What's your cultural collision?

And the next Liquid Death

There’s a term in marketing called a cultural collision. Take two cultures, smash them together, and create something new. Liquid Death did this with water: There was the boring water bottle industry (Desani, Arrowhead, and Fiji), and there was heavy metal.

Smash! You’ve got Liquid Death.

When we see something new like this, we reward it with our attention. Liquid Death is an environmentally conscious brand. They use aluminum cans, not plastic. But if they lead with environmental messaging, no one pays attention.

It’s not new. 

My half-baked theory on why humans like cultural collisions so much is that we, too are cultural collisions. You’re not just a surfer or a geek or Middle Eastern or gay or mechanic or lazy. You’re a confluence of influences and cultures and ideas, all wrapped up into something we call you. When we see brands do this, the novelty delights us, the truth compels us, and the world becomes more interesting because of it. We say thank you with our attention. 

What boring idea could be interesting if we applied a cultural collision?

Minnesota Weed Dispensary /  Intellectual Explorer. 

Chill Surf Brand / Harley Davidson Motorcycles.

Erotic Vibrator Brand / Baseball 

What do you got?