Liquid Death and Garage Beer have launched a campaign mocking AI data centers by asking Americans to donate their urine as a water-saving fix for the resource hogs popping up around the country.
AdWeek reports that Liquid Death and Garage Beer have teamed up on a campaign called “We Want Your Pee,” which pitches human urine as an alternative to the millions of gallons of water that AI data centers typically use for cooling.
The campaign launched with a “P[EE].S.A.-style” ad starring Garage Beer co-owner and former NFL player Jason Kelce. The spot opens with Kelce at his toilet, where he reveals he is collecting his urine in a bottle. “AI data centers waste millions of gallons of water,” Kelce says to the camera. He then walks into a wooded meadow and begins singing, “We want your pee, please give us your pee,” joined by Murder Man, Liquid Death’s mascot, who is also holding a jar of urine.
A crowd gathers, each person carrying a container of their own, singing, “Let’s pee on computers, together, to save humanity.” The group eventually arrives at a post office to mail their contributions to the nearest data center.
The ad will run on Liquid Death’s and Garage Beer’s social media channels as well as connected TV.
The campaign taps into growing public unease over AI data center construction across the country. A recent Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans oppose having data centers built in their communities. An increasing number of cities and counties have placed moratoriums on new data center construction.
Andy Pearson, vp of creative at Liquid Death, said the two brands saw an opening to engage with what he called the “cultural zeitgeist” while playing to their shared sense of humor. “Garage Beer is a lot like us, an indie beverage brand that’s trying to take on the big guys through humor,” Pearson told Adweek. “Humor, at its core, is based on sharing a reality with another human being and laughing at a truth that’s there. It’s also one of the very few involuntary, visceral, physical reactions that you can elicit from someone. And when you can do that, you’ve really connected with someone deeply.”
Andy Sauer, CEO of Garage Beer, said the campaign’s humor doesn’t diminish the seriousness of the underlying issue. “Water is the world’s most valuable resource, and data centers are a hot topic, so we got together to have some fun, while raising a little awareness,” Sauer told Adweek.
Garage Beer is currently one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the United States, even as alcohol consumption among U.S. adults has fallen to a record low of 54 percent.
Read more at AdWeek here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.