Packaging Unboxd with Evelio Mattos

Mike Cesario: Mike Cesario is the founder and CEO of Liquid Death, a rapidly growing beverage company known for its unique branding and bold marketing strategies. Prior to starting Liquid Death, Mike had a background in advertising and creative direction, having worked with various ad agencies. He also has roots in the punk and metal music scenes, where he honed his design and conceptual skills. Mike’s innovative approach to branding has positioned Liquid Death as a standout competitor in the beverage industry. In this compelling episode of "Package Unbox," host Evelio Mattos dives deep into the creative and strategic world of Liquid Death with its founder, Mike Cesario. Mike shares the riveting journey from a photoshopped can of water to becoming a booming beverage brand. The episode sheds light on the importance of packaging in building a brand, the power of social media as a field-testing resource, and the punk ethos that drives Liquid Death. With relevant insights into how big brands make mistakes and why traditional marketing doesn't always work, Mike explains how Liquid Death carved its unique identity. The conversation includes the brand's viral initial marketing strategy, utilizing a $1,500 ad and a strong social media presence to draw attention. Mike discusses finding the right people, linking product quality with edgy branding, and leveraging user-generated content to keep the brand authentic and engaging. Social Media as a Testing Lab: Social media platforms offer an unparalleled opportunity to field-test concepts cheaply and effectively, providing genuine feedback and engagement from potential customers. Unified Concept Development: Successful branding requires a cohesive connection between the product and the brand message, ensuring even edgy or ironic elements are meaningfully tied to the product. Product Integrity: For sustained success, the quality of the product must back up its branding. A strong brand may attract initial interest, but enduring appeal hinges on product excellence. Innovative Marketing Strategies: Traditional marketing methods are less effective than creative and entertaining content that aligns with audience interests, such as Liquid Death's use of humorous and ironic elements to engage and expand their audience. Cross-functional Teamwork: Effective business building involves assembling a team where different members contribute complementary skills, ensuring both creative vision and operational efficiency are addressed. "Social media is the greatest field testing resource in the history of humankind." - Mike Cesario "Great advertising is the quickest way to kill a bad product." - Mike Cesario "Packaging is the one thing you should spend all your money on first because it's what people talk about." - Evelio Mattos "The appeal of Liquid Death is way broader than I ever thought it would be." - Mike Cesario "You don't have to be a business person to create your own business." - Mike Cesario Follow Mike Cesario on Twitter and LinkedIn. Check out Liquid Death's website: liquiddeath.com Learn more about the album of hate songs Liquid Death released here. Dive into this insightful episode to uncover the revolutionary strategies Liquid Death employed to disrupt the beverage industry, and learn how packaging, social media, and unconventional marketing can transform a niche product into a household name. Tune in for more enlightening content from "Packaging Unboxd! Connect with Evelio Mattos: https://bit.ly/EvelioMattos

Part 2 of 10 Lessons for Packaging with Foil. April Lytle or Kurz Transfer Products and I provide key insights into how to use foil when designing packaging.  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the Podcast. If you’ve ever designed packaging with textures and foils, you know there’s a learning curve to doing it right. I want to bring you the opportunity to gain these insights as quickly as possible. I’m joined by April Lytel with Kurz Transfer Products, Kurz has been making foils since the 1800’s so they know a thing or two about foil. Today’s - 10 Lessons for designing with Foil is split into 2 parts to keep it short and actionable. Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Show Links: April Lytle on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2ZQLyz9 Kurz Transfer Products: https://bit.ly/Kurzfoil Kurz Transfer Products Online: https://www.kurzusa.com Connect with me on LinkedIn:https://bit.ly/EvelioMattos

William Kang and Adrian Ng co-founders of Aether NY talk to us to share their history and celebrate their recent win at the Dieline Awards for clear spirits packaging design. The beautiful bottle for Source One Vodka set a new standard in geometric bottle design, but their not limited to packaging design.  Aether NY has launched many Augmented Reality systems and brand forward apps, Aether NY is moving packaging into whole new territories in user experiences. Listen to learn just how to combine these disciplines under one roof to build the brands of tomorrow. Connect with Aether NY: Web: https://www.aetherny.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aetherny/ Email: hello@aetherny.com Connect with Evelio Mattos on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/EvelioMattos

