Bottled Water Is a Triumph of Marketing over Substance

Bottled Water Is a Triumph of Marketing over Substance

Posted by Joel Pelina on Sep 23rd 2022

In the past, we’ve discussed many reasons why bottled water isn’t a good solution for cleaner, healthier drinking water. These reasons can range from high cost, to dubious quality, to the possibility that the bottles themselves contaminate the water. Despite the many reasons why you should avoid bottled water, it remains more popular than ever as a beverage. Bottled water is a triumph of marketing. 

Bottled Water’s Biggest Strength Is Marketing

  • Despite tap water costing only $0.005 per gallon on average in the US, the bottled water industry prices a 20-oz bottle of water for $1.50 on average, equating to $9.60 a gallon – 1,920 times higher than tap! Is it any wonder that the bottled water industry sells over $100 billion in bottled water to consumers every year?
  • Bottled water companies are so good at marketing their product that it now accounts for 24% of all beverages consumed in the US each year. It is the most popular beverage in the country – more popular than soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea, and beer.
  • Fear of tap water quality benefits bottled water companies, because scared consumers are more likely to buy bottled water for consumption – even though there may be no quality difference!

Bottled Water Is Often Just Tap Water


Bottled Water Is Less Regulated than Tap Water

  • Municipalities are required to monitor, analyze, and publish yearly water quality reports to let people know what contaminants may be present in the water supply. Tap water is regulated to ensure that it is sufficiently safe for public consumption.
  • Do you know who doesn’t have to publicly disclose quality reports on their water? Bottled water companies.

You Pay Double for Bottled Water

  • Think about this: your water bill, and some of your taxes, go toward the maintenance and access of municipal water supplies, aka, tap water. So 48% of bottled waters are actually sourced from tap water that you have already helped pay to supply.
  • So bottled water from tap is making you pay for the municipal treatment of the tap water, then pay again when they sell you the repackaged tap water in a bottle!

Bottled Water Is Saturated with Marketing Gimmicks


  • Remember, bottled water’s biggest strength is marketing. Because it’s not enough to just market tap water in a bottle, many companies push flashy marketing gimmicks to entice people to drink ever-more-expensive bottled water. Have you seen any of the following bottled water types on store shelves? Note that all the following are real types of bottled waters sold in stores.
    • Water that is supposed to make you smarter
    • Hydrogen-infused water
    • Electrolyte-infused water
    • Alkaline-infused water
    • Flavor-infused water
    • Water from glaciers
    • Water from mountains
    • Water with extra salts/minerals/metals
    • Ironically-named water (e.g., “Liquid Death” water)
    • “Raw” water
    • Water promoting “life”
    • Water promoting fitness
    • Water infused with fats
    • Water from melted ice
    • Water processed through trees
    • Water infused with collagen
    • Water infused with fruits and/or vegetables

Part of our mission at Multipure is to educate people, not just on the importance of hydration, but on the importance of making smarter water choices. Bottled water is not a smart choice. It is expensive, it is of dubious quality, and its sole strength seems to be its ability to bamboozle the consumer public with marketing gimmicks. Don’t be yet another victim to the bottled water industry’s ability to successfully market gimmicks and style over quality and substance.

At Multipure, our goal is to offer you cleaner, healthier water, without empty promises, and without gimmicks. Just better hydration. For Life. For You.

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