Niall Ratcliffe's Linkedin Analytics

If economists designed a water brand, they’d call it “Smartwater”. But if marketers did, they’d call it “Liquid Death”. Both are just bottled water. - Same contents. - Same minerals. - Same taste. But the branding creates 2 radically different outcomes. Smartwater branding: – Clean, clinical design – Scientific-sounding name – Positioned as a “premium” product The result: It’s a commodity with no real brand loyalty. (You buy it when it’s there. You forget it when it’s not.) Then take Liquid Death’s branding: - Bold packaging. - Ridiculous name. - Rebellious marketing. The result: A cult following of people willing to irrationally pay more money for water. Not because it hydrates better. Not because it tastes different. But because it says something about them. Smartwater sells water. Liquid Death sells identity. And too many brands forget how important the latter is. So if you want to create a brand with a cult following like Liquid Death - here’s where to start: —— 1/ Zig when they zag Liquid Death mocks the water industry. In a sea of blue bottles, they created something different - and different gets remembered. —— 2/ Choose personality over polish Liquid Death stand for something - and their fans stand with it. Your branding should have a tone of voice, a posture, and a point of view. —— 3/ Create shareable ideas, not just valuable ones People post Liquid Death on social because it’s fun to talk about. Smartwater? No one’s bragging about it. If your brand makes people look interesting, they’ll do your marketing for you. —— 4/ Have a mission Liquid Death feels like a water rebellion, to reject the industry and the pollution it causes. The brand has a reason to exist - and their audience a reason to care. —— In every market, there’s a Smartwater, and there’s a Liquid Death. Your job as a marketer is to lean towards the latter. P.S. Follow me for more B2B marketing Niall Ratcliffe

Underrated hack for levelling up your life: Say yes to meeting more people. Most advice today tells you to lock yourself away: - Stay focused. - Block your calendar. - Protect your time at all costs. And I get it. Time is your most valuable resource. But I’ve found that some of the biggest breakthroughs in my life and business haven’t come from sitting behind a screen... They came from meeting people. So here are 4 reasons why I’m making “meeting more people” a priority in 2025: 1/ It creates unexpected opportunities This random man from Manchester asked me to dinner. He ran a sales business. I thought it was unusual, but I said “Yes” anyway. He’s now one of my best friends and revolutionised how we do sales in the business. (His name was Jack Frimston) —— 2/ It gives you better perspective I spent all day stressing about work and the business. But a quick coffee with someone outside my circle… - I forget about my problems. - See life through their lens. - Remember life is good. It’s easy to forget this world doesn’t revolve around your problems. —— 3/ Its the best way to learn I’ve read 4 books so far in 2025. Yet I’ve learned 100x more from meeting different people doing different things. Last year, Lara told me how effective her webinars were. Then we ran one before Christmas and closed 4 clients off the back of it. —— 4/ It actually makes life fun Life is hard, business often makes it harder. It’s easy to sit in your house and think about problems, or you can just relax for a few hours and enjoy life. —— Am I naturally more introverted? Yes. And yes, I love deep work sessions in completely silence. But some of the best things in my life started with getting out more. So this year I’m going to say “Yes” even more. I think you probably should too. P.S. If you’re in Manchester and not a serial killer, let’s get coffee :) — Follow me for B2B marketing insights Niall Ratcliffe