For Liquid Death‘s second consecutive Super Bowl ad, the company is promoting its new better-for-you energy drink that it promises will never explode any heads.
That’s compared to regular energy drinks on the market, explains longevity specialist Dr. Darshan Shah in the PSA-style spot. Shah helped Liquid Death formulate the canned beverage, dubbed Sparkling Energy, which has just 100mg of caffeine—about the same as a cup of coffee.
ADWEEK asked several ad industry veterans during the Big Game for their opinions on the spot.
Benjamin Diedering, founder and CEO, BDX MEDIA
“Parody works best when it flips the mainstream, and Liquid Death consistently pushes that edge. The brand’s willingness to make some people uncomfortable keeps the work in conversation, with Dan Murphy and his team knowing exactly when crossing the line serves the brand. By framing the product like a health remedy while treating consumption as routine, almost like a cup of coffee, the spot borrows pharmaceutical visual language in a way that makes the satire land.”
Graham Douglas, co-founder and creative director, Gus
“As silly as the spot is, Liquid Death strikes a smart balance here. The idea is rooted in a clear, simple insight, which gives the brand permission to fully lean into the absurd. Liquid Death often prioritizes the joke, but this feels like one of the first times the humor is clearly anchored in an insight or product benefit, and it makes the work land harder.”
Tara DeVeaux, CEO, BCG Worldwide and Burrell Communications
“I have to say I was disappointed. I love Liquid Death and their we-know-our-brand-better-than-anyone-else approach to marketing. They are always provocative in a way that is fun but centered in a particular brand promise. So when you compare this year’s exploding heads spot to the Travis Barker enema or pregnant women doing water kegs, it definitely came up short. It was milquetoast in comparison to their previous work and the faux infomercial approach has been done to, well, death.”
Rikesh Lal, executive creative director, Erich & Kallman
“You had me at exploding heads. What a great way to push off the insane amounts of caffeine in other energy drinks with a real doctor. The papier maché head was a weirdly nice touch. Exactly what you’d expect from the brand.”
