The best brand collabs don’t have to feature the hero. Sometimes they feature the customer.

My family has really gotten into the latest Spider-Man movie series starring Tom Holland.

Like many fans, we’ve been looking forward to Spider-Man: Brand New Day opening in a couple weeks.

One of our favourite characters has always been Ned Leeds.

He’s funny, dorky, loyal, and about as ordinary as a guy can be while constantly finding himself surrounded by superheroes.

That’s exactly why Liquid I.V. made such a great choice with our guy Ned.

Rather than centring its new movie collaboration around Spidey himself, the brand built its campaign around Ned (played by Jacob Batalon).

As Ned walks through a sweltering New York afternoon in search of some Liquid I.V., Spider-Man discreetly saves him from falling construction materials, a pair of robbers, and other hazards.

Ned never even notices. He’s simply focused on getting his beverage of choice.

I think that’s fairly brilliant.

Most brands instinctively want the superhero (or maybe his girlfriend MJ, aka Zendaya).

Customers aren’t superheroes or global superstars.

Whatever we want to think, we’re way closer to Ned.

We’re busy, distracted, struggling to solve everyday problems, and often unaware of all the complexity happening behind the scenes.

And that’s Ned-zactly who great products should be designed for.

I happen to think Liquid I.V. is overpriced for what is, fundamentally, an electrolyte drink mix. (And I’m a daily electrolyte consumer.)

But even THAT is part of the lesson.

The company has built a premium brand by understanding the emotional side of hydration, then reinforcing that positioning through partnerships that fit naturally with its story.

This has a direct connection to I Need That. The best marketing doesn’t tend to make the brand the hero.

It helps customers picture themselves as the hero whose day (and maybe entire future) just got better because the product showed up at the right moment.

That’s a role Ned has been acing all along.

Want to make your product irresistible? That’s what we do as go-to-market consultants at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.