Jalen Green, the Houston Rockets’ guard, is known for his 40-point games. However, people often overlook his twisted sense of humor. This humor aligns perfectly with Liquid Death, his new brand partner. Liquid Death has a reputation for its horror-comedy marketing approach. The brand is now expanding its reach into mainstream professional sports. The latest campaign, «Severed Head Basketball,» showcases the brand’s latest ad.
The 60-second video features Green and a screaming, disembodied head as the brand’s first NBA brand ambassador and investor. Liquid Death’s collectible basketball is a limited edition swag that resembles a human head with cartoonishly gruesome accents.
According to Andy Pearson, Liquid Death’s vice president of creative, Green was the perfect choice to promote the brand’s humor and fun marketing approach. The video is an homage to the celebrity endorsement from the ’90s era. Ads from that time period encouraged viewers to be like their hero. The team drew inspiration from toy advertising from the ’90s and Michael Jordan’s commercials for Wheaties and Gatorade.
Will Carsola, the creator of Adult Swim’s Mr. Pickles, designed the limited-edition swag for the video. Liquid Death’s relationship with Green goes back several years. The brand’s senior vice president of digital retail and avid hoops fan, Hamid Saify, kept Green stocked in the product. For Green’s second year in the NBA, it was the right time to «join forces and make something together,» Pearson said.
Liquid Death’s “Hoop Head” is available for $125 on LiquidDeath.com. It joins the ranks of other wacky merchandise. For example, skateboards infused with Hawk’s blood and VHS cassettes of Kreischer’s workout videos.
