Author: Aman

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Bottled Water Industry Manipulation

Marketing Trick of the Century

Photo by by nick-fewings

After reflecting on the history of bottled water, the next question is, “How did it become a $15 billion dollar industry and surpass soda and soft drinks as the number one beverage?”

In short, years ago, the consumable drinks industry took notice of the dwindling infrastructure of our water systems. Through their marketing efforts, they capitalized on the rich history of bottled water and brought it to us all. Clean and safe water was now available for everyone.

They also capitalized on the health-conscious trend in numerous ways. Big drink companies (like Coke, Pepsi, and Nestle) understood that their traditional “Kingpin of Earnings” aka soda products had shortcomings in this new found health trend. So they adjusted and diversified. If you are gonna drink something, they want to make sure it’s one of their products. These companies acquired as many resources as possible to control the market and then turned on the advertising faucet – big time. Naturally, they sprinkled in enough truth to make their story believable and palatable. This equation created the $15 billion annual sales of bottled water in the USA.

Up to 70% of the human body is water. Water is a staple of life. We have always known this.

The Engineer’s Creed in disposing of waste (“the solution to pollution is dilution”) helps us better understand the importance of clean water. Most engineers would agree that much of our delivery systems and pipes are antiquated. That is a scary truth that provides a background of legitimate news stories about the safety of our water. Over the years, those stories have fed into the marketing pitch. Tap water bad. Bottled water good.

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Bottled Water

Why People Buy Bottled Water

Photo by erik-mclean

Why people buy bottled water: How a perceived joke from the 1970s has become the largest sector of today’s beverage industry. Take something that is readily available, that most everybody already has, find a creative way to package and market it, and sell it to the masses at a thousand times its cost.

In 2015 bottled water in the US alone was a $15+ BILLION industry, and it all started 40 years ago in mass appeal with sparkling water from France. In 1977, Perrier’s target audience and approach to marketing were different than we see today. Perrier® caught the beverage industry behemoths’ attention with their effervescent mineral beverage in a big way.

This new fashionable drink entranced the imagination of the public. The slightly carbonated Perrier wasn’t a direct comparison to water from your tap, because of its unique qualities. It was more.

Unlike today’s bottled water, you knew the source of Perrier. They made sure you knew it came direct to you from Vergèze, located in the Gard département, Southern France. Their green glass bottle, shaped like a perfect water drop was distinct. All these factors gave Perrier an elegant, different, one-of-a-kind appeal, positioning this naturally carbonated drink as the “Champagne of mineral water.”

Packaged in more expensive glass bottles, Perrier was segmented and target marketed to young professionals. Their brand wasn’t about health, purity, or contaminated aquifers. It was a status symbol. “Look at me, and look at what I’m drinking.” It was about the lifestyle.

The growth of Perrier helped spark the beginning market trend for the “health-conscious consumer.” It didn’t take long for the beverage giants, namely Coke® and Pepsi® to take notice. The increase in that market sector also caught the eye of food conglomerate, Nestle®. These three giants pulled off what many call the “Marketing trick of the century.”

The marketing dollars that began to flow into the bottled water industry make it seem like it all started in the late 1980s. But in reality, the beverage conglomerates have capitalized on a rich history of bottling water, going back for centuries. People have been going to the mountains and filling their bottles since the beginning of time. Before the 1980s bottled water was a treat or something the elite enjoyed exclusively.

1844 – The POLAND SPRING® story began when summer visitors vacationed at a family Inn in Maine and wanted to return home with the 100% natural glacier spring water from their trip, that they referred to as wonder tonic.

1863 – PERRIER® first bottled by decree of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte III “for the good of France.”

1873 – DEER PARK® Brand’s 100% natural spring water got its start near the crest of the Appalachians, where travelers, including President Taft, came from all over to enjoy its great taste.

Each of their stories touts their long histories as they showed the elite enjoying their refreshing, pure water.

Later, as big business saw the massive sales potential, they bought up many of the smaller boutique water companies, along with their water rights and sources.