How to create a $700M brand in four years like Liquid Death

In just four years Liquid Death has risen to become on of the stand our stars in the CPG category. How did it do it? Read on 👇

#1 CULTURE
After decades of lying influencers & brands, the world craves authenticity more than ever. In fact, 86% of people say they want more authenticity from the brands they buy.

Liquid Death taps into the idea of authenticity brilliantly, with its no-nonsense approach, calling out the corporate b*llshit of legacy water brands. From their initial launch to the present day, every campaign has taken on this brutally honest approach. In many ways, their ‘launch film’ was a meme, a joke in fact, intended to poke fun at the category they sought to challenge.

Ref #1: The founders launched Liquid Death’s original film as a bit of a joke. However, after racking up over 4M organic views it enabled the company to kick off a crowdfund and so the iconic brand was born.

#2 BROAD AUDIENCE
The biggest mistake I see scale-ups make time & time again? Get too niche & specific in their messaging. Look I get it, media budgets are tight and you cannot afford TV, but this doesn’t mean you can’t have a brand message that appeals to many rather than just a few. Why does this matter? Well we know to reach, targeting a broad audience, is the most effective way to scale.

Ref 2: It’s proven that going after a broader market is a more effective way to grow. (source: ThinkBox)

Most people think Liquid Death appeals to a niche audience, but I disagree. The brand has cleverly tapped into the growing 'sober curious' movement and gives people an alternative to alcohol, that they can drink at a club or festival without fear of judgement. In fact, we know this from the founding story of the company.

Ref #3: Liquid Death’s founder Mike Cessario, first thought of the idea, when he noticed musicians were hiding the fact they were drinking water at festivals.

Ref #4: In both America & the UK there is a growing movement of ‘sober curious’ people, especially amongst a younger millennial & GenZ audience.

How do they do they appeal to this broader market? 👇

#3 DISTINCTIVE ASSETS
The brand deliberately looks more like an energy or alcoholic drink than another dull bottled water brand. This allows people to drink it without judgement, in bars or clubs. It also creates a design that is hugely distinctive, compared to the dull tones of other water brands, allowing it to stand out on-shelf and online.

Ref #5: Liquid Death’s distinctive design allows it to stand out on shelf and online.

#4 KILLER LINE
Compare 'MURDER YOUR THIRST' to the generic lines around purity that most water brands adopt. It not only cuts through but embodies the purpose of the brand. "Murder = kill bad corporations and their ads" and "Thirst = ditch alcohol for a better drink".

#5 MEDIA COMPANY
In a similar fashion to Red Bull, Liquid Death is a media company first & drinks brand second. Everything it does is through the lens of entertainment rather than advertising. And at a time when the average person is exposed to 10,000 ad messages a day, it helps them punch above their weight.

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Many thanks,
Will Poskett
Co-Founder | Strategy Partner
Defiant

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