Liquid Death is weird. Honestly, it’s a water company that markets itself like a heavy metal band or a skate brand from the late 90s, which is exactly why the Liquid Death Super Bowl presence—or lack thereof—is such a masterclass in modern marketing. Most brands spend $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime. They sweat over focus groups. They hire A-list celebrities to dance in a brightly lit kitchen. Liquid Death? They usually just troll the entire concept of the Big Game.
It’s about being an "anti-brand."
While giant corporations like Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo are hemorrhaging cash to secure a spot in the broadcast, Mike Cessario—the founder of Liquid Death—has consistently found ways to hijack the conversation without actually buying a traditional slot. It’s brilliant. It’s also kinda frustrating for traditional ad agencies who still think you need a massive TV buy to "go viral." In reality, the Liquid Death Super Bowl strategy is about being the loudest person at the party who didn't actually pay for an invite.
Why Liquid Death Skips the Traditional Super Bowl Ad
Wait, did they ever have a "real" ad? Sorta. Back in 2022, they ran a regional spot. It wasn't a national buy. It featured kids partying hard—drinking "tallboys" that looked like beer but were actually just mountain water—while a Judas Priest-style soundtrack blasted in the background. It was hilarious because it played on the moral panic of underage drinking while being completely wholesome. It cost a fraction of a national spot but generated more headlines than most of the multi-million dollar commercials airing that same night.
Traditional advertising is dying. You know it, I know it. We all look at our phones the second the whistle blows and the commercials start.
Liquid Death understands that the "second screen" is where the real battle happens. Instead of competing for your attention on the TV, they compete for your attention on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter (X). By positioning themselves as the "cool" alternative to the corporate polish of the Super Bowl, they earn what marketers call "earned media." That’s just a fancy way of saying people talk about them for free because they did something funny or stupid.
The Economics of the Anti-Ad
Think about the math for a second. In 2024 and 2025, the price for a 30-second spot hovered around $7 million. That doesn't even include production costs, which can easily tack on another $2 million if you’re hiring a big director or a celebrity like Will Ferrell or Beyoncé.
Liquid Death can take that $9 million and run 500 hyper-targeted digital campaigns, sign twenty professional athletes to "murder their thirst," and produce enough content to last three years.
The 2024 "Biggest Ad Ever" Stunt
One of the most legendary moves in the history of the Liquid Death Super Bowl timeline wasn't even an ad. It was a joke that actually happened. They put a "property of Liquid Death" ad on the side of a massive 50-foot tall billboard... that happened to be a person. Specifically, they auctioned off the advertising space on a man's head.
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They called it the "Biggest Ad Ever" because it was literally "on" a person attending the game. It’s low-brow. It’s ridiculous. It cost them almost nothing compared to a broadcast slot.
Breaking Down the Viral Formula
- High Contrast: Use imagery that looks like beer or energy drinks but contains water.
- Dark Humor: Use themes of "death" and "murder" to sell hydration.
- Community Over Reach: They don't care if your grandma likes the ad. They care if a 22-year-old at a music festival thinks it’s "sick."
- Agility: They can react to game events in real-time with memes, whereas a $7 million commercial is locked in months in advance.
People genuinely hate being sold to. We’ve all developed this internal "ad-blocker" in our brains. When we see a high-production Super Bowl commercial, we know someone is trying to take our money. When Liquid Death does something like the "Recycled Plastic Surgery" campaign or their "Horror Movie" shorts, it feels like entertainment. It feels like a gift to the fans rather than a demand for attention.
What Most People Get Wrong About Their Strategy
A lot of business analysts look at Liquid Death and think it’s just about the "edgy" name. That’s a mistake. The Liquid Death Super Bowl approach works because the product actually delivers on the brand promise. It’s high-quality water in a highly recyclable aluminum can. They aren't just selling "water"; they are selling an escape from the "plastic bottle" world that has become synonymous with being uncool and environmentally destructive.
They aren't "pranking" the Super Bowl just to be mean. They’re doing it to highlight how bloated and slow traditional brands have become.
The "Bet on the Game" Mentality
In 2024, they took things a step further by partnering with influencers to do live "commercials" on social media during the game. While the big brands were stuck in a 30-second box, Liquid Death was everywhere. They were in the comments. They were in the memes. They were in the hands of the people actually at the parties.
