Latest / Marketing Made Simple with Fexingo: Branding, SEO, and Digital Strategy for Beginners / How Liquid Death Built a Billion Dollar Water Brand
Transcript
- Lucas: So you're walking down the beverage aisle at a convenience store, and you see a tallboy can. Black and white design, skull logo, says 'Murder Your Thirst' on the side. Luna: Right. It looks like a craft beer, but it's just water. That's Liquid Death, and it's worth over a billion dollars now. Lucas: Exactly. Canned water, plain sparkling or still, no flavor. But they've built a cult following by treating water like a rock band. Today we're breaking down exactly how they did it. Luna: And before we dive deep — you know, these episodes take time to research and produce. If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Lucas: Totally. It makes a real difference. So, back to Liquid Death — founder Mike Cessario started this in 2017, but it really took off around 2020. The key insight: water is a boring commodity. So he decided to brand it as the exact opposite of everything water usually is. Luna: Instead of clean, pure, refreshing, they went with edgy, irreverent, almost dangerous. The tagline 'Murder Your Thirst' — that's not something Evian would ever say. Lucas: No chance. And the packaging is critical. The tallboy can — same format as a beer can — signals rebellion. It's designed to feel like you're holding something illicit, even though it's just water. That alone creates a talking point. Luna: And they leaned into that hard. They sold merch before they even had distribution. T-shirts, hats, stickers — all with the Liquid Death logo. It became a lifestyle brand first, a beverage company second. Lucas: Right. They had a subscription model for their 'Death Club' — fans could get exclusive merch drops, early access to new flavors. They even did a limited-edition collab with a hot sauce brand called 'Death Sauce'. It's all about community and identity. Luna: And the celebrity investors didn't hurt. Wiz Khalifa, Steve-O from Jackass, even some pro skateboarders. That gave them instant credibility in the alternative scene. Lucas: But the really smart move was their content strategy. Their social media is pure absurdist humor. They post fake ads, parody videos, even a 'beer commercial' style spot where a guy chugs a Liquid Death and then headbangs. It's shareable, it's funny, and it costs almost nothing to produce. Luna: They also did a stunt where they 'got a tattoo' of the Liquid Death logo on a fan's forehead — obviously fake, but it got millions of views. They understand that in a crowded market, attention is the scarcest resource. Lucas: And the numbers back it up. By 2022, they were selling over 50 million cans a year. In 2024, they hit a valuation of $1.4 billion. And they've raised over $200 million in venture funding. All for water. Luna: But here's the question: can this work for any brand? Or is it just a flash in the pan? Lucas: I think there's a lesson for any marketer. The core principle is differentiation through personality. Most brands are afraid to take a stance, to be polarizing. Liquid Death is intentionally provocative. They know some people will hate it — and that's fine. The people who love it become evangelists. Luna: So the takeaway for a small business — don't try to be everything to everyone. Pick a bold angle, even if it turns some people off, and double down on the audience that clicks. Lucas: Exactly. And use humor, use irreverence, but do it authentically. If you're a boring brand pretending to be punk, people will see right through it. Liquid Death works because it's genuinely aligned with the founder's personality. Luna: Mike Cessario was a creative director at an ad agency. He knew how to make a campaign. But he also lived the culture — he was in punk bands, he rode skateboards. So the brand isn't manufactured. Lucas: Right. And they've expanded beyond just water. They now have iced tea, flavored sparkling water — all in the same tallboy format. But the core brand ethos stays consistent. They're not trying to be a healthier option; they're trying to be a more interesting one. Luna: One thing I find fascinating is how they handle retail distribution. They're in 7-Eleven, Walmart, Target, but also in music venues, skate shops, tattoo parlors. That's a very deliberate channel strategy. Lucas: Yeah. They want to be where their audience already hangs out. And they don't use traditional advertising — no TV spots, no billboards. It's all earned media, word of mouth, and their own content. That keeps costs low and authenticity high. Luna: They also do a lot of partnerships with other rebellious brands. Like, they did a collab with a hot sauce called 'The Last Dab' from Hot Ones. And with a hat brand called 'New Era'. It's all about reinforcing that counterculture image. Lucas: And their email marketing is genius. They send absurd subject lines like 'Your water is now legally a weapon' or 'We put a curse on your ex'. Open rates must be through the roof. Luna: I've seen their emails. They're hilarious. They even have a fake 'CEO' character who writes these unhinged letters. It's performance art as marketing. Lucas: So the big question for us as marketers: what's the one thing we can steal from Liquid Death that doesn't require a big budget? Luna: I think it's the willingness to be weird. You don't need a million-dollar campaign. You need a clear, distinctive voice and the courage to use it consistently. Lucas: And to think about packaging and presentation as a marketing asset, not just a container. Your product's first impression is often visual — make it count. Luna: Looking ahead, do you think Liquid Death can maintain this momentum? Or will the novelty wear off? Lucas: I think they have room to grow, especially internationally. But they'll need to keep innovating their content and maybe expand into adjacent categories. The risk is over-commercializing and losing the underground feel. Luna: So far they've been smart about that. They turned down a sponsorship deal with a major sports league because it didn't fit the brand. That takes discipline. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the final lesson: know what you're not. Liquid Death isn't for everyone, and they're fine with that. In a world where everyone tries to appeal to everyone, being divisive can be a superpower. Luna: Alright, that's a good note to end on. Thanks for joining us on Marketing Made Simple. Lucas: If you want more behind the scenes on how brands are breaking the rules, hit subscribe — and as always, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo if you found value here. See you next time.