Break Out of the Brand Comfort Zone

Most brands within a category tend to stick together. They may dream of differentiation to elevate well above their competition, but ultimately settle for similar visual identities and familiar messaging. I call it the "comfort zone" – a safe space where brands are easily associated with their category.

Take the ultimate commodity, water, as a prime example. We’ve had Evian, Perrier and Poland Springs since the 1800s, and now Aquafina, Dasani, Fiji, and so many more. LIFEWTR (i.e. Pepsi) jumps on the overflowing bandwagon of “life” brands—the most overused single word in branding.

And then Liquid Death comes along, promising to “Murder Your Thirst”. 😳

Beautiful clear plastic bottles? Nope, we’re going with beer cans, tall boys, and heavy metal aesthetics..

Liquid Death didn't just step outside the comfort zone – it ran screaming in the opposite direction. I’m still not 100% convinced that I’ll find pure water in those cans.

Sidebar: A strong brand also attracts detractors who rush to remind us that Liquid Death is still relatively small ($263M) and did nothing to evolve the “product”. But… the product is just water. I say go away and let us appreciate a brand with real courage.

The more established, stodgy, and predictable the category, the more fun it is to watch the challenger brands do their thing. For more, I loved “Challengers vs.. The Cost of Dull” on The Challenger Project from eatbigfish.