"The Power of Unconventional Marketing and Building User Habits for Business Success"

"The Power of Unconventional Marketing and Building User Habits for Business Success"

Introduction:
In the world of business, finding creative and unique ways to stand out is crucial. This article explores two case studies that demonstrate the power of unconventional marketing and the importance of building user habits for business success. By analyzing the strategies employed by Liquid Death, a canned water company, and examining the principles of retention during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can uncover valuable insights and actionable advice to apply to our own ventures.

Liquid Death: Transforming the Perception of Water
At the 2008 Warped Tour, Mike, the founder of Liquid Death, observed that rock bands preferred drinking water while performing but had to settle for energy drink cans. This sparked an idea - why not create water that bands would actually enjoy being seen drinking? This simple yet genius concept gave birth to Liquid Death, a brand that aimed to give a boring product awesome branding.

Instead of focusing on listing features, Liquid Death adopted a strategy of creating a "human brand" that people could relate to and laugh with. By injecting humor and personality into their marketing, they successfully differentiated themselves from traditional water brands. The initial test involved shooting a commercial and running paid Facebook ads, which quickly garnered attention and resulted in a significant following and viral video.

One key takeaway from Liquid Death's success is the importance of hacking attention. By turning social media hate comments into songs and selling them as vinyl records, the company generated tons of free press and attracted a wider audience. This strategy, although it required an investment, demonstrated the power of leveraging negativity and controversy to gain exposure.

Building User Habits for Retention: Lessons from COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in consumer behavior, making user retention more challenging than ever. To combat this, businesses must focus on building and deepening user habits over time.

Retention is an output of usage, meaning that businesses should not solely concentrate on revenue retention but rather on improving the core inputs of activation, engagement, and resurrection. Trying to retain every user may lead to sub-optimal results, so identifying and retaining the marginal audience is crucial.

To determine if the marginal audience is experiencing real value or just temporal value, it is essential to analyze the underlying behavior that drives engagement. If users are engaging solely due to current events without experiencing the broader value proposition, they are unlikely to retain.

Three Actionable Advice:

1. Embrace Unconventional Marketing: Take a page from Liquid Death's playbook and focus on creating a human brand that resonates with your target audience. Inject humor and personality into your marketing efforts to stand out from the competition.

2. Build User Habits: Instead of solely focusing on revenue retention, prioritize activation, engagement, and resurrection. By understanding user motivations, minimizing friction, and providing meaningful rewards, you can build and deepen user habits over time.

3. Identify and Retain the Marginal Audience: Rather than trying to keep every user, concentrate on retaining the marginal audience that derives real value from your product or service. Analyze their engagement behavior to ensure long-term retention.

Conclusion:
The success stories of Liquid Death and the principles of retention during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the power of unconventional marketing and building user habits for business success. By incorporating unique branding strategies, hacking attention, and prioritizing activation, engagement, and resurrection, businesses can thrive in a competitive landscape. Embrace creativity, understand user motivations, and focus on retaining the marginal audience to drive long-term growth and success.