Liquid Death are giving away a jet in competition inspired by ‘giant soda brand’ legal battle

Sustainable drinks brand Liquid Death are giving away an actual jet called ‘The Dehydrator’ to one lucky winner who enters their competition between May and September 2024.

The competition is inspired by a famous legal battle where a well-known soda brand (hint: they’re Coca-Cola’s biggest competitor) ‘jokingly’ offered a jet if customers collected enough points.

Well, Liquid Death is actually doing it – and it’s no joke. And while they have avoided name-dropping Pepsi, it’s clear where the whole idea has come from.

The Dehydrator (an Aero L-39, if you know your planes) has a top speed of about 470 miles per hour and almost 4,000-foot pounds of thrust – enough speed to make your mouth dry.

To enter, all you have to do is walk into a physical store (these drinks are stocked at Target, 7-Eleven, and Kroger), buy Liquid Death, and keep the physical receipt.

Then, follow the process to upload it at www.liquiddeath.com/jet. Every can purchased is an entry, and online orders are not included.

Aside from the jet, the winner will also get a year’s supply of Liquid Death, six months of free hangar space, a pilot’s helmet, and a cup holder that fits nicely in your new ride.

The jet comes with a valid and effective FAA special certification of airworthiness. And, if you don’t have a pilot’s license or a hangar handy, you can substitute the jet for a briefcase with $250,000 in it.

What inspired this competition?

In the mid-1990s, Pepsi offered prizes for points earned with drink purchases. Sunglasses were 50 points, a hat was 70, and so on.

In the commercial, they ‘jokingly’ had a kid pull up to school in a jet that he had won for 7 million points. The company didn’t place a disclaimer on their ad that this wasn’t an actual prize, as they never thought anyone would collect that many points.

A 23-year-old student took this as a challenge, and raised $700,000 from investors to buy points and tried to cash in on the jet.

Pepsi refused to deliver the jet, claiming it was a joke, and it led to a years-long legal battle. Eventually, it ended in favor of the soda brand, but sparked a hugely popular Netflix documentary, and taught marketing companies a thing or two about disclaimers.

Who are Liquid Death?

A relatively new beverages company, Liquid death was founded in 2018 and has several types of canned still and sparkling waters (some of which are flavored) and their marketing strategies are pretty inventive.

For example, they sell bolo ties as merch, and their rewards scheme is literally signing a contract to “sell your soul”.

Now, they’re poking fun at a huge soda brand to hit home that their products are different. They focus on sustainability, don’t sell sugar-loaded drinks, and their brand statement is totally unique:

“We’re just a funny beverage company who hates corporate marketing as much as you do. Our evil mission is to make people laugh and get more of them to drink more healthy beverages more often, all while helping to kill plastic pollution.”

The biggest takeaway from all this? Yes, you could win a jet. No, it’s not a ‘joke’ this time.