Azerbaijan Bottled Water

Prior to 1977 the bottled water industry in America was quite niche. Although some health-conscious consumers purchased mineral water and another subset of American purchased carbonated seltzer water, the vast majority of Americans preferred to consume their water directly from the tap. To some extent, the lack of interest in bottled water by Americans is a credit to the public infrastructure, satisfactory municipal water system, modernity and affluence of its cities. There are very little chronic health and safety reasons to switch. In contrast, per capita, bottled water is consumed in a much greater extent in Europe.

In 1977, determined to establish its brand and the American bottled water market, the French bottled water company, Perrier embarked on an ambitious marketing campaign for the brand. Perrier lowered its price point, expanded its distribution channels to include supermarkets and launched a huge marketing campaign. The plan worked. Not only did sales surge, the success prompted other overseas brands to enter the market and inspired some domestic bottled water companies to emerge as well.

While there exists plenty of room for the bottled water industry to grow in the United States, Third World countries appear to be the next frontier. Clean water is in such demand that municipalities of these countries cannot keep up. Those with means increasingly turn to bottled water as an alternative.