Liquid Death didn’t happen by accident. Mike Cessario went from skateboards and punk bands to building a beverage brand that treats marketing like entertainment, not homework, and he’s brutally honest about what actually moves the needle. With Jay Schwedelson, he breaks down packaging as the real moat, why they tested the brand before the product, and how to stay interesting when AI makes content cheap.
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Grab Liquid Death at your local store or online at www.liquiddeath.com, check out their sparkling lineup, and catch Mike at the upcoming Guru Conference for a deeper dive into their marketing playbook.
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Best Moments:
(02:45) From punk bands and agency life to launching a product so he could finally be the client
(05:04) Why water was the wedge - biggest category, boring brands, plastic everywhere, then a portfolio beyond plain water
(06:55) Most products are commodities - brand and aesthetics win hearts, not tiny functional differences
(08:40) The Facebook fakeout - 3M views and 80k followers before a single can existed, then used to raise money
(11:50) Entertainment first and small bets - nothing over 150k, in-house beats a 650k “at cost” bid
(13:40) Full-funnel media done right - broad awareness feeding precise mid-funnel and conversion work
(16:10) AI as cost saver, not taste maker - youth backlash is real and craft still matters
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Check out Jay’s YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson
Check out Jay’s TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelson
Check Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/
