The article below discusses how DASANI was able to use creative advertising to reposition the brand and make it the leading brand of bottled water. Evaluate the creative strategy used to position DASANI in the bottled water. Why do you think the advertising was so effective?

DASANI: Designed to Make a Difference

For many years, the marketing battles in the beverage industry were fought over market share for carbonated soft drinks. During the latter decades of the 20th century, Coke and Pepsi traded salvos in the cola wars as the two brands dominated the market for soft drinks that have long been Americas most popular beverages. Up until the 1990s, bottled water was only a sliver of the U.S. beverage industry, and the market was dominated by upscale brands such as Perrier and Evian. However, during the last decade of the millennium, beverage consumption patterns were changing. Soft-drink sales began to stagnate while bottled water became the fastest-growing segment of the mass market beverage category. Beverage companies recognized that consumers were increasingly choosing healthy, convenient, zero-calorie bottled water over other beverages and were launching new products to grab a share of the market. While the bottled water market was growing rapidly, The Coca-Cola Company was skeptical as to whether consumers would be willing to buy bottled water and remained focused on soft drinks and other beverages. But the success of Pepsis Aquafina, Nestls Poland Spring, and other brands in the fast-growing market finally moved the soft-drink giant to change course and enter the bottled water market. The Coca-Cola Company launched DASANI bottled water in 1999. Strong growth in the bottled water category, along with The Coca-Cola Companys extensive distribution system, helped the brand achieve 20 percent compounded growth through 2006 and become a $1 billion brand in retail sales. However, by 2007 the marketing environment for bottled water was beginning to change. Mainstream brands such as DASANI, Aquafina, Arrowhead, and others had become more commoditized and began losing market share to private-label brands and enhanced water beverage brands such as vitaminwater. The Coca-Cola Company found its DASANI brand stuck in the middle and being squeezed between premium, prestige brands such as smartwater, Voss, Ethos, Fiji, and Evian, as well as low/value-priced private-label brands. The bottled water category was also facing environmental concerns with many consumers and retailers questioning the sheer number of brands on the market and the disposal of plastic bottles. By the end of the decade, Walmart and other major retailers began dropping DASANI and other mainstream brands of bottled water. In 2009, The Coca-Cola Company retained Lambesis as the new advertising agency for the DASANI brand. Lambesis quickly recognized that its first challenge was to defend against the market squeeze from the high- and low-end brands, which required positioning DASANI bottled water as the most aspirational yet accessible mainstream brand. The bottled water category was dominated by competitors making taste claims as well as functional or wellness claims that proved to be difficult to credibly or successfully sustain. Research conducted as part of the strategic account planning process found that frequent bottled water users didnt think about water in terms of a bottled beverage, but instead as something that invigorates the mind, body, and soul. Based on these findings Lambesis developed an integrated marketing communications strategy to position DASANI bottled water as the feel-good, crisp-tasting companion that invigorates youwhenever, whereverhelping body and mind stay refreshed and feel good during all moments throughout the day. Lambesis also recognized that the environmental concerns regarding bottled water also had to be addressed and could be a point of differentiation. Coca-Cola had created PlantBottle packaging, a 100 percent recyclable bottle made from up to 30 percent plant-based material that was being used for some of its other beverages. The company was ready to reintroduce its DASANI brand in this new, more environmentally friendly bottle and knew that the launch had to make the brand likable and relevant to consumers as well as retailers. Lambesis decided that the relaunch campaign could serve the DASANI brand in two waysby appealing to light green consumers who were seeking simple ways to be more environmentally conscious and by positioning the DASANI brand as a more premium brand in the highly competitive bottled water market. The agency created a fully integrated rebranding campaign that combined environmentally conscious messaging with premium high design to celebrate the DASANI brand, the PlantBottle packaging, and the brands sustainability platform. A sleek and minimalist aesthetic was used throughout all of the creative work to reflect the pure, clean, refreshing feeling of water. Print and outdoor advertising used for the campaign centered around an impactful image of natural plant life growing the PlantBottle packaging. Lambesis created an innovative print insert on 100 percent recycled paper with a peel-off plantable seeded paper leaf to showcase the environmentally conscious design of the packaging. Seeded leaf paper with eco-conscious messaging was also placed on products in retail stores to further communicate DASANIs commitment to sustainability. The integrated campaign also used television advertising; the first TV spot used bright, clean, nature-inspired imagery to showcase the brands commitment to being more sustainable and to portray DASANI bottled water as clean, crisp, and refreshing A second spot was set to music from the classic Chubby Checker song The Twist and leveraged its enduring appeal to demonstrate to consumers how easy it is to twist and recycle the new PlantBottle packaging. The entertaining Twist spot ranked as the second most memorable commercial that aired during the Olympic Games in research conducted by Ace Metrix, rating higher than spots for companies and brands such as Nike, Samsung, and Old Spice that aired much more frequently. The integrated campaign was very successful; it helped the DASANI line regain distribution in key retail accounts and positioned it as the mass prestige brand that stands out as the clear choice between higher-priced premium brands and lower-priced private-label options. Building on the successful repositioning of DASANI bottled water, The Coca-Cola Company decided to leverage the brand equity created through the excellent IMC campaign by introducing several line extensions. The first was DASANI DROPS, a zero-calorie flavor enhancer, which was followed by DASANI Sparkling, a carbonated water beverage. The creative work done by the Lambesis agency helped propel DASANI bottled water from a brand that was struggling to avoid commodity status to the highest-ranked branded water in dollar volume. Moreover, bottled water has become the largest beverage category in the United States, with annual sales of nearly $19 billion. The DASANI brands have also become an important part of The Coca-Cola Companys product portfolio as consumers continue to move toward healthy, convenient, and refreshing beverages. And as they do so, DASANI bottled water will be there to deliver pure, crisp taste with a clean, fresh style.