Welcome to The CPG 3 Newsletter!

In each edition, we share three ways to fast-track your CPG brand.

These insights come from conversations inside of CPG Fast Track, the private network for high-achieving CPG founders.

🚨 Want help on YOUR business — FOR FREE? We're hosting a free session on June 12, answering your questions about branding, marketing, fundraising, and anything else you'd like. Or just come to listen and learn! Register here.

Today in the newsletter:

• We talked to Liquid Death's head of marketing
• He shared how the brand works and thinks
• We're sharing three huge tips with you!

Here we go!

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☠️ Liquid Death's Marketing Strategy!!!

Liquid Death is the king of CPG marketing.

It's consistently funny. Attention-grabbing. And fueling insane growth. So, how do they do it?

Last week, Liquid Death SVP of Marketing Dan Murphy spoke to our members — and here are three standout things he said.

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1. You must be entertainment first

Liquid Death loves top-of-funnel. They believe that brand awareness is critical — and that if you over-optimize for lower-funnel growth marketing, you'll stop growing.

"The thesis of Liquid Death that you have to be entertainment first," he says — because if you're entertaining, people will pay attention. And if not, they'll skip you.

How to be entertainment-first:

• Start by choosing your medium, he says. Red Bull chose extreme sports. Liquid Death chose comedy. You could be a certain form of education, or anything else.
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• Invest in your medium. Liquid Death doesn't just hire marketers; they hire comedy writers who have written for the likes of Adult Swim.
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• Let creatives be creative. Liquid Death keeps its writers "hermetically sealed" from the rest of the business — so that they can focus on the funniest ideas, and not be watered down by sales or marketing concerns.

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2. Optimize for clarity and share-ability

Liquid Death has a creative review meeting every Thursday, where the team pitches ideas to the CEO and broader marketing team.

Here's what they're all thinking about...

• Is it simple? Writers pitch their ideas in a single sentence. If it takes more than that to explain the idea, it's too complex.
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• Is it sharable? "Our god metric isn't likes or comments; it's shares," Dan says. “If it's not compelling enough to share, it's probably not good tip-of-the-spear, top-of-the-funnel marketing.”
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• Is it partner-able? Liquid Death loves partnering with unexpected brands for funny, press-worthy ideas — like the Pit Diaper they made with adult diaper company Depend. (The gag is: It's a diaper so you don't have to leave the mosh pit and go to the bathroom.)

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3. Turn fans into micro-influencers

Liquid Death turns its fans into marketing content.

"A lot of what we're doing right now is combing social media, looking for people's posts about Liquid Death," Dan says. "We go to them and say, 'Hey, love that content. We'll put media behind your post and do some sophisticated targeting at different people. Then you will get exposure. And you will get followers."

Sometimes, Liquid Death also pays these people a small amount of money — maybe $100 or so. But mostly it's not necessary. They're just psyched to help their favorite brand.

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Want personalized help and advice?

Join our our FREE session on June 12!

Our team of CPG experts (who have built incredible brands!) will answer YOUR questions about branding, marketing, fundraising, and anything else you'd like.

Ask questions, or just come to listen and learn. Register here.

It's the kind of thing we do regularly inside of CPG Fast Track! We've helped members increase conversion rates, lower their ad costs, navigate rebrands, succeed in retail, and develop game-changing relationships with founders like them.

See you on June 12?

Talk soon,
Jason + the CPG FT team