Liquid Death’s Chief Media Officer: “If it’s expected from us, we don’t do it.”
Benoit Vetere Tells DPAA’s Barry Frey Why Breaking Marketing Conventions Has Helped Liquid Death Win
Younger Consumers and Why the Brand Wants to Invest More in DOOH
NEW YORK – In a media environment engineered around algorithms, optimization and increasingly predictable advertising, Liquid Death has built one of marketing’s most talked-about brands by following a very different rule: “If it’s expected from us, we don’t do it. If it’s not expected, we go all in.”
That philosophy is at the center of a new conversation between Liquid Death’s Chief Media Officer Benoit Vetere and DPAA President & CEO Barry Frey on DPAA’s Launchpad of Innovation podcast.
Vetere goes inside the strategy behind a brand that has turned canned water into a cultural statement, using unconventional creative, unexpected partnerships and a media strategy designed to earn attention rather than buy impressions.
Among the takeaways:
BE UNEXPECTED
Liquid Death deliberately pushes against category and advertising conventions. As Vetere puts it: “If it’s expected from us, we don’t do it.”
COLLABORATIONS ARE MEDIA
The brand’s partnerships aren’t simply promotional extensions. They help Liquid Death participate in the culture of the Gen Z and Millennial audiences it is built to reach.
ONE IMPRESSION ISN’T ENOUGH
Vetere discusses the importance of repeated exposure in moving consumers from awareness to consideration and sees greater opportunity for DOOH within that mix. “I haven’t touched it enough. I’m very excited to touch it more and to invest more.”
“Liquid Death understands something every brand is wrestling with right now: attention has to be earned before it can be converted,” said DPAA President & CEO Barry Frey. “Great creative gives people a reason to notice. Media gives that idea the scale, frequency and context to become memorable. That intersection is increasingly where DOOH can play an important role.”
Launchpad of Innovation features unfiltered conversations with the C-suite executives shaping the future of advertising, marketing, and media. From ad-tech breakthroughs to brand-building strategies to the career moves that define eras, the show is where the industry’s boldest thinkers come to discuss what’s next. It is hosted by DPAA President & CEO Barry Frey, a leading voice in the industry whose career has spanned top positions at companies across all mediums – broadcast and cable, local and national, digital and mobile. For more than a decade heading the DPAA, Frey has led the charge toward the digitization of OOH advertising around the world. Listen to Launchpad of Innovation – presented by DPAA in partnership with AiOO – wherever you get your podcasts, and watch it on YouTube or at launchpadofinnovation.com.
Previous guests include Horizon Media Chief Product & Data Officer Domenic Venuto and Zoom Communications Head of Brand & Media Whitney Magnuson.
DPAA hosts conversations like these year-round, both on the podcast and via members-only webinars and town halls, curated experiences at major events like Cannes Lions, CES and Possible, and its flagship Global Video Everywhere Summit.
About the DPAA Global Video Everywhere Summit
Each year in the heart of New York City, DPAA’s flagship Summit brings approximately 1,000 industry leaders direct access to the people who influence the future of omnichannel marketing. There, people from brands, agencies, media platforms, and technology companies around the world network with others in this vibrant community, discuss marketing trends, challenges, and opportunities, and hear from CMOs, newsmakers, and agency executives. One Day. Real Connections. Year-Round Impact. The people shaping what’s next in DOOH, including real-life experiences, retail media networks, sports marketing, and more, come together at the Summit for conversations that shape the future of advertising for brands and agencies.
Speakers at the 14th annual DPAA Global Video Everywhere Summit – taking place October 13, 2026, at Pier 60 in NYC – include former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, CMOs from American Eagle Outfitters, Expedia, HiSense, Major League Soccer, leaders from top agencies, and more. For information or to attend, visit dpaasummit.com/global.
About DPAA
DPAA (www.dpaaglobal.com) is the global trade marketing association, driving the growth and digitization of out-of-home (OOH) advertising and its growing role in the Omnichannel mix. Membership in the DPAA community includes many business acceleration benefits and access to a wide array of products. It offers members an extensive database of research, best practices and case studies; tools for planning, training and forecasting; social media amplification of news; insights on software and hardware solutions; and further integration into the advertising ecosystem by connecting DOOH networks, brands, agencies, ad tech and others – including through its podcast, Launchpad of Innovation. DPAA’s Video Everywhere Summit, the largest one-day media/marketing event of its kind, is October 13, 2026, at Pier 60 in New York City.
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