International Bottled Water Association | MEDIA RELEASE | July 23, 2014
Michelle Obama’s Drink Up Campaign Increases Bottled Water Sales
Alexandria, VA – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is excited to announce that First Lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up campaign has increased bottled water sales by three percent among those who were exposed to the messages. IBWA is a proud sponsor of the Drink Up campaign.
The First Lady announced the boost in sales this week, citing a new study from Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS). The study shows that the online Drink Up ad campaign resulted in a three percent lift in incremental sales among those who saw the advertising. This generated almost $1 million in incremental retail bottled water sales.
“When the Drink Up campaign was launched last year, it had one simple goal – to get kids and families excited about drinking water,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “And today, less than a year later, we know that water sales jumped nearly three percent among people who saw Drink Up ads.”
A statement from NCS said the sales-per-impression increase was the highest amongst fence sitters – generally younger, impressionable consumers who seek convenience in their eating habits. “This suggests that the message resonated with fence sitters and influenced them to shift their beverage choice, resulting in a very efficient ad spend,” the NCS media statement stated.
IBWA applauds the news and notes that the association has been an active campaign partner since Drink Up’s launch in September 2013. IBWA has long promoted the many benefits of drinking water and the NCS findings confirm that the Drink Up partnership is an important and healthful effort that can benefit all Americans.
“Drinking safe, refreshing bottled water is one of the best and healthiest choices that nearly everyone can make every day, whether at home, at work, or ‘on the go,’” says IBWA President and CEO Joe Doss. “It is an easy way to stay hydrated and maintain a healthy diet.”
“When it comes to packaged beverages, more and more people are choosing bottled water,” said Doss. “And, as people make the smart decision to choose bottled water, it becomes vital that this safe, healthy, and convenient product remain available where other drinks are sold.”
According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), approximately 31 percent of what Americans drink is water. Of that, more than 50 percent is bottled water, which is comprehensively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a packaged food product. Bottled water is predicted to be the number one packaged beverage sold in the U.S. by 2020 (it is currently number two).
The First Lady made the bottled water sales increase comments during a July 22, 2014, White House event announcing several new Drink Up campaign partners.
For more information about bottled water, please visit www.bottledwater.org.
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Media Contact:
Jill Culora
[email protected]
703.647.4609
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.
In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.
IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.
