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the Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceAuthor: Joshua Schall
Welcome to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience On my podcast, youll hear episodes of my popular short-form Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) news segment "Consumed", a long-form CPG entrepreneurship interview segment "Formula For:", deeper dive segments "Deep Dish CPG", public speaking engagements, and any of my new and current thoughts that I record specifically for this audio experience! Leave a review on iTunes and let me know what you think! Language: en Genres: Business Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Cashing In or Selling Out? Liquid Death Enters the Energy Drinks Market
Monday, 1 December, 2025
I’m having a tough time understanding the latest Liquid Death joke…does that mean I don’t have a sense of humor? For those unfamiliar, the original inspiration (that eventually became Liquid Death) occurred in 2009…when Founder (CEO) Mike Cessario went to watch some friends perform with their band at the Warped Tour. And because the festival was sponsored by Monster Beverage…musicians would be on stage drinking out of branded cans. But instead of them being filled with the actual Monster Energy liquid, they’d been replaced with water to keep musicians hydrated during their sets. And that sparked Mike Cessario (an advertising agency creative at the time) to question “why aren’t there more healthy products that still have funny, cool, irreverent branding?” Then, working on a public service ad campaign about the health risks of sugary energy drinks in 2014…he pitched the client on “doing a canned water stunt to poke fun at energy drinks.” While the client hated the idea, Mike Cessario spent the next roughly two years tinkering with the concept in his free time…eventually settling on what he called the “dumbest possible name for a super healthy, safest beverage possible.” But after potential investors passed on canned water concept, Mike Cessario (hoping to prove it was a viable brand), spent a few thousand dollars creating (and promoting) a short commercial that reframed water as the “deadliest stuff on earth” and responsible for way more deaths than energy drinks. So, if the constant impetus for Liquid Death came from “poking fun at energy drinks,” what could it mean when the brand just launched its own energy drink? With the tagline “feels like a cup of coffee, not an electric chair,” what you’ll initially notice is these Liquid Death Sparkling Energy drinks are less loaded with caffeine than most new entrants and challenger brands. And I’d hate if my previous statement was misinterpreted though…because product details can matter! But we cannot overlook that most CPG marketers will proclaim, “our brand this or that,” but few companies ever get past simply attempting to sell undifferentiated products. Though, when you can sell a product that (oh by the way) also brings someone an extremely desirable emotion…you’ve done something truly special. So, particularly when a CPG brand (like Liquid Death) rightfully carries forward its product philosophy (and standards) that helped it become a breakout…details can (in fact) matter. However, while some CPG industry pundits proclaim, “the move appears to be a natural extension of its brand identity, as Liquid Death has long seemed well-suited for the energy drink category,” I’ve got some doubts…especially when reapplying some comments I made last April surrounding the launch of its “Death Dust” hydration supplement stick packs! So, if Mike Cessario is simply taking a snapshot of the U.S. energy drinks market from 2009, 2014, 2018, or right now…it would certainly show the same duopolistic market structure. However, just analyzing Red Bull and Monster Beverage would hardly explain much about which underlying drivers “recently have, currently are, and will undoubtedly continue” powering the remarkable categorical growth. So, this is where I continue to struggle…will the Liquid Death “irreverent marketing” approach resonate with more diverse energy drink consumers looking for authenticity and relatability in brand messaging?
