Marketing has always been a sticking point with many independent bar and restaurant owners. It rarely has a dedicated person—never mind a team—behind it. On the list of tasks, it often falls to the bottom. And when someone does get around to it, they aren’t sure where to start and end up throwing as many darts as possible, hoping at least one lands.
Fortunately, 2026 Bar & Restaurant Expo opening keynote speaker Mike Cessario, Founder & CEO of the beverage company Liquid Death, had some new ideas for transforming marketing. For one, it isn’t about flashy budgets, big marketing teams, or checking off a to-do list of tasks. It comes down to two things: originality and authenticity.
While today Liquid Death is a $1.4 billion juggernaut, it started with just an idea and a $500,000 investment. And many of the ideas that helped build up the brand can be used by independent owners today.
Getting Started: Standing Out with Distinctive Assets
After spending years in advertising, Cessario grew increasingly frustrated by two things: big brands marketing like it was still the '90s, and that all memorable campaigns were for products that weren't good for you — junk food, candy, alcohol. That tension became the seed of an idea: What if you took the healthiest thing you could drink and marketed it like a beer?
Liquid Death was born. The name came from the desire to be immediately memorable. “One of the most critical things a brand can have is what they call ‘distinctive assets.’ When you make decisions—whether you're in a bar ordering something or you're in a grocery store about to buy something—you're typically making a decision in three seconds, or you already know what you're going to get before you go in there,” explained Cessario. “The chance of getting you to veer off from what you're normally going to do to try something new is really hard to do.”
The only way to break through that autopilot moment is to have something so distinct — a name, a visual, an experience — that it forces a customer to stop and notice. And in that moment of noticing, a customer doesn’t need to immediately understand your product. “Confusion can be something that drives curiosity,” said Cessario. “You have to stand out and have something that's distinct to you. Otherwise, people just won't remember you.”
If a customer is hooked through that moment of curiosity, they’re much closer to a purchase of your brand than the competition.
He tied this back to Liquid Death's can design: It looks like a craft beer, sounds like a craft beer, but it's water. That friction makes people stop, pick it up, and ask questions. He noted there's no such thing as true brand loyalty — research shows that even loyal buyers regularly switch. What matters is being memorable enough to be in the consideration set when the buying moment arrives.
Are You Not Entertained?
Cessario was blunt about the state of modern marketing: roughly 98% of people hate it. They pay subscription fees specifically to avoid ads. They skip commercials the second they can. So Liquid Death rebuilt their marketing philosophy from the ground up around one idea: You have to entertain people.
Rather than focusing on big advertising budgets and making their product look good, they treat every commercial like a stand-up special. Cessario says Liquid Death often pays no more than $100,000 for a commercial, compared to other brands who pay upwards of $500,000. This allows them to put out even more content and to find the approach that works best with customers.
“When something feels fresh to somebody or interesting, they're way more likely to tell other people about it, to share it, to remember it,” said Cessario. “It doesn't cost any more money to make something fun as it does to make something bad.”
Operators should keep this in mind, especially with guests so focused on experience. The restaurant industry runs on word of mouth, and word of mouth starts with giving people something worth repeating, whether it’s a viral dish, an unexpected experience, or an unforgettable server interaction.
Authenticity is What Wins Customers
Today’s customers are savvy, and they can immediately identify something fake or dishonest. The key to winning customers over is authenticity, and the easiest way to do that is to start with what you know better than the average person. You'll make better decisions, spot what's real versus forced, and move faster when you're on familiar ground.
If bar and restaurant owners focus on what they know, love, or obsess over, then they will have stumbled upon the seed of something that can't be replicated by the competition.
Cessario also noted that authenticity at any company is limited by the taste and comfort zone of the top decision-maker — whoever approves everything is, effectively, the ceiling of creative risk. It's a useful thing for any owner-operator to reflect on.
A final point Cessario made about authenticity related to concerns over copycats. He said, “Brand really is our moat. Most people think your product is your moat,” he said. “You can't own any physical thing about your product. Anybody else can copy it and can probably copy it cheaply, but no one can really copy your brand if you truly have an authentic brand.”
Of course having a good product is important, but Cessario said the returns on improving the product diminish fast. The bigger differentiator, and where an operator’s focus should be, is on building a brand people love.
The Biggest Takeaway
The biggest takeaway for bar and restaurant owners? You don't need big budgets or huge marketing plans to win. Focus on your distinctive assets, what you know better than anyone else, and the entertainment you provide to customers. The rest will fall into place.
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