Bottled water is the most evil thing on earth
The anti-bottled-water project known as Tappening has unveiled a campaign in which it tells lies about bottled water in order to illuminate the supposed dishonesty in the category's marketing and make a case for drinking tap water instead. If you had trouble following that last sentence, don't bother with the campaign, because it's even more confusing. Basically, Tappening makes outrageous negative claims about bottled water (at one point saying it's "2% polar bear tears"), then admits it's lying, which is supposed to somehow cast tap water in a favorable light. Whaaa? The whole premise is self-defeating. If you're going to use ads to make your case, it's unwise to point out that ads sometimes lie. What's worse, they offer no real reason to favor tap water. The folks at ad agency DiMassimo Goldstein should steer clear of the kitchen faucet—that swill has clearly rotted away their ability to think clearly and express themselves in a coherent manner. |
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July 27, 2009 in DiMassimo Goldstein, Gianatasio, Tappening, Water | Permalink |
Comments
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I think us consumers should boycott both brands and never drink water again. That will show 'em!
Posted by: Trott Felipe | Jul 27, 2009 11:31:55 AM
Respectfully, I've got to disagree. Instead of presenting earnest, statistic-filled litanies, these ads flip the bit and cause the reader to shift from an analytic to an emotional posture. That they get there through humor = +1
Brilliant social media element too at startalie.com.
Posted by: Tim Windsor | Jul 28, 2009 7:59:02 AM
I'm with Tim Windsor on this one. I believe the ads are attention-getting in a humorous way while still drawing attention to a serious issue. As the DIGO site mentions, too, Tappening appears to be part of a larger social media experiment and has been crazy-successful in terms of its viral nature, etc. The ability to 'spread' your lie from startalie.com very easily via Twitter, FB, email or Digg is - you gotta admit - a very nice touch. The "reel value" for DIGO here is enormous.
Posted by: Stephanie Fierman | Jul 29, 2009 6:57:56 PM
The interesting element here is: why bottled water? Why not Gatorade, Coke, Pepsi etc.? They all use bottles and cans that end up in landfills. This campaign is being driven by the water utilities who are hurting for money and want you to drink their "safer" water? Misleading, to say the least. No one is pointing out that bottled water is crucial to disaster relief, is actually 100% recyclable and counts for less than 1/3 of 1% of the US waste. These ads are not creative, just slanderous. There is a difference.
Posted by: Peter Raisch | Jul 31, 2009 10:55:44 AM
I construed the ads to be making fun of the folks who are criticizing bottled water companies. Counterproductive.
Posted by: Melanie S | Aug 6, 2009 12:18:48 AM
All this is trying to do is get people looking to see where the water is bottled. Whe nthey see it's from the local municipal water supply they will realize that it is the same as tap water.
Posted by: Ben Jennings | Aug 7, 2009 11:13:57 AM
