Just when you think you have seen it all! The title of this article could have been, "Marketing That Comes in a Bottle: Water Hype Convinces Unwitting Consumers to Throw Their Money Away." You can't sell snow to an Eskimo, but you could sell melted snow in a fancy bottle with some bogus marketing hype to consumers in wealthy countries like the U.S!
Bottled water can make the world a better place? Ha!!! Let's talk about the huge waste that goes into the transportation of the water and the plastic bottles that end up in a landfill! Does that make the world a better place?
Here are a few facts:
- Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.
- It costs more money to drink bottled water than to put gas in your car--up to five times more--due mainly to its packaging and transportation.
- 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter.
- Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
- Studies show that consumers associate bottled water with healthy living. But bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. In fact, roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water; often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefit.
- If everyone in New York City were to use a reusable water
bottle for one week, for one month, or for one year it would make a
significant difference in reducing waste.
One week = 24 million bottles saved
One month = 112 million bottles saved
One year = 1.328 billion bottles saved
- See Bottled Water Facts for more
Ms. Brightwater, who calls herself a psychic, healer and medicine woman, and who owns a Native American crafts gallery in Queens, applies the New Age healing techniques she has used on crystals for three decades to transfer what she claims is palpable “good energy” to her water and those who drink it.
I'm all for good energy, but what about the massive amounts of unnecessary energy that go into the bottling and transportation of the water? Are we to believe that that is "good for the soul"?
And what does it say about our society when we are willing to waste $3 to $40 on a bottle of water! Ms. Brightwater claims that “I really believe that spiritual people like myself want to make a change, with all the suffering in the world now” and then adds she asks “the Great Spirit to help feed the hungry
children, keep the waters clean and to protect the two- and four-legged
on this planet.” Rather than wasting money on bottled water, why not spend it on building municipal water facilities in underdeveloped countries that don't have clean water? That would do a lot more to help "all the suffering in the world now" and "help feed the hungry children."
November 28, 2007
By IAN DALY
AT a tiny table for two in the back of her cafe in Chappaqua, N.Y., on a recent Saturday evening, Diane Felicissimo was expounding on the virtues of a mineral water from an ancient French spring called Wattwiller. “They say it’s so old it has a soul,” she said.
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There are those who say that while it may be hard on the planet, bottled water is good for the soul. Whether that means printing prayers on their labels, vibrating water at frequencies meant to stimulate health, or imbuing it with good vibes aided by Native American incantations and healing crystals, a small cluster of new water brands are offering salvation along with rehydration. It may not be a coordinated counteroffensive, but it is clear that one corner of the water industry is in the midst of a spiritual renaissance.
“I think there’s a revolution happening,” said Claire Brightwater, producer of a new spring water that shares her last name. “I really believe that spiritual people like myself want to make a change, with all the suffering in the world now.”
Ms. Brightwater, who calls herself a psychic, healer and medicine woman, and who owns a Native American crafts gallery in Queens, applies the New Age healing techniques she has used on crystals for three decades to transfer what she claims is palpable “good energy” to her water and those who drink it.
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Another product, Liquid OM Water, which made its debut in March, is purified suburban Chicago municipal tap water that has been “frequency enhanced” by its creator, Kenny Mazursky. A “certified sound therapist,” Mr. Mazursky said he uses Tibetan singing bowls and a giant earth gong to send vibrations through the water at specific frequencies.
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Another product, Spiritual Water, demands a more participatory (and devotional) role from its consumers. On Dec. 3, the company, based in Davie, Fla., will start to sell a line of Christian-themed waters inscribed with prayers and religious illustrations. One variety, called “Formula J,” features the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. “Focus” water depicts the Virgin Mary, and “Defense” water bears a glowing crucifix and copy that brings to mind the slogans on sports drinks: “Do you need more defense? Grab a cold Defense Spiritual Water bottle, read the prayer, believe in God, believe in yourself and the sky’s the limit. ...”
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Not every new player in the bottled water game aspires to be so deep. Kevin Boyd, founder of Beverly Hills-based Bling H20, sells water from Tennessee in 750-milliliter bottles encrusted in Swarovski crystals and that go for $40. “It’s the same statement people make when they’re doing bottle service at a nightclub or driving a Bentley,” he said. “Those of us who get it, get and appreciate it.”
Which brings up one niggling little fact: the substance inside the bottle. Appeals to the soul, or to more earthly desires, may inspire customers, but they don’t show up under a spectrometer.
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