By Madeline Green

The conflict with bottled water

Large corporations spend billions of dollars on advertising, successfully convincing consumers to pay for products they can get for free, of the same quality.

Non-profit organizations want to fight the unnecessary use of natural resources and cut back on waste, yet struggle to make people believe their actions wreak havoc on the environment.

Reasons we drink bottled water

Convenience

Purity

Taste

Status Symbol

But if you think about it… Convenience

Purity

Taste

Status Symbol

A refillable water bottle is just as easy to carry

Boston tap water is well known for being pure

Brita water filters help with taste

Bottled water is losing its respect because of environmental issues

Other issues with bottled water Use of fossil fuels to create and transport bottles

Disruption of ecosystems by over-drawing aquifers

Corruption in bottling plants in third world countries

Privatization in other countries makes water unaffordable to many

So why do we drink it?

How it got started When personal hygiene became important in the late 18th

century, spas with special curative water became available for the very rich.

Eventually it was put into containers so people could enjoy its benefits from afar and bottlers discovered that it was so attractive that people were willing to pay for it.

With the industrial revolution, processes improved, decreasing price so bottled water became available to the more common person, yet the lavish connotation remained.

www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water_Etiquette/Bottled_Water_History/Short_History_of_Bottled_Water

6 reasons why we are driven to the bottle

Aquafina

Reason 1: Perception of purity“Aquafina is purified water. It originates from public water

sources and is then purified through a rigorous, seven-step purification process called HydRO-7.”

Reason 2: Appeals to healthy lifestyle“Bottled water not just an alternative to tap water but a healthier

choice than other bottled beverages like soda or sports drinks.”

www.aquafina.com

Fiji Water

Reason 3: Companies belittle the issue“Bottled water contributes a mere .33% of the U.S. municipal

waste stream, and FIJI Water comprises less than 2% of that total.”

Reason 4: The intrigue of special water“FIJI Water is drawn from an artesian aquifer, located at the very

edge of a primitive rainforest, hundreds of miles away from the nearest continent…uncontaminated and uncompromised. Preserved and protected by its source and location.”

www.figiwater.com

Smartwater Reason 5: Companies use celebrities we admire

www.smartwater.com

BlingH2OReason 6: Consumers want to look

good and sex sells“While working on various studio lots

where image is of utmost importance he noticed that you could tell a lot

about a person by the bottled water they carried…Our product is

strategically positioned to target the expanding super-luxury consumer

market…Bling H2O is pop-culture in a bottle. But it’s not for everyone, so

the question is: Do You Bling?”-founder of Bling

(avg price is $40/750 ml)

www.blingh2o.com

Repouring the issue:The Anti-Bottled Water Campaigns

www. boycottthebottle.com www.filterforgood.com

Repouring the issue:The Anti-Bottled Water Campaigns

www.tappeningscom www.thinkoutsidethe bottle.com

Yet compare the two…

www.dasani.com www.boycottthebottle.com

Improving the advertisements

Celebrity endorsement

Broaden target audience

Use statistics sparingly

Appeal to emotions

www.UsMagazine.com

Conclusions Bottled water is strategically presented to appeal to

consumers, convincing them of the quality, necessity and enjoyment of something they can get for free.

Despite comprehensive evidence of the negative effects of bottled water, opposing campaigns are less successful in convincing their audience.

Advertisements often manipulate behavior and need to be improved to make this issue known and change consumption habits.

Sources For Slides www.dasani.com www.aquafina.com www.figiwater.com www.smartwater.com www.blingh2o.com www.boycottthebottle.org www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org www.tappening.org www.filterforgood.org www.finewaters.org www.nestle-watersna.com www.usmagazine.com