Perrier Orson Welles 1979

Evian made us want to #LiveYoung 

Flash forward 40 years, and water is still marketed as a status symbol, though it continues to be widely available from the tap. A perfect modern example is Evian Natural Spring Water’s 2018 #LiveYoung ad campaign, which focused on millennials’ playful and progressive attitude and, more importantly, their desire to live life to the fullest. The ads featured bright colors, sleek design, and aspirational photography, and Evian hosted multiple events, spotlighting celebrity ambassadors and using social media influencers to drive water sales.

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None of this was to unveil a new version of Evian’s core product. There were no new added electrolytes or nutrients or even flavorings. Instead, this expensive celebration of youth, vitality, and vibrancy was just touting the same old Evian Spring Water, but reminding consumers about the type of person they can be when they drink bottled water.

Liquid Death makes water hard-core

The 2019 launch of the canned water brand Liquid Death is another great example of marketing dressing up the simplest product to the point where it’s virtually unrecognizable—and in the case of this brand, that’s exactly the point.

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We’re just a funny water company who hates corporate marketing as much as you do,” reads the brand’s About Us page.Our evil mission is to make people laugh and get more of them to drink more water more often, all while helping to kill plastic pollution.”

Liquid Death’s entire branding approach resembles the heavy-metal aesthetics of a badass energy drink, as far away from traditional water marketing as possible. In fact, metal inspired the design of the cans, even though the water itself is still just water (from the Alps). The brand even releases albums of its own.

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Whether you take it bubbly, sparkling, or still, all water serves the same purpose: to hydrate our bodies. No matter what spin these campaigns put on it, we will never not need drinking water. Water will always be cool—no need to try to make it hip.