That’s the catchcry of what is currently one of the world’s coolest brands, Liquid Death.

But it is just water. And water is boring. Or it was until now. 

In this video of the introduction to his interview with Liquid Death CEO and founder Mike Cessario, Jon Evans of Uncensored CMO says that Liquid Death took the “very boring, very commoditised water market – and completely turned it on its head.”

How do you do that when the Liquid Death brand is, as Evans points out, “the antithesis of obviously what water is”?

In this video, Mike Cessario explains how Richard Branson and his Virgin brand inspired his own brand marketing strategy, first with brandy (which didn’t work out for him) and then with water.

“The biggest risk you can make as a brand is to blend in,” says Cessario. But giving your product or business an ‘out there’ brand name can have its risks, too. Here’s a Tiktok video of a mother who felt buying a can of Liquid Death “just wasn’t right”.

In spite of this kind of reaction from those not in its target market, Liquid Death has found a huge fan base among young people who love the brand’s ‘cool’ name and design as well as mothers who want their kids to drink something healthy, according to Mike Cessario.

As you can see from this graph from data storytelling firm Chartr, Liquid Death has built a social brand that has more followers than all other water brands combined, including long-established brands such as Evian and Perrier.

This following and valuation underscore the importance of brand and its impact on consumer behaviour. While the other water brands differentiate themselves on the purity, source and healthiness – once thought to be the only key selling propositions in the industry – Liquid Death has achieved massive success by going in the opposite direction, disrupting the whole bottled water category by positioning itself as punk, cool and funny.

Incorporating a brand’s world view, rather than just its features and benefits, has become increasingly important in branding, but it is still often overlooked by marketers. 

That’s why I have put together a series of articles on ‘The New Branding’.

This is the first, so to make sure you don’t miss the rest in the series, subscribe to my email newsletter here, or follow me on Linkedin, X or Facebook. And feel free to contact me to arrange a free Initial Consultation to discuss your product, service or business branding needs.