Corpse Paint, Canned Water, and Julia Fox: Just Another Day at Liquid Death

Written By Dan Ortiz

THE BRIEF:

Liquid Death and e.l.f. Gave the Internet Corpse Paint

CREATIVE REVIEW #18

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CREATIVE REVIEW #18 〰️

In what feels less like a campaign and more like a cult B-movie fever dream, Liquid Death and e.l.f. teamed up for Corpse Paint, a limited-edition makeup drop powered by supernatural dads, vegan ghost blood, and a full-blown content strategy dressed like satire. The result? 6.8 billion earned media impressions—and the wildest B2B case study of the year.

🔑 Why It Worked

  • Entertainment-first mentality: Treats ads like short films, not brand messaging.

  • Viral on purpose: Strategically weird content designed to flood the feed.

  • No selling, all spectacle: Sells water and makeup by not trying to sell anything.

📲 Social Strategy

  • Influencer swarm: Makeup creators, Liquid Death fans, and Julia Fox herself posted corpse-painted looks that turned feeds into an alternate timeline.

  • In-feed surrealism: Frequency over finesse—users saw one, then two, then eight bizarre black-and-white painted faces in a row.

  • Designed for the scroll, not the shelf: It wasn’t product-first. It was WTF-first.

💄 Product Hook

  • Corpse Paint makeup kit: e.l.f.’s entry point into a viral, performance-art crossover.

  • Canned water as a goth prop: Liquid Death becomes both sidekick and scene-stealer.

  • Vegan ghost blood: Enough said.


📊 Results

  • 6.8 billion earned media impressions

  • 50k+ YouTube views for the 55-sec hero spot

  • Julia Fox cameo + influencer wave = mass reach across TikTok and IG

  • No traditional media spend disclosed—just content, chaos, and culture

💡 Brand Takeaways

  • Don’t interrupt the feed—hijack it

  • Entertainment is marketing when it’s worth watching

  • Viral weirdness works when it’s intentional and brand-aligned

  • “Would we share this?” is sometimes a better filter than ROI modeling

Final Word:

Liquid Death didn’t chase cool—they buried it, resurrected it in corpse paint, and made us all laugh while doing it. In a marketing world still obsessed with ROI charts and media weights, this campaign proves absurdity can outperform strategy—if you’re smart enough to make them the same thing.


Credits:

Brand: Liquid Death x e.l.f.

Campaign: Corpse Paint

Production: Death Machine (in-house)

SVP of Marketing, Liquid Death: Dan Murphy

VP of Creative, Liquid Death: Andy Pearson

Featured Talent: Julia Fox

Dan Ortiz
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