TakeAway: Vitaminwater is prepared to put age-old Markstrat advice …you can bend perceptions but, ultimately, if the product does not deliver, the consumer backlash will be extreme … to the test.
Cleverly listening to its consumers, Vitaminwater is leveraging a common use of the product – a hangover cure – for its latest advertising push. But the lack of hard proof behind this claim has brought the ads under scrutiny from the FTC and others. It will be interesting to watch this new usage occasion for Vitaminwater playout.
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Excerpted from WSJ, “Vitaminwater Tries Winking,” By Valerie Bauerlein, April 5, 2010
The new ad campaign for Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater hints at a use for enhanced waters and sports drinks that is part of conventional wisdom among many college students and young professionals: hangover relief.
The ads debuted during the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, and are part of Coke’s effort to revitalize the brand … After a decade of fast growth, Vitaminwater’s sales volume slipped 22% last year as price-conscious consumers traded down …
One of the new spots … asserts that Vitaminwater’s purple “Revive” flavor has B vitamins and potassium, and will help rehydrate you after “apparently epic nights.”
Vitaminwater’s head of marketing says that the ad never says the young man has been drinking … “He’s just had a big night … You can take away from that what you wish” …
In these ads, Vitaminwater is tapping into the idea that it’s good to replenish fluids and nutrients, no matter the reason for losing them.
Mass retailers sometimes display enhanced waters or sports drinks beside hand sanitizers and thermometers during cold and flu season. Convenience stores regularly ring up bottles of sports drinks alongside cases of beer.
Alcohol researcher John Brick says there is some science behind the idea that drinks like Vitaminwater improve hangover symptoms …
Some sugars help metabolize alcohol, and ingredients such as potassium and electrolytes help re-establish healthy body function …
The FTC, in at least three cases, has brought complaints against companies touting unproven hangover cures in ads …
A spokeswoman for Gatorade, which dominates the sports-drink niche, says Gatorade doesn’t advertise itself as a cure for ailments, even in a tongue-in-cheek way. “We are focused on athletes and fueling athletic performance only,” …
Edit by TJS
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Full Article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303450704575160280077022428.html
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The Homa Files 
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