With a tagline like “homicide your thirst,” branding bombarded with skull-laden designs and taste names like Mango Chainsaw and Berry It Alive, it’s clear that Liquid Death stands aside from its many canned water friends.
Almost 4 years since its basis, the eye-catching beverage is now carried in 16,000 areas throughout the U.S., together with retailers like Complete Meals, Sprouts, 7-Eleven, and Goal, in addition to bars, tattoo parlors, cafes, and liquor shops. As probably the most adopted water model on TikTok, the second-most adopted water on Instagram and one of many fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers of all time, Liquid Dying is reigning supreme.
Co-Founder and CEO Mike Cessario unsurprisingly grew up entrenched in different tradition, taking part in in bands and skateboarding, and he seen most merchandise that catered to that viewers have been power drinks, sodas or junk meals. Years later, Cessario labored in promoting and started pitching bolder advert concepts, together with one marketing campaign for the natural trade that went viral.
“And that was the second I spotted wellness doesn’t need to be uninteresting or boring,” he mentioned. “I took the talents I realized whereas within the trade to carry the identical entertainment-first branding to wholesome drinks like water.”
Whereas one motive was to make well being and wellness cooler and extra accessible, Cessario needed to verify the model was impactful. Every 16.9-ounce Liquid Dying tallboy has textual content studying “#DeathToPlastic” and “We donate 10% of earnings from each can bought to assist kill plastic air pollution.”
Liquid Dying is packaged in aluminum as a result of, in contrast to plastic, it’s infinitely recyclable. The model additionally partnered up with non-profits, like 5Gyres, PangeaSeed Basis and The Thirst Mission, that struggle plastic air pollution and supply secure consuming water to communities around the globe the place consuming water isn’t instantly accessible.
After launching in 2019, Cessario admitted that some mainstream media retailers couldn’t wrap their head across the model or didn’t imagine it was simply water. However that was the whole level, he mentioned—to disrupt the multibillion-dollar water class filled with single-use plastic bottles.
“So some individuals bought the joke and a few didn’t, however that made individuals love us much more,” he mentioned. “The model grew exponentially as individuals noticed what we have been doing. We continued aligning with communities that believed in us, and that’s how we bought to the place we’re immediately.”
Liquid Dying was additionally intentional to acquire their water from a pure supply, the Austrian Alps, as Cessario mentioned the preliminary market analysis discovered that the majority bottled water merchandise have been simply extremely processed municipal faucet water.
The model launched a glowing water possibility in 2020, and afterward, Liquid Dying Flavors joined the military (the 2 aforementioned flavors, together with Severed Lime). Cessario mentioned the staff needed to create a product that landed between the “countless, bland, zero-cal, zero-sugar, zero-carb glowing water” and unhealthy sodas full of sugar.
“Liquid Dying Flavors turned their very own class,” Cessario mentioned. “They’re naturally sweetened with a touch of agave and made with fascinating twists—Severed Lime and Mango Chainsaw each comprise hints of orange, and Berry It Alive is a mixture of passionfruit and black cherry. Total, our mission is to launch merchandise that, in the long run, assist our fanbase make more healthy decisions.”
On Liquid Dying’s web site, they admit, “We’re only a humorous water firm who hates company advertising and marketing as a lot as you do.” Simply above that assertion is the Thirst Assassin, a cartoon character with eyes the place his nipples needs to be; one hand gripping a Liquid Dying, the opposite gripping his severed head; spikes jutting from his shoulders; and a large, veiny can of Liquid Dying fused into his neck the place his head needs to be.
You may even be the character for Halloween this 12 months.
“We attempt to not take ourselves too severely,” Cessario mentioned. “All of our branding makes use of cheeky humor. Whether or not it’s asking individuals to actually promote their souls to be able to be part of the Liquid Dying Nation Membership or murdering thirst, our model is supposed to make you snort and be ok with selecting to be more healthy.”
A part of the Liquid Dying fanbase, Cessario mentioned, is made up of the individuals who bought overlooked of goal audiences for different well being and wellness manufacturers, which regularly goal one sort of individual.
