Liquid Death – Canned Water!

A graphic designer and former Netflix creative director, Mike Cessario of Delaware, saw the Vans Warped Tour in 2009, and that experience sparked the idea for Liquid Death. He spoke with the bands and learnt that they would rather drink water than energy drinks on stage, but that they were forced to use energy drink cans because of sponsorship agreements. Because of this, he developed a line of bottled water that the bands liked sipping during their shows.

Cessario said that he was surprised that water wasn’t advertised in the same way as Monster. Cessario thought that if his product was compelling enough, people would naturally share it on social media.

Cessario, J.R. Riggins, bartender Pat Cook, and artist Will Carsola founded the firm.

Their list of potential business names included “Southern Thunder” before he and his colleagues settled on Liquid Death. Cessario sought to trademark the phrase “Liquid Death” in 2017.

Although no one involved had ever introduced a new beverage to the market before, the firm moved on with the production of their canned water after a name was settled on. Using Google, they were able to track down a provider in Austria that made energy drinks and other beverages using water drawn from a local mountain spring. The Upper Austrian village of Frankenmarkt (elevation 583 metres; 1,759 feet) is where the water is bottled and distributed by Austrian beverage manufacturer Starzinger.

The firm was fortunate enough to be able to can the water rather than put it in plastic bottles.

For that reason, “death to plastic” became the firm’s slogan, which was very significant. The firm boasts that its aluminium cans can be recycled indefinitely. As recycling plastic no longer generates a profit, the practice has mostly been abandoned. Economists who study environmental impacts think it’s better for the earth if people just put their plastic waste in the trash instead of recycling it. 

Cessario claims that even though it seems paradoxical, it is more environmentally friendly for Liquid Death to import water from the Alps rather than draw it from a spring in the United States. Given that a single massive ship can carry an unbelievable quantity of goods, “ocean freight is by far the most carbon-efficient type of transportation per the pound,” he argues. It would take around 500 vehicles to transport the same quantity of cargo. Cessario also cites research showing that, due to differences in transportation, French wine has a lesser carbon footprint than California wine of the same kind.

Mike Cessario was no stranger to attention-grabbing advertising, having worked on Netflix’s “House of Cards,” “Narcos,” and “Stranger Things” viral marketing campaigns. He spent $3,000 on Facebook advertisements and $1,500 on the first Liquid Death promo. There were more than 3 million views of the commercial in less than three months, and during that time frame, Liquid Death had more Facebook fans than Aquafina.

Cessario’s experience in punk and heavy metal bands inspired the Liquid Death brand, which targets hard-core individuals who abstain from booze and drugs. When it comes to the brand’s marketing efforts, the fans get the joke right away.

Cessario announced in 2019 that the company’s “lifestyle play” would include a rollout to clubs, tattoo parlours, and select barber shops in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. In January 2019, the beverage was made available for purchase by the general public through its official website.

Several alternative market brands are harmful to one’s health. There is a large quantity of low-quality beer and energy drinks that no one wants to consume. Cessario hoped that by allowing people to partake in this hip rock-and-roll brand without ingesting anything revolting, he might encourage more people to get on board. Moreover, the availability of water in a can allow the company to target a hitherto untapped demographic: young adults who like social gatherings and whose aesthetic sensibilities are at home at a festival, a house party, or a bar.

Canned water is not an entirely novel concept: Preppers who value its long storage life and compact storage space buy it, and disaster relief agencies regularly stock up on it for distribution. But the true ingenuity of Liquid Death is in the combination of the can, which is reminiscent of a beer bottle, and the edgy logo. The group considered calling the product after a kind of craft beer at first, given the similarities between the two. 

Cessario disagrees that Liquid Death is just a marketing stunt. Everything and everything may be a gimmick in his eyes. He gives the example of Red Bull, an energy drink that has found tremendous success in niche markets outside of the traditional beverage industry, such as dirt biking and auto racing. In its way, Liquid Death is aiming for the same effect. Red Bull is just a marketing ploy, he said. It’s the same product that’s been forever, but they built a brand around extreme sports, as Cessario puts it. What is the connection between a dirt bike and an energy drink? These men are pros, they don’t need to refuel with such rubbish. Nonetheless, they are known to consume water.

The company debuted a carbonated water variant in 2020. Mango Chainsaw, Severed Lime, and Berry It Alive were the other three flavoured carbonated drinks that Liquid Death debuted with the original sparkling water. In contrast to unflavored seltzer, these flavoured carbonated drinks (or “sparkling waters”) have natural flavourings or extracts, acidulants, and some added sugar (from agave nectar). This makes them similar to all-natural, low-calorie sodas. The firm announced in March 2023 that it will be selling three different varieties of tea, each with agave nectar and 30 mg of caffeine: Armless Palmer, Grim Leafer, and Rest in Peach.

Moreover, Liquid Death manufactures NFTs under the label Murder Head Death Club

Cessario thinks you may attract new fans outside your core demographic by appealing to those who aren’t already familiar with your brand, such as soccer moms.

In the year 2020, Liquid Death put out an album on Spotify titled “Greatest Hates,” which included the negative feedback and reviews the firm had gotten up to that point. Lyrics from “Fire Your Marketing Guy” and “I thought this was alcohol” may be found on the heavy metal album.

Now the brand is valued at upwards of $700 million.

Reference

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/liquid-death-canned-water-gen-z

https://www.eater.com/22814834/liquid-death-water-sparkling-bottled-water-canned

Everything You Need To Know About Liquid Death