CASE STUDY pacKaGinG as a VehicLe OF idenTiTY and reBeLLiOn: LiQUid deaTh Liquid Death, launched in 2019, is canned water that challenged packaging conventions in the beverage market. With a non-conformist approach and bold design, the startup turned an ordinary product into a cultural phenomenon, reaching one hundred million dollars in sales by 2023. In a market dominated by plastic and glass bottles, Liquid Death chose an aluminium can, associating it with the energy of carbonated drinks as beer or energy drinks. From the start, a key aspect to Liquid Death s success was its disruptive marketing approach which employed, for example, coffin-shaped packaging, videos with old ladies playing in a rock band and making fun of their grandchildren, surreal links and gadgets, thus gaining the connotation of being ironic, irreverent, and even a little dark. For their advertising, Liquid Death communicates mainly through social networks, posting high-impact videos that often go viral and speaking the right language for a young audience (70 per cent of the brand s consumers are millennials and Gen-Z), largely made up of males, who feel so cool that they don t need to drink spirits or energy drinks. The message they send is also Kill Plastic , using sustainability as a marketing weapon: 5 besides being more contemporary, cans have a much lower carbon footprint than plastic bottles as they can be recycled completely and indefi nitely. As a plus, the packaging reminds the audience of craft beer cans or metal albums, reinforcing the connection by using a gothic logo and slogans such as Murder Your Thirst . The colours used are black, silver, and gold, with a cool but simple aesthetic that stands out on the shelves. In a short time, their growth was viral: 4M+ followers on TikTok and frequent spontaneous memes. From being a startup, they became a global phenomenon, with a valuation of $700M in 2023. answer the questions. 1. What is Liquid Death? 2. What are, according to the text, the main reasons behind the success of Liquid Death? 3. Why did Liquid Death choose an aluminium can as their packaging? 4. Why did Liquid Death choose a gothic style for their packaging? 5. What is the main market segment of Liquid Death? 6. How can we say that their growth was viral? canned: in lattina carbonated: gasato coffin: bara Graphic desiGn 119