Liquid Death: Mike Cessario
Episode 590 of the How I Built This with Guy Raz podcast, hosted by Guy Raz | Wondery, titled "Liquid Death: Mike Cessario" was published on January 22, 2024 and runs 79 minutes.
January 22, 2024 ·79m · How I Built This with Guy Raz
Summary
Mike Cessario came up with the idea for a viral water brand by asking himself “What is the dumbest possible idea we could have?” His answer was Liquid Death: an aluminum can of water that looks like a cross between beer and poison. While it seemed self-destructive, the idea turned out to be brilliant: Liquid Death connected with customers who don’t typically buy bottled water, and built a moat around itself by being entertaining and edgy—something most brands struggle with. As a former ad-man with one failed business behind him, Mike initially sidelined his idea when he couldn't find a co-packer to put spring water in aluminum cans. But seven years after launch, Liquid Death is both a water and an entertainment company, with annual revenue well above $100M. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Edited by Neva Grant, with research from Casey Herman. Our engineers were Robert Rodriguez and Josh Newell. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Episode Description
Mike Cessario came up with the idea for a viral water brand by asking himself “What is the dumbest possible idea we could have?” His answer was Liquid Death: an aluminum can of water that looks like a cross between beer and poison. While it seemed self-destructive, the idea turned out to be brilliant: Liquid Death connected with customers who don’t typically buy bottled water, and built a moat around itself by being entertaining and edgy—something most brands struggle with. As a former ad-man with one failed business behind him, Mike initially sidelined his idea when he couldn't find a co-packer to put spring water in aluminum cans. But seven years after launch, Liquid Death is both a water and an entertainment company, with annual revenue well above $100M.
This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei.
Edited by Neva Grant, with research from Casey Herman.
Our engineers were Robert Rodriguez and Josh Newell.
You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected].
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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