Mike Cessario is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Liquid Death, a canned water company with the tagline “murder your thirst.” The drink hit the shelves in 2019, and in 2022, the company’s estimated value hit $700 million. Mike was inspired to create Liquid Death after attending a Vans Warped Tour in 2009, where he watched concertgoers drink water out of Monster Energy cans to stay hydrated. Mike Cessario wondered why no one had ever marketed water in a similar manner to Monster and began his journey into creating Liquid Death.
Mike Cessario has a marketing background, having served as a creative director for agencies such as VaynerMedia, Porter & Bogusky, and Street League Skateboarding. Having always been passionate about health and fitness, Mike was begrudged that beer and energy drink brands got to do the cool advertising, so he decided to put his own spin on the water market. Now with 14 flavors as of 2024, Liquid Death has merch with punk rock imagery that includes partnerships with Martha Stewart, Bert Kreisher, and many more.
Not just another water brand, Mike Cessario is dedicated to limiting single-use plastics by packaging Liquid Death water in cans rather than plastic bottles. Cans, unlike bottles, are infinitely recyclable. The company also donates a portion of its sales to fighting plastic pollution.
Advertising is easy. Ask the average person if they could come up with a great idea for a commercial. Most will say yes. That’s because the bar for 99% of advertising is so low. But if you ask them if they could write a hit comedy TV show or create an Instagram account with three million followers, almost none of them will say yes. Entertaining is hard. But people actually care about entertainment. No one cares about marketing. We easily tune it out or skip it. In this session, Mike Cessario, the CEO and Founder of Liquid Death, will discuss the ability to generate outsized returns in the modern media landscape with an entertainment-first approach to brand-awareness and brand-loyalty.
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