Liquid Death Unleashes Threats to Life and Limb(s)

Just buy the water in a nice safe store from now on

Our hapless hero yearns for sparkling mountain water straight from the source. But nature takes a terrible toll. Dude has to bite off a leg and let possums gnaw apart one of his arms to survive.

Now, most consumer brands wouldn’t dare show someone losing a limb—let alone two. But Liquid Death isn’t most brands.

Did we mention that the guy uses his fingers for kindling? That goes about as well as expected. And then a hungry bear shows up…

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Yes, the spot tries too hard to be outrageous. But LD succeeds through Monty Pythonesque willingness to double, triple and quadruple down on stupidity. This feels like an ad the brand would’ve popped open a few years back, a return to its no-holds-barred marketing roots after forays into tamer fare (including its recent Super Bowl commercials.)

“I actually wrote the idea for this 16 years ago, but it never came to be,” Will Carsola, who directed the :60, tells Muse. “The basic premise was that a simple problem just keeps getting worse, unnecessarily absurd and ridiculously painful for the character.”

“That’s why I always keep failed ideas in the back of my head. You never know when it might work out later under different circumstances or by simply adding a little Liquid Death.”

Props to actor Dan Wolfe for keeping the scenario grounded through neat comic timing and manic everyman vibes.

CREDITS

Founder/CEO: Mike Cessario
SVP Marketing: Dan Murphy
VP of Creative: Andy Pearson
VP of Marketing: Greg Fass
Creative Director: Will Carsola
Associate Creative Director: Stu Golley
Senior Nihilist: Brendan Kelly
Brand Marketing Director: Tia Sherwood
Brand Manager: Jeanne Irwin
Head of Production: David Kleiler
Senior Producer: Zoë Andrikidis
Producer: Rylee Brown
Director: Will Carsola
Director of Photography: Jon Salmon
1st AD: Julian Metter
Production Manager: Barry Smoler
Gaffer: Billy Yates
Key Grip: Jay Lopez
Production Designer: Joe Holliday
VFX: Flawless
Color: Bryan Smaller @ Company 3
Editor: Tyler Beasley