Can someone pass me some bottled water?
Trends are a driving factor in today’s society, and the beverage industry is not immune to its toll.
With people trending toward a healthier lifestyle, sports drinks, pop, and other sugary drinks are on the way out. In fact, certain cities have placed an extra tax on sugary drinks, including places like San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boulder, Berkeley, and other cities. Countries such as France, Denmark, Ireland, Mexico, the United Kingdom, have already introduced this tax as well.
This tax has had proven results. Sugary-drink sales fell by about 17 percent in Mexico after only one year of the tax being enforced according to an article by the New York Times.
With sugary-drinks on a decline due to these new taxes and an overall social understanding that such drinks are bad for your health, water is becoming more popular and customized. There are over 160 different brands of water world-wide according to Wikipedia. Many brands such as Voss, Fiji Water, Tibet 5100, and more all appeal to the idea that water is unique by brand and can be marketable just like sodas and sports drinks.
Celebrities and everyday people alike are beginning to see the class and fashion aspect in buying high-end water. According to an article from Business Inside, even water bars are beginning to spring up around the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if water bars become the new hangout spot for students, essentially becoming the new coffee shop.
YouTube and Instagram stars are often seen promoting some type of product, and water is no exception. In the future, water will be as trendy as LeBron James telling us “Wanna Sprite?”.
From artesian, glacial spring, volcanic, and sparkling, the methods for making water is unique and worth exploring, and marketers are seeing that as well. With active lifestyles and clean living on the rise, I predict bottled water is set to become the “it thing” within the next five to ten years.
What is your favorite brand of water? Let us know with the hashtag #MyMSUWater.