The Untold Truth Of Vitaminwater

Before we can even scratch the surface of vitaminwater, we must look at its predecessor, smartwater (also lower cased), and its creator, J. Darius Bikoff. Bikoff was a health nut with a big dream. It was he, himself, who peddled his brand new electrolyte enhanced line of water, called smartwater, to independent grocers and health-focused stores around his home of New York. Bikoff's smartwater was the first in his lineup of enhanced waters under the brand name, Energy Brands. The smartwater beverage quickly took off and led to the development of fruitwater, and then vitaminwater in 2000.

With demand came expansion, and by the early 2000s the company found national distribution. The company began operating under the name Glaceau, and by 2002 it became the top selling enhanced water within in the States. It quickly caught on overseas as well, and in the latter half of the Y2Ks, it reached global status. Overseas success could largely be credited to the company's sale to the Coca-Cola company, but more on that later. With a revenue of $300 million annually in 2006, vitaminwater proved to be the biggest moneymaker in the lineup. 

Rapper 50 Cent may have landed in financial ruin, but there was a time when he was the best in his game. The New York-born rapper caught attention for his off-brand passion in the mid-2000s, and he really loved vitaminwater. When he wasn't "In Da Club," he featured the drink in music videos and even in song lyrics, all on his own accord. Glaceau quickly caught wind of their adoring fan and music giant, and offered him a minority stake in the product in 2004.

As part of his partnership, he was featured in ad campaigns, including national television spots, and even developed his own flavor, the grape-flavored Formula 50. Unlike so many celebrity endorsements where the celeb's name is merely attached to the product, 50 Cent was heavily involved in the creative process, as opposed to leaving it up to the execs. According to the Forbes List of the "World's Most Powerful Celebrities," 50 Cent's, stake in the company made him a hefty profit when Glaceau was purchased by Coca-Cola in a multi-billion dollar sale. That's some major dough, all thanks to him randomly stumbling across the product at a Los Angeles gym. 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it ... right? While traditional marketing schemes have been known to oil the wheels on taking brands the distance, vitaminwater is wildly successful for a reason. At times somewhat irrelevant at first glance, the company has opted to think outside the box when design and launching campaigns. One such television campaign found former American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, sipping on the beverage while appearing on a European talk show. The host goes on to explain that drinking vitaminwater can improve concentration and focus. A totally irrelevant or a blatant attempt to appeal to all? Rohan Oza explained: "There's no age group. It's 8 to 80. it's just anyone looking for a healthy drink." We all drink water, so why ignore any one particular group? 

While television has been a large medium for vitaminwater, they took to the internet with another successful campaign. As a tie-in to Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics, they launched the 'Skip The Dip' campaign across Spotify, Facebook, and YouTube. Resting on their claims that the product helps improve concentration, consumers were able to create their own newsreel depicting their own experiences with daily energy dips and were rewarded with free product and prizes. 

The terms "cage-free," "organic," and "all-natural" are thrown around so often these days it's no wonder that it's near impossible for the consumer to determine what is actually healthy for them. Between conflicting experts and bogus claims, are these enhanced products actually good for us or just another company's feeble attempt to squeeze more money out of our prying hands? According to a report from Mintel, the bottle water industry racked in $15 billion in 2015 alone, with the most cha-ching coming from enhanced bottled water products.

Consumers are drawn to these buzzy terms with the hopes of putting something good into our bodies. Electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals are certainly beneficial for our bodies and these implied promises found on labels have us running to the shelves chasing that underlying dream of overall sound body, health, and mind. According to TIME, these vague uses of language are totally legal for companies to freely use thanks to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, even if they are a bit deceptive to the average consumer and nothing more than marketing smoke and mirrors. While they have had to cut back on health claims in their advertising campaigns, they can use words, like "focus" and "energy," on their labels  since the FDA only regulates claims, not the use of individual words. 

The idea behind vitaminwater leans heavily on the assumption that with consumption comes along a fueling of the body through vitamins and minerals. While studies vary, according to Harvard's Health Watch, recent studies have shown that there's no added health benefit to vitamins in non-traditional forms, be it liquid, pill, or powder. Furthermore, these products can't hold a candle to a diet that is rich and well-balanced in real fruit and vegetables. 

The public availability of these studies hasn't done much to slow down the health-focused vitamin industry. Consumers are still continuing to purchase multi-vitamins and related products in record numbers. According to The Hill, the dietary supplement business is a big one in the United States bringing in a whopping $40 billion annually. The industry is so large, in fact, that it's proven difficult for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate and shed any true light on the many health benefits claimed by these companies. Skepticism aside, it's beginning to become clear that we should maybe grab that banana, full of only natural sugars, after our workout. 

At the end of the day, it's not all about marketing and nutritional benefits (or lack thereof), sometimes we want to satisfy our taste buds and quench that lingering thirst with something that's full of flavor. Otherwise, we'd be grabbing that plain glass of water. Since its launch in the early 2000s, vitaminwater has continued to keep the consumer engaged by expanding their portfolio of flavors. There's everything from run of the mill, approachable flavors, like iced tea, to limited time options, and unique fruit-forward blends, like kiwi-strawberry.

Recent unique flavors include the 2019 launch of vitaminwater fire and vitaminwater ice. Fire features a spicy watermelon lime taste and utilizes hints of jalapeno to create a tingling sensation on the tongue. On the contrary, Ice creates a cooling effect with flavors of blueberry and lavender. They both also happen to be a part of the brand's 20 calorie line. Of course, with the new flavors launch came a unique marketing campaign complete with a sweepstakes to win a trip to the wintery tundra of Iceland.