Over time, the model turned a favourite inside the sober and straight-edge communities, too. The Previous English textual content, melting cranium on the facet of the can, full-bodied taste, and tallboy dimension all work to create a perfect non-alcoholic consuming expertise, although Cessario mentioned focusing on these communities was by no means a main aim.
“We’re thrilled that the sober communities proceed to attach a lot with our model,” Cessario mentioned. “Even when somebody isn’t sober, increasingly individuals are beginning to search for drink options they will get pleasure from at a bar with out getting requested why they aren’t consuming. We’ve gotten such nice suggestions however the total message is that Liquid Dying permits individuals to skip the alcohol and mix proper in.”
That mentioned, a Liquid Dying fan actually doesn’t look any a technique, however they typically have a humorousness, Cessario mentioned. He added that greater than 200 individuals have tattooed their emblem on themselves and greater than 200,000 “have legally bought their souls to us in an eternally binding contract to hitch the Liquid Dying Nation Membership.”
“We’ve additionally gotten messages from dad and mom who suppose it’s humorous that their youngsters’ lecturers name them for bringing a can to highschool, but in addition thanking us that we lastly have their youngsters excited to drink extra water as an alternative of soda or power drinks,” he mentioned.
And the inevitable domination persists, as Liquid Dying continues sinking its tooth additional into the tradition at giant.
Steve-O lately teamed up as a model ambassador to tattoo his throat with Liquid Dying Mountain Water as an alternative of tattoo ink, with all the ache and not one of the permanence.
In December 2021, the corporate made headlines after partnering with Wiz Khalifa as a promoter of their new “Mountain Bong Water” collaboration. It was impressed by a video Wiz filmed himself, pouring Liquid Dying into his bong. He said on the time he solely smokes one of the best weed, “so it could solely make sense to pair it with one of the best bong water from Liquid Dying.”
On a since-deleted web page, the product description learn:
“What makes Liquid Dying Mountain Bong Water totally different from our unique Mountain Water? Completely nothing. We actually simply added the phrase ‘bong’ to this web page. You get the identical nice mountain water from the Alps with the identical pure electrolytes in the identical infinitely recyclable aluminum cans. However Wiz Khalifa likes placing it in his bong so we thought you may too. Nevertheless, our legal professionals say we must always clarify that it is best to by no means purchase a bong, take into consideration a bong, write the phrase bong, say the phrase bong, and even draw a bong. In actual fact, shut out of this web page proper now.”
Cessario mentioned the broader cultural embrace of Liquid Dying goes again to the corporate’s roots, and that whereas it’s a beverage, it’s additionally an leisure model.
“Each single marketing campaign or collab that we do, we do it to carry consciousness to well being and sustainability however in a method that’s humorous, simple to digest, and gratifying. We all the time attempt to diversify the expertise we companion up with as a result of we would like anybody to look to Liquid Dying and see themselves. Sooner or later, we simply hope to proceed bringing you even greater and higher leisure.”
Lengthy-time beverage manufacturers like Jones Soda Firm and Pabst Blue Ribbon have since entered the hashish sport, with THC-infused drinks projected to develop within the U.S. from $915.06 million in 2021 to $19,063.58 million USD in 2028.
It leaves the query: May customers quickly see a cannabis-infused Liquid Dying providing?
“One factor we do know is that water and hashish go collectively very nicely,” Cessario mentioned. “It’s good to hydrate. And even sparking water is a greater combine along with your excessive than alcohol most instances. However no, we don’t have any plans to do something with a cannabis-based product any time sooner or later.”
Nevertheless, followers needn’t fear. Cessario mentioned Liquid Dying nonetheless has lots of tasks within the works, together with some acquainted faces all through the music, comedy, and sports activities scenes.
Analyzing the model’s continued mainstream presence and staggering progress, it’s exhausting to imagine that Liquid Dying hasn’t been part of our tradition for longer. Cessario mirrored on the model’s development, trying on the street forward with a remaining nugget of charming, on-brand snark.
“Proper now, we’re targeted on world domination and making all drinks Liquid Dying at some point,” he mentioned, earlier than including. “Our aim for Liquid Dying is to proceed making a constructive model you can simply resonate with.”