Liquid Death isn’t the first brand to think of putting water in aluminum cans instead of plastic. But they might be the first brand to actually make it cool.
That hip edginess that’s attracted a juicy and profitable demographic of young people (and olds) who still want to seem cool is not a happy accident. Liquid Death co-founder and CEO Mike Cessario was a former creative director at Netflix and previously played in heavy metal and punk bands. Launching in 2018, the brand was entering an already crowded water market. Most brands came packaged in single-use plastic bottles, so using a more eco-friendly material like aluminum would draw consumers looking for more sustainable alternatives to everyday products (or for folks who wanted something at a bar that looked like it maybe was a beer but 100% wasn’t).
But being more sustainable than plastic wouldn’t be enough for the kind of success Liquid Death had achieved so quickly. Nearly everyone loves sustainability, but the messaging is often dull, alarmist, or worse, political. Liquid Death would fly the sustainability flag, but it would be more Jolly Roger than Peace Sign.
