Elastic Brands. The auction, running for seven days, presented an opportunity for brands to rethink their marketing strategies beyond conventional platforms.

Strategic opportunity

As uncertainty prevails thanks to socio-economic and tech-induced causes, consider how you can be more agile in your brand comms. Can you use advertising as an opportunity for collaboration?

Good Threads is designing sustainable performance wear for the urban jungle

Good Threads by Mandai and Anak, US

Singapore - Mandai Wildlife Group has teamed up with branding agency Anak to create Good Threads, a limited-edition clothing line for the ‘urban jungle’.

Aiming to promote sustainable innovation through purpose-driven design, each piece of clothing also functions as a tool for sustainable living in urban environments; the Tote-Shorts contain a detachable tote bag, the Takeaway Shirt has multi-pockets designed to hold reusable containers, the Bucket-Bag Hat can be transformed into a small bag and the Trashy Pants feature a detachable trash pouch and a trash tong holder.

Each piece of adaptable clothing is crafted from salvaged fabrics and recycled post-consumer plastic, with 100% of the proceeds from the items’ sale supporting wildlife conservation in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries.

In our Subversive Sustainability Ads report we identified how brands were turning to humour to cut through the noise when it comes to sustainability claims. Good Threads takes this a step further, bringing subversive sustainability to the streetwear market to remind consumers of the impact their actions in the urban jungle have on the natural world.

Strategic opportunity

Take inspiration from Good Threads and embrace a flair of novelty in your next purpose-driven campaign to cut through the noise and capture consumers' attention whilst still delivering your brand’s message with salience

Disney invests over £1bn in new gaming universe integrated with Fortnite

Global – Disney has made a seismic entry into the gaming world by investing £1.2bn ($1.5bn, €1.4bn) in the leading American video game developer Epic Games, a strategic move unveiled during Disney's Disney's 2024 first-quarter results.

The partnership aims to create a groundbreaking, interoperable gaming universe, seamlessly integrated with Fortnite. Players can anticipate an immersive experience where beloved characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more converge within a shared digital realm.

CEO Robert Iger expressed enthusiasm about the venture, foreseeing 'significant opportunities for growth and expansion'. While project details and release timelines remain undisclosed, it's described as a 'multi-year project', suggesting a comprehensive and enduring endeavour. The collaboration builds upon Disney and Epic Games' successful history in Fortnite, with past integrations and live events garnering millions of concurrent players.

The investment includes Disney acquiring an equity stake in Epic Games, solidifying its commitment to reshaping the gaming landscape and offering fans an unprecedented digital odyssey.

For more insights on how to channel platforms such as Fortnite and Roblox, head to our Gaming topic.

Disney and Epic Games, US

Strategic opportunity

Consider integrating your brand or products into existing gaming universes, as Disney has done with Fortnite, to reach a large and engaged audience in-game

Stat: British women delay motherhood until their 30s

Oddokids by Oddobody, US

UK – New official figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal a significant shift in childbirth patterns among British women. According to the data, the most common age for British women to give birth is now 31, a decade later than their mothers’ generation. Interestingly, this delay in childbirth does not come with a decreasing family size; instead, it is increasing after recent record lows.

Leading experts attribute these changes to increased access to fertility testing, allowing women to plan their families later in life once their careers are established and they have a settled lifestyle, a topic we explore further in Women Without Kids. Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan, clinical lead at London Medical Laboratory, explains that these trends reflect social and biological changes in childbirth patterns.

The data also reveals that fertility testing has empowered women to make informed decisions about family planning, with easier access to accurate hormone measurements. These developments signify a growing confidence among women in managing their fertility including choosing holistic alternatives to IVF, as revealed in Fertility Market: The New Cycle.

Strategic opportunity

Businesses need to consider the long-term implications of women entering motherhood at a later age. If parents are getting older on average, what does this mean for kids’ entertainment activities, for example?