How Liquid Death got a $100K ad for $0
A passion project turned viral masterclass in brand voice.
In early July, a one-minute Liquid Death commercial started making waves on Reddit and Instagram.
It had everything you'd expect from one of their official campaigns: Crisp visuals. Fast pacing. Bizarre humor. A police stop, a dead whale, and an unexpected birthday twist and all wrapped in Liquid Death’s signature weirdness.
But the kicker? It wasn’t made by Liquid Death.
The ad was created by three fans - Noam Sharon, Tal Rosenthal, and Amir Ariely under the collective Too Short For Modeling. It was a passion project. No budget. No brand brief.
Just a love letter to the brand, made using tools like Google’s Veo 3 and ElevenLabs.
And it looks good for a fan edit.
What began as a speculative ad quickly became a case study in how AI, combined with clear creative vision, can now produce agency-quality content from anywhere.
The Brand Impact When a Fan Ad Does the Marketing for You
Liquid Death didn’t ask for the ad. But they didn’t ignore it either.
The video captured their bizarre, irreverent tone with such precision that it quickly made rounds across Reddit, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram.
Not because people thought it was official but because it was that good.
Marketing professionals called it one of the best AI-generated ads they’d seen.
Liquid Death acknowledged the creators with a comment that matched the humor of the spot keeping the tone playful and on-brand.
According to an independent ad testing platform, the video outperformed 75% of all water brand ads ever analyzed. Source
We don’t have public data on a sales bump but the brand equity? Undeniable.
It was one of those weird, viral moments that cost them nothing, made them look brilliant, and now there's a fan-made ad out in the world that only adds to their reputation as the most unpredictable brand in beverages.
What DTC Brands Can Learn From This
Liquid Death didn’t make the ad. But they benefited from it because they’ve built a brand that people want to create for.
Here’s what made it work and what other DTC brands can take away:
AI didn’t replace creativity — it enabled it
The tools handled production. But the concept, timing, and humor? That came from humans who understood the brand deeply.
AI was just the brush, the idea was the art.
Speed matters more than polish
The entire spot was written, generated, and finished in just 7 days. No shoot. No approvals. No red tape.
For modern brands, AI opens the door to fast creative prototyping and trend-tapping without massive overhead.
Strong brands attract better UGC
Liquid Death didn’t go viral by accident. They’ve built a world with clear rules, a distinctive tone, and inside jokes fans love to play with.
When your brand identity is sharp, your audience will start to contribute.
Don’t fight the internet. Play along
Instead of issuing a takedown or ignoring the buzz, Liquid Death responded in-character.
The result? Cultural momentum.
Sometimes, your smartest move is simply to say: “Yep, you nailed it.”
Want to Try This Yourself?
If you’ve built a brand people get, AI can help you move faster, test weirder ideas, and invite your audience to play a bigger role in your story.
Here are four tools to make that happen without losing control of your voice:
Before you generate anything, make sure it sounds like you.
Erlin analyzes your brand tone and voice, then uses that to create content that’s consistent across websites so nothing feels off-brand, no matter who’s writing.
→ Best for keeping your content uniform, sharp, and unmistakably yours.
Turn scrappy ideas into watchable video fast.
You can prototype ads, test storylines, or jump on trends in a few clicks.
→ Best for experimenting with video without needing a shoot or production crew.
Bring your brand voice to life literally.
Generate voiceovers that fit your tone, whether it’s calm, sarcastic, hype, or deadpan.
→ Best for lo-fi explainer videos, AI-generated ads, or voice-first storytelling.
Visuals that feel on-brand, without hiring an illustrator.
Use it to mock up campaign concepts, merch, or let your fans submit their own interpretations of your world.
→ Best for creative exploration and audience-driven content challenges.
These are more than just time-saving tools; they help keep your voice sharp while you move at internet speed.
The Bottom Line
Liquid Death never briefed this campaign or funded it. But because the brand’s voice is bold, clear, and consistent, three fans were able to create something that felt right at home in its world and the internet rewarded it.
This is what the future looks like:
Creative production is accessible to anyone
Brand storytelling happens across communities
And the best-performing content might come from fans, not agencies
When your voice is strong and your brand is culturally fluent, AI becomes more than just a productivity tool.
It becomes part of your creative engine: sparking ideas, inviting collaboration, and keeping you in the conversation.
Seen a fan make something that totally fits your brand? Thinking about testing a creative idea with AI?
Reply and let me know or forward this to your team. That next big moment might already be out there, just waiting for a little push.
I’ll be back in two weeks with more.
Until then,
– Sid
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