The Drum

It was this fascination, along with her innate adaptability and flexibility, that led her from a brand manager role at Uber-owned Postmates to becoming Liquid Death’s senior brand manager in January of 2022.

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Founded by former Netflix creative director Mike Cessario in 2017, Liquid Death is a startup brand that sells mountain water in ‘tall boy‘ beer cans that promise to ‘murder your thirst.‘ With a valuation approaching $1bn, the brand is expected to rake in $260m in revenue in 2023.

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Many attribute Liquid Death’s rapid rise to its entertaining and unique digital marketing, with which it has managed to get people excited about arguably the most boring beverage available: water.

“We like to see our marketing as something that’s continuously evolving,” explains Sherwood. “So many brands, in my opinion, get stuck in a template – a box that they get themselves stuck in… What Liquid Death does so well is coming up with new content. People take notice of that – they’re interested because it’s not like anything they’ve seen before.”

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Sherwood does not fulfill a single task as Liquid Death’s senior brand manager. Rather, she says she wears “a lot of hats” in order to drive brand awareness. In the 14 months she’s spent in this role, she’s done everything from fearlessly researching “cannibalism” on her work computer – despite her legal team’s concerns – to getting tased during a taste test for caviar-flavored water, all in the name of elevating Liquid Death above a sea of other brands.

“I’m involved in everything, from social media to key campaign moments, to any media and partnership opportunities that come our way. I’m also a continuous part in the creative process – constantly thinking about how we go about ‘winning the internet’ in any given moment.”

When it comes to following Liquid Death’s playbook, it seems to come down to being brave enough to try new things – even when they appear daunting.

If Sherwood had to lend marketers one insight, it would be the following: “Be open – don’t be quick to say no... People can be very quick to say ‘No, this is outside of my box, or my brand’s box.’ I think saying, ‘Yes, but let me think about it’ instead is great practice for yourself and your creativity, and great for your company as well.”

Discover who has been named the best emerging marketers in the industry in The Drum’s Future 50.