A new battlefront has opened up in the war around artificial intelligence: Where will the massive data centers be built that are needed to run AI? A new collaboration between Liquid Death and Garage Beer seeks to address the need for data centers to consume up to 5 million gallons of water a day to cool their servers — albeit with marketing that employs a crude sense of humor.
AI technology has already been in the crosshairs for how it affects the spread of misinformation, alters the workforce and reshapes industries like advertising. For a majority of Americans, the question of where to build data centers is also a hot topic, and one many would answer: “Not in my backyard.” More than seven in 10 people opposed constructing AI data centers in their area, with nearly half strongly opposed, according to a Gallup poll.
Tapping into that opposition, Liquid Death and Garage Beer on Tuesday released a music video that opens with NFL legend and Garage Beer co-owner Jason Kelce relieving himself into a jar as he explains the AI data center cooling issue. In the 90-second clip, Kelce then walks outside and is joined by Liquid Death’s Murder Man mascot and dozens of characters who carry containers of pee and sing a song with the chorus, “We want your pee, please give us your pee, let's pee on computers, together, to save humanity."
The video also promotes a “Coolant Collector” product and encourages consumers to send their pee to an AI data center of their choice. It will run, with paid support, on the brand’s social channels and on connected TV. The partnership began as an opportunity to co-package Liquid Death and Garage Beer in retail settings, but soon outgrew its retail ambitions.
“We have a lot of affinity for what those guys are doing: they're doing comedy, and they're also an indie trying to break into the mainstream,” said Andy Pearson, Liquid Death’s vice president of creative. “We're positioning our energy drink as a light beer of energy — it's fewer calories, it's lighter, it's more drinkable — so that was the strategy.”
When developing creative, Liquid Death will convene a writer’s room that includes outside comedians and writers. Comedian Sabrina Jalees came up with the original data center idea, which was later repurposed for the collaborative campaign.
“When you look at the data, it is literally the one thing that unites all Americans right now, across the spectrum,” Pearson said.
Liquid Death previously ran a campaign that featured Kylie Kelce, a media personality and Jason’s wife, and Jason has released several Christmas albums, making the gregarious podcaster and spokesperson a perfect fit for an effort the brands did not want to come off as preachy. When writing the lyrics, the team looked at times “when people felt like they could save the world with a song,” like ‘80s benefits Live Aid or Hands Across America, Pearson said. Audio company Butter composed the music.
“Garage Beer and Liquid Death share a similar sense of humor and approach to marketing,” Garage Beer CEO Andy Sauer said in a statement. “The partnership felt natural from the start, and the video gave us a chance to bring both brands’ personalities together in a way that was fun, unexpected and very us.”