Honestly, the best way to describe their Super Bowl presence is "guerrilla warfare." They don't have the heavy artillery of a Budweiser, so they use snipers and fast-moving infantry. They hit where the big guys aren't looking.
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Why Other Brands Can't Copy This
You’ll see other brands try to be "edgy." It almost always fails. Why? Because they have too many layers of middle management. To do a Liquid Death Super Bowl style stunt, you need a CEO who is willing to get sued or at least yelled at by a legal department. Most big companies are terrified of offending anyone. Liquid Death is only terrified of being boring.
If a brand like Coca-Cola tried to auction off a guy's head for an ad, it would go through six months of legal reviews and end up as a "strictly regulated digital activation with a brand-safe influencer." It would lose all the soul. Liquid Death keeps the soul by keeping the production "scrappy."
The Nuance of "Death"
It’s worth noting that Liquid Death isn't actually "dark." It's satirical. Their slogan "Murder Your Thirst" is a joke. Their heavy metal aesthetic is a costume. Beneath the skulls and the black cans is a company that is incredibly focused on environmentalism. They use the Super Bowl hype to push their "Death to Plastic" message. It’s a classic bait-and-switch. Come for the "cool" can, stay for the fact that you’re not using a single-use plastic bottle that will sit in a landfill for 400 years.
Insights for Your Own Brand or Business
You don't need a Super Bowl budget to win during the Super Bowl. That’s the real takeaway here. Whether you’re a small business or a rising creator, the Liquid Death Super Bowl playbook offers a few actionable gems:
- Interrupt the Pattern: If everyone is going "high-def and glossy," go "lo-fi and gritty."
- Pick a Villain: For Liquid Death, the villain is plastic. Having a common enemy makes your marketing more engaging.
- The Second Screen is the Only Screen: Don't worry about the TV. Worry about the phone in the person's hand while the TV is on.
- Be a Fan, Not a Corporation: Talk like a human. Use slang if it’s natural. Don't be afraid to make a joke that might alienate the "wrong" audience to win over the "right" one.
The Future of the Big Game
As we move toward 2026 and 2027, the traditional Super Bowl ad model is going to keep fracturing. We’re seeing more "exclusive" ads on streaming platforms like Paramount+ and Peacock. We’re seeing more brands opt out of the broadcast entirely in favor of "stunt" marketing.
Liquid Death didn't just stumble into this. They predicted that the cultural capital of a "TV commercial" was declining. They realized that being the brand that everyone talks about is better than being the brand that everyone sees.
Real-World Action Steps
If you want to apply this "anti-marketing" philosophy to your own world, stop trying to be "perfect." Perfection is corporate. Perfection is boring. People want to connect with things that feel alive, even if those things are named after death.
- Audit your "boring" touchpoints: Where can you add a bit of personality? If your automated email receipts are generic, change them to something funny.
- Focus on "Earned Media": Ask yourself, "Would someone tell their friend about this at a bar?" If the answer is no, your marketing isn't "viral" enough yet.
- Ditch the Plastic (Metaphorically): Stop using "corporate speak." Terms like "synergy," "value-add," and "best-in-class" are the plastic bottles of communication. They are cheap, they clutter the environment, and nobody actually likes them.
Liquid Death showed us that a can of water can be as exciting as a blockbuster movie if you just stop acting like a "water company." The next time the Super Bowl rolls around, don't look at the screen to see what Liquid Death is doing. Look at your phone. They’re probably already there, making fun of the commercial you just watched.
To really lean into this, start by looking at your current social media presence. Identify one "safe" post you have planned and see if you can make it 10% weirder. Don't ask for permission from a committee. Just post it. The goal isn't to be "right," it's to be remembered. That's how you murder your competition without spending $7 million on a 30-second prayer.
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Keep your eye on the "Death to Plastic" hashtag during the next big event. Usually, they’ll drop a limited edition merchandise item or a ridiculous video right when the halftime show starts. That’s the peak moment of "disruption." If you want to see how to actually engage a modern audience, that’s the time to watch. Forget the scoreboard; the real game is happening in the cultural zeitgeist, and Liquid Death is currently the MVP.
Start your own "guerrilla" campaign by identifying a major event in your industry and planning a "side-car" piece of content that comments on the event rather than trying to sponsor it. It's cheaper, more effective, and a hell of a lot more fun.