The only brand out there marketing the most important beverage as “death”

I was late to the party when I found out about Liquid Death years ago, but I’m Canadian, so forgive me. I heard it was started by an ex-Vayner Media creative exec, and that makes so much sense because you can’t have this creative of a company and be giving your talents away to other clients.

While goth and metal have been defining aspects of this brand (which makes sense with a name like Liquid Death), it’s also done some epic collaborations with celebrities and is a video content machine, evident in all the vegan company video blogs I’ve done. Let’s dive more into what makes LD tick.

Date founded: 2017

Headquartered in: Los Angeles,CA

Founder(s): Mike Cessario

Current CEO: Mike Cessario

Current COO: Unknown

Current CMO/Marketing Director: SVP Daniel Murphy

Annual revenue: $333m

I LOVE this origin story video with Mike Cessario. It’s a masterclass in branding and how a beverage becomes part of a culture. And you don’t have to listen to an effing one-hour interview!

Products/services:

Mountain Water (still, sparkling, mini keg)
Soda Flavoured Sparkling Water (Variety, Killer Classics, Modern Mayhem, Severed Lime, Killer Cola, Doctor Death, Cherry Obituary, Rootbeer Wrath, Squeezed To Death, Mango Chainsaw, Grave Fruit, Deathberry Inferno, Piña Killada, Cereal Criminal, Psycho Cider)
Iced Tea (Variety, Dead Billionaire, Rest In Peach, Sweet Reaper, Blueberry Buzzsaw, Green Guillotine, Slaughter Berry)

Brand features:

1. Anarchy brand persona

Liquid Death embodies an anarchy persona, rebelling against the clean polished image that often dominates the beverage industry. From its skull cans and slogans like “Murder Your Thirst” to highlighting hate comments, the brand thrives on chaos. Its voice mocks corporate marketing, blending dark humour with anti-plastic activism.

LD positions itself as the punk rock of water, refusing to play by the rules. This extreme form of branding has built a cult-like following of fans and consumers, boasting 7.5 million followers on Instagram.

2. Cheeky innuendos

Liquid Death uses cheeky innuendos to grab attention and create shock value. From the Travis Barker “Enema of the State” collab, which highlights hydration by way of an enema while nodding to Blink 182’s 1999 album, to “Don’t F* the Planet” with pornstar Cherie DeVille, the brand uses sexual innuendos to garner attention.

Its ads mix sex, humour, and absurdity in a way that’s outrageous, keeping viewers laughing and entertained. By pairing provocative jokes with genuine messages like sustainability and anti-plastic activism, LD reinforces its identity as a brand that refuses to play safe, using innuendo to promote their brand.

3. Promoting environmental sustainability

Although LD mostly packages its brand with humour and cheekiness, its highlight on sustainability does not go unnoticed. By packaging its water in recyclable aluminum cans instead of plastic bottles, the brand emphasizes its environmental responsibility. Its “Death to Plastic” slogan turns sustainability into an entertaining movement rather than a boring note on how it contributes to a sustainable future.

Lastly, a portion of profits goes to organizations that help reduce plastic pollution and bring clean drinking water to communities in need such as Thirst Project.

Top marketing tactics

1. Celebrity Partnerships

Liquid Death does collaborative content campaigns with celebrities who have the same humour and “hard-core” persona that it exudes, like humour queen Kylie Kelce and rock stars Nigel Tufnel. (The first preview below may not be visible, but click on it to go the post.)

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A post shared by Liquid Death (@liquiddeath)

2. Clapback Marketing

Liquid Death calls out its “haters” on social media to hone in on its sassy and shameless persona. These posts often go viral because of the entertainment and controversial factors they provide to LD’s audience.

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A post shared by Liquid Death (@liquiddeath)

3. Being an entertainment brand

It’s no secret Liquid Death uses shock value and humour to position itself in the beverage industry. Its ads are incredibly entertaining and shameless. LD knows it’s not just a water brand but a full-on entertainment source.

Its “Official Iced Tea of Arizona” campaign, a parody bit to become Arizona, Nebraska’s official iced tea brand, is a direct call out to Arizona Iced Tea and a great example of consumer entertainment built on its competitors.

Its short videos such as “Toilet Taste Test” cleverly mock the exaggerated claims and gimmicks often used in beverage marketing, turning industry clichés into comedy that keeps audiences laughing and fully entertained.

LD’s brand is hilarity, giving its consumers more than just drinks to consume—it’s built a devoted consumer base. The Timewaster 5000 section on its website highlights all of its campaigns.