Death, rebranded: what the prospect of living forever means for brands and marketers

"Who wants to live forever?", posed Queen's Freddie Mercury in song back in 1986. The sentiment was sweet and relatable: living forever means having to experience heartbreak forever. Aw, man. When you put it that way, who would would want to subject themselves to eternal life?

Well, turns out that lots of people do. And they have lots of money that they're ready, willing, and giddy to spend trying to achieve immortality. I'm guessing they are more Alphaville fans.

Once considered the inevitable end for all of us - the only thing we can all count on in life along with taxes, per the famous Benjamin Franklin quip - death in recent years has been repositioned by a new generation of entrepreneurs and technologists as a mere engineering problem. A not-impossible hurdle to overcome, a mere challenge to be hacked, a phase to be delayed indefinitely.

With the rise of bio-hacking, longevity startups, and an emerging anti-aging industry worth billions, death is no longer being treated as a foregone conclusion but rather as just as something else that cutting-edge technology can help us solve.

To put it in our industry's parlance: death is getting a marketing makeover.

So what will it mean if life's greatest certainty becomes optional all of a sudden? As a market researcher who constantly analyzes changes in brand perceptions, I couldn't resist wondering: if death is no longer a must, how will it get rebranded?

If death becomes optional, then what does it do to people's perceptions of it? On the other hand, what does doing away with death do to the perceptions of life? And, if you can in fact live forever, if you don't have to worry about living like every day could be your last, well, how that does impact how you face your purchase decisions and engage with brands?

The latest rebranding of death

Traditionally, death has been framed as a natural, inescapable part of the human experience. Religion, philosophy, and medicine have all sought to either make peace with it or delay it through medical advances. But today, death is being rebranded as something we can control, mitigate, and even refuse to acknowledge.

Netflix’s documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, released in January of this year, explores entrepreneur Bryan Johnson’s extreme attempts to slow aging and extend his lifespan indefinitely. His rigorous routine, supported by cutting-edge technology and millions of dollars in research, reflects a broader trend: the emergence of a culture that sees aging and mortality as technical issues rather than existential certainties. Figures like Tim Gray and other biohackers champion practices that aim to optimize health at a cellular level, pushing the boundaries of what the human body can endure and achieve.

Meanwhile, Silicon Valley is pouring money into longevity startups that promise to extend life expectancy beyond conventional limits. Companies like Altos Labs and Calico (backed by Jeff Bezos and Google, respectively) are researching ways to slow aging at a genetic level, while cryonics firms like Alcor offer the promise of preserving bodies until science catches up to revive them. Even the funeral industry is evolving, with digital legacy companies allowing people to “live on” through AI-generated replicas of their personalities.

What this reveals about consumer mindsets

This shift in how death is perceived provides deep insights into consumer psychology:

1. Control and optimization are the new norms. Consumers, particularly younger generations, are increasingly embracing a mindset that everything in life, including health, success, and even mortality, can be optimized through technology, discipline, and the right products. The rise of wearable health tech, biohacking supplements, and longevity coaching speaks to this demand for control.

2. Fear is being rebranded as empowerment. Traditionally, fear of death led people to seek meaning through spirituality, legacy-building, or acceptance. Now, that fear is being converted into empowerment: longevity science and wellness routines allow people to feel like they are actively working against their own mortality.

3. Luxury and status are being redefined. Longevity is fast becoming the new status symbol. For the ultra-wealthy, the ultimate flex is not just financial success but extended youth and vitality. Luxury wellness retreats, bespoke nutrition plans, and hyper-personalized healthcare are becoming markers of privilege.

What are the implications for product categories

The rebranding of death is rippling across industries, creating opportunities and challenges for marketers in multiple sectors.

1. Health & wellness. Consumers are looking beyond traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals, embracing longevity-focused supplements, personalized health monitoring, and regenerative therapies. Brands that position themselves as essential to lifespan extension, whether through fitness, nutrition, or mental health, will gain traction.

2. Insurance. The very idea of life insurance is predicated on mortality. As longevity efforts take center stage, insurers may need to reposition their offerings, perhaps focusing on ‘wellness-based insurance’ that rewards preventative care and biohacking strategies rather than assuming death at a certain age.

3. Travel & leisure. With increasing lifespans, consumers may rethink their bucket lists. Instead of prioritizing experiences before a perceived ‘end,’ travel brands might tap into the idea of lifelong exploration, promoting rejuvenation retreats and longevity-focused travel.

4. Beauty. The beauty industry has long marketed anti-aging, but now it must evolve beyond skincare to include longevity-focused science. Supplements, gene therapies, and cellular rejuvenation treatments will become central to beauty marketing strategies.

5. Technology & AI. Digital immortality is another emerging frontier. AI-driven legacy platforms that allow individuals to ‘live on’ digitally, or VR experiences that simulate youthful versions of oneself, will likely see increased interest.

Takeaway for brands & marketers

Let's get thing out of the way: the reality of living forever still remains far from being a mainstream offering. It is still a niche movement, primarily driven by the ultra-wealthy and tech enthusiasts.

However, if history is any indication, what starts as niche often finds its way into the mainstream over time. Recent 'miracle weight loss' drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, are good examples, with generic, cheaper, and easier-to-access GLP-1 alternatives being increasingly available to the a wider population.

So while true immortality may be a long way off, the broader cultural shift toward longevity and body optimization is already taking hold. Brands that begin thinking about how to engage with these evolving attitudes, whether through longevity-focused products, services, or messaging, will be better positioned to ride the wave as it grows.

The future may not be deathless for all, but it will certainly be longer, healthier, and more intentional for many. The brands that recognize this shift early stand to benefit the most.

Would you be interested in living forever? Let us know in the comments below, either way.