The Liquid Death Story

Liquid Death isn’t your typical beverage company.

When I first saw their tallboy cans with a skull logo, I thought it had to be some hardcore alcohol. But nope—it’s just water in a can.

That was enough to spark my curiosity, so I started digging into the story behind the brand and its founder, Mike Cessario.

Cessario, with a background in marketing and advertising, took an unconventional path into the beverage world. After a failed attempt to make brandy a mainstream hit, he shifted his focus to something completely different: finding the most boring product category and becoming the coolest brand in that category. And that’s exactly how Liquid Death was born.

Through its edgy humor and bold approach, Liquid Death became a brand that resonated with a diverse audience— from health-conscious individuals to nightlife enthusiasts.

Here’s 7 Lessons from the Liquid Death story that you can implement into your own business:

1. Identify Opportunities in "Boring" Categories

Find markets where everything looks the same and stand out with creativity. Cessario saw that bottled water as a massive but boring space where every product essentially looked the same. Liquid Death stood out by being completely opposite from every other product on the shelves.

2. Reframe Your Industry's Norms

Ask “Why not?” and rethink the way things are usually done. Liquid Death broke away from plastic bottles and chose aluminum cans, even though no U.S. company could make it happen at the time—they had to go all the way to Austria for the packaging.

They also ignored the standard playbook of launching with three or more SKUs for shelf presence. Instead, they started with just one, proving you don’t have to follow the crowd to make an impact.

3. Build the Brand Before the Business

Most companies focus on the product first and worry about the brand later.

What’s more is that if you’re a startup, then the big players in your industry have deeper pockets and are likely already advertising in all of the hottest spots.

Liquid Death flipped the script—they started building a strong, recognizable brand from Day 1, long before their product hit shelves. They used humor - a universal language - to appeal to the masses and this helped them grow organically without spending a significant amount of money on ads.

4. Test Ideas Cheaply Before Scaling

Before Liquid Death even had a product, Cessario built a huge social media following with just a Facebook page and a viral YouTube video. This simple, low-cost approach proved there was real interest in the brand. When it came time to pitch to investors, he used that following as proof of traction, making it much easier to get those investors on board.

5. Differentiate Through Branding, Not Just Product

In a boring category like water, Cessario knew the product itself had to do the marketing. With most water bottles looking the same, Liquid Death stood out by making its branding bold and eye-catching, ensuring it grabbed customers’ attention the moment they saw it on the shelf.

The branding also had an unexpected benefit— it attracted new customer groups. Parents started buying Liquid Death because their kids were actually excited to drink water because the can looked like something that should be off limits to them.

6. Create Products That Market Themselves

Liquid Death’s bold tallboy cans and skull logo were designed to make a statement. The can itself became a conversation starter, getting people to talk about it and share it on social media. The product became its own marketing tool, spreading organically as people shared it with their friends.

7. Build on Success with Small Bets

Liquid Death built momentum with small, low-cost wins. For example, their viral YouTube video cost just a few thousand dollars to create, a far cry from the hundreds of thousands typically spent on launching a product that might not even resonate with customers.

They also expanded cautiously. Instead of diving straight into multiple product categories, Liquid Death started with plain water, then moved to sparkling water, and later iced tea. Each step was a calculated move, rather than a risky leap into uncharted territory.

See You In the Next One,

— Oleg