The Idea Blog

“We buy bottled water because we think it’s healthy. Which it is, of course: Every 12-year-old who buys a bottle of water from a vending machine instead of a 16-ounce Coke is inarguably making a healthier choice. But bottled water isn’t healthier, or safer, than tap water….”

So climaxes an article in the July/August Fast Company (”Message in a Bottle,” by Charles Fishman).  It’s a wonderful case study of the power of marketing, market timing, vision and exploitation.

Water, water everywhere … and all of it for drink.

“Indeed,” Fishman continues, “while the United States is the single biggest consumer in the world’s $50 billion bottled-water market, it is the only one of the top four - the others are Brazil, China and Mexico - that has universally reliable tap water. Tap water in this country, with rare exceptions, is impressively safe. It is monitored constantly, and the test results made public.”

And it’s less expensive…

Today’s Post & Courier carried a front page story on water and the impact the bottled water is having on landfills (”Bottle Battles: Empty water bottles becoming environmental scourge“). Seems everyone’s ganging up on today’s joy juice.