“No one is more dangerously insane than one who is sane all the time: he is like a steel bridge without flexibility, and the order of his life is rigid and brittle.”
– Alan Watts
In the past few years, Liquid Death has been one of the fastest growing beverage brands in the United States, valuing at 700 million dollars as at October 2022.
But here’s the catch: there’s nothing special about their product. It’s just water.
Their biggest selling point is their marketing. Seeing Liquid Death on the shelves of your everyday grocery store can easily get your attention, and make you wonder what the hell it is.
Right off the bat, it looks like an energy drink. It is sold not in a plastic bottle, but in a tall can. And instead of the typical green or scenic vibe that water brands go for, you see a savage image of a melting skull. Beneath it, a quirky tagline reads, “Murder Your Thirst.”
The co-founder and CEO, Mike Cessario, had the idea for Liquid Death when he was at a Warped Tour music festival. Monster Energy was the sponsor of the tour, so the performing bands were given Monster energy drinks onstage. Many of the musicians, however, replaced the contents of their cans with water to stay hydrated.
That made Mike think, “Why aren’t there more healthy products that still have funny, cool, irreverent branding? Most of the funniest, most memorable, irreverent branding marketing is all for junk food.”
Initially, Liquid Death targeted a small niche of individuals who were into heavy metal and punk rock, as they could easily understand the humor. But the brand was so interesting that it quickly broadened their following.
Their typical customers range from sober adults who don’t want to look too awkward at a party, to parents trying to get their kids to drink more water, to anybody who just wants good water. (Because apparently water tastes better in a can.) Liquid Death also appeals to the environmentally-conscious, because unlike plastic bottles, cans can be endlessly recycled.
So, what can we learn here?
For one thing, it’s to never underestimate the worth of your “dumb” ideas. By entertaining your dumb ideas, you’re more likely to come up with something truly original. Instead of tossing them away right from the get-go, it’s worth playing around with them, and seeing if they could turn into something that’s both unique and valuable.
Technically, Liquid Death is a dumb idea. Any sane person would scoff at the idea of selling canned water with silly graphics printed on it. But practically, it turned out to be brilliant. It’s unique, because it’s never been done before. And it’s valuable, because it’s attracting people to drink more water.
According to Mike, he and his team still uses the same trick today. They would ask themselves, “What’s the dumbest possible idea?” As he explained, “If you try to think of a smart idea, then your brain is hard-wired to think about successful examples that already exist.”
“You kind of have to trick your brain to come up with a bad idea to truly be thinking in innovative territory,” he elaborated. “It works really well because you start thinking, like, ‘Oh, what’s the dumbest possible name for a super healthy, safest beverage possible? Liquid Death.’ Probably the dumbest name.”
Of course there are no guarantees that your ideas would be successful. But neither is there a guarantee to anything in the world. At the end of the day, it comes to bearing the risks and taking a leap of faith.
Head back over to your figurative (or literal) trash can and pull out your discarded ideas. Uncrumple them, and on a second glance, you just might find something that’s actually workable.
Izzat Zailan 