If you’ve ever designed packaging with textures and foils, you know there’s a learning curve to doing it right. I want to bring you the opportunity to gain these insights as quickly as possible. I’m joined by April Lytel with Kurz Transfer Products, Kurz has been making foils since the 1800’s so they know a thing or two about foil. Today’s - 10 Lessons for designing with Foil is split into 2 parts to keep it short and actionable. Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Show Links: April Lytle on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2ZQLyz9 Kurz Transfer Products: https://bit.ly/Kurzfoil Kurz Transfer Products Online: https://www.kurzusa.com Connect with me on LinkedIn:https://bit.ly/EvelioMattos

What does it take to design award winning packaging that delivers an ROI for online and in-store packaging? Get a behind the scenes look at Beardwood & Co.'s process for redesigning Hill's Science Diet packaging that spanned over 900 SKUs around the world.  Understand the decisions and strategy that drove the packaging design and how to navigate design for a global online market.  Connect with Sarah Williams: Beardwood: https://beardwood.com LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/SarahBeardwood Connect with Evelio Mattos: https://bit.ly/EvelioMattos Leave some feedback: • What guests should we have on next? • What packaging topic would you like to learn more about? • Did you learn something from this episode? If you did please leave a short review.

Ever wonder where to get started on sustainable design? Well, this episode of Package Design Unboxd gives you a lot to think about as we dive into sustainable design with Katie Kubrak of Nirvana CPH. Everything from streamlining design for efficiency, understanding material lifecycles, to mono-material design.  Buckle in those ear pods and get ready to take notes.  These Ten Commandments of Sustainable Design are a great way to get started learning how to develop sustainable packaging designs that improve profits and the environment. Learn more about the Ten Commandments of Sustainable Packaging here: https://www.tencommandmentsofsustainabledesign.com https://www.rca.ac.uk/students/katie-kubrak/ Connect directly with Katie on Linked In: https://bit.ly/KatieKubrak And connect with Evelio Mattos on Linked In: https://bit.ly/EvelioMattos

Ever want to know what it takes to win a packaging competition? Adam Ryan, the Head of Pentawards joins us to discuss exactly what it takes to enter and get noticed by the judges. We get a behind the scenes view of how the judging happens and who some of the judges are.  Connect: Adam Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-ryan-a14108103/ Pentawards: https://pentawards.com/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PackageDesignUnboxd/ And connect with me, Evelio Mattos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eveliomattos/

We speak to Katie Kubrak, Materials and Insights Producer with Nirvana CPH.  Learn how CMF and MDD drive innovation in packaging design, and create consumer connections. Dive into Coatings, Materials, and Finishes before we transition into the Material Driven Design to create a tangible experience for product and packaging.  No matter if you're just starting out or a seasoned pro, this episode will help you rethink the way you consider packaging. Listen, rate, review, and subscribe! Connect with Katie Kubrak: Katie Kubrak Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-kubrak-33493591/ Katie Kubrak PhD Profile: https://www.rca.ac.uk/students/katie-kubrak/ Katie Kubrak Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makedesignbetter/ Nirvana CPH website: https://nirvanacph.com/ Show Resources: Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons: https://www.ynharari.com/book/21-lessons-book/ Nirvana CPH Material Monday articles: https://nirvanacph.com/materials-insight/ Tu Delft University: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/ Politecnico di Milano: https://www.polimi.it/en/ Material Experience Lab : http://materialsexperiencelab.com MIT Materials Research Lab : https://mrl.mit.edu Materials Research Science Center : https://mrsec.org Center for Circular Design: https://www.arts.ac.uk/research/research-centres/centre-for-circular-design Connect with me, Evelio Mattos on Linked In: Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eveliomattos/

Woolcool is a new packaging material that's been used for thermal insulation for over 13,000 years. Today it's replacing polystyrene foam insulation one box at a time.  Learn what woolcool is and how this 100% natural material can keep food and pharmaceutical shipments below 40 degrees for days. We speak to  Josie Morris, Managing Director of Woolcool to find out  more about their sustainable mission to replace polystyrene insulation. Learn more about Woolcool here: https://www.woolcool.com Connect with Josie Morris on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josie-morris-354b5b57/ Connect with me Evelio Mattos, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eveliomattos/

We speak to Jess Williams, Founder and Creative Director of Communal Creative in NYC, a branding agency with a passion for storytelling. Learn how the team at Communal Creative immerses itself into each brand to unearth a resonating story that can be supported at every touch point  of the consumer journey.  Jess's experience as Creative Director for Thrillist and early stage Birchbox give her the insight to build startups into brands.  Be prepared to take notes! Connect with Jess: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelewil/ Studio Site: http://communalcreative.com Or Catch up with me Evelio Mattos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eveliomattos/