Since Coca-Cola brought out Glaceau (famous because 50 Cent apparently owns 10% and is all gantsta on their ads) I am no longer worried about how far Coke’s corporate fingers reach because now I can walk down to the diary and help myself to the rebranded Nutrient Water Rehab:
Yes, I noticed that it’s been rebranded, and that really its EXACTLY the same thing as Vitamin Water:
And right now I care very very little about the rebranding, and am much more excited that it is now available in my locality!!
On my way back from the States a couple years back I stopped in Colorado for a week and a half to see The Second Quarter. As the altitude of Avon Creek was alot higher than I was used to, I got sick. As the cure for that is apparently ‘lax out and drink lots of water’ I compromised (not such a big fan of water) and drank copious copious amounts of Vitamin Waters Dragonfruit instead. I rather developed a taste for it, and continued drinking it like a fish even after I got better. I was sad that I only discovered the fantasticness of it at the END of my visit, but now it matters little. Thanks to Coca Cola I have some right now on my desk.
Hurrah!
[edit]Turns out I was wrong, and it turns out I do care – Nutrient Water is NOT rebranded Vitamin Water. Sigh – my bad![/edit]
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
FYI – Nutrient Water is NOT a rebranding of any coke product. Nutrient Water is an Australian owned company that launched its range of functional waters in Australia about 2 years before coke bought Vitamin Water in the states and then brought Vitamin Water to Australia.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Mmm, it appears that while my research wasn’t impeccable (and you’re completely right, it’s not a rebranded Coke product) I don’t think Nutrient Water was launched first. Vitamin Water has been around in the States since the late 90’s (Some sites out there say 1996?) and according the Nutrient Water website, they were established in 2005.
I think my confusion lay in the fact that Nutrient Water has appropriated some Vitamin Water’s marketing/packaging concepts. Such a blatant rip naturally caused me to think it was a simple rebranding.
Haha, trust Australia to appropriate something else, right? They’ve been doing it since the Pavolova! :)
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 am
True, Vitamin Water was in the states since the 90s, what I am saying is that Nutrient Water was the first to market in the enhanced water category in Australia, which was about 2-3 years ago, by an Australian company. Coke bought out the US company for some ridiculous amount and then brought the product to Australia, after Nutrient Water was already here… get it?
Speaking of blantent rips, Coke bought the US company out, it can’t even come up with new products of its own!
Nutrient Water on the other hand is clearly a company which saw an overseas trend and acted on it, to bring something new and exciting to Australia. Smart.
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:32 am
Mm, I agree that Nutrient Water was marketed in Australia before Vitamin Water was, that wasn’t at all what my post or comment was about (especially considering the original premise – that Coke (as a multinational corporation) rebranded the Vitamin Water product and introduced it to the Australian/NZ markets – was false). I was mostly just squeeing that the water (or something similar now that I know its not the same) is now available where I am, and also to say that yes, I noticed the similarities between the two products and, as the title suggests, didn’t care.
Also, as a new start up company, Coke developed, well, Coke, which was pretty unique for its time. There has been many attempts at producing something similar (say Pepsi, or budget versions of ‘Cola’), but Coke still remains the most familiar and popular (at least in NZ, and from personal experience. I can’t say that’s true from the rest of the world without some research to back that up). Also, their marketing concepts from the beginning till now have generally been pretty unique, and Coke are always refining their image for that product.
Unfortunately Nutrient Water didn’t just take the product (ie, enhanced water), but the marketing concepts AND the package concepts, and tinkered with them before releasing into a new market. You can’t call it a ‘trend’ when (to quote richardjackson.org) ‘the names, ingredients (acai berry, pomegranate), label design, concept, even the quasi-whimsical marketing text on the labels are bemusingly similar . . . even right down to the references to “a certain†famous person’.
A trend by definition is ‘the direction in which the market is heading’, and brands like Mizone, h2Go, Powerade and many many more managed to introduce products into the enhanced water market with original marketing concepts . . . could Nutrient Water not have done the same?
While it probably made Nutrient Water alot of money, its definitely opened up alot of controversy for them. It started a debate between you and I, for example. And there are many more blog posts out there which say similar things. In terms of image, I think it makes them look cheap and lazy, not so smart.
Besides, Coke is now a large, well established multinational company out to make alot of money. While I’m sure they do have alot of unique products and produce new products all the time, it makes sense for them at acquire companies that will provide a tidy profit if the opportunity arises. *shrug* I don’t think that’s a rip it all, I think its clever business. See the difference?
Just out of curiosity, are you affiliated with Nutrient Water in any way?
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:34 am
Just a huge Nutrient Water fan and supporter who doesn’t like mulinational companies like coke who can monopolise the market, buy out/buy off/and can keep small independent companies from having any real presence.
Oh yeah, and a fan with too much time on her hands… or probably more accurately, a job where I am all too happy to look for distraction and procrastinate in any way I can – all while drinking my fav Nutrient Water of course!! :)
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:59 am
Haha – nice!
I disagree that Coke keeps small independent companies from having any real presence – while it may be true in some places, Glacéau had a HUGE presence in the states before it was bought out! And I don’t think it was really *that* small either . . . and the companies always have the opportunity to NOT sell out . . .
While I agree that mostly large multinational companies can do alot of bad, they can do alot of good too. Coke in NZ sponsors alot of initiatives that would otherwise not happen. For example, I know they sponsor Youthline, and The Oscar Foundation. I’m sure they are doing good in most places they operate in.
And in such a consumer driven market it makes sense that there would be SOME multinational giants out there, and yet small companies still manage to survive (Foxton Fizz is a prime example, its a small independent company that is still going strong in NZ). *shrug*
While I don’t necessarily root for the big multinational companies, I accept that they do what they do and as such I got products I wouldn’t otherwise have the pleasure of consuming . . .
And I dunno . . . after all this talk and having taken the stance that Nutrient Water ripped all their ideas from Vitamin Water, I don’t think I’m down with supporting NW anymore. I think I’ll just wait for Coke to deliver VW to NZ.