Bowie brings the message in a bottle
Nestlé Waters, a key player in the global water market, still sees opportunities for growth in Switzerland.
Mineral water Nestlé Waters, a key player in the global water market, still sees growth opportunities in Switzerland.Only just three percent of the water resources on our blue planet are freshwater and thus suitable for drinking. However, this vital resource is unevenly distributed: According to the UN, 40 percent of the world's population suffers from water shortages. In contrast, countries like Switzerland can afford to waste water. In addition to the sufficient occurrence, Swiss drinking water also has one of the best qualities of all. And it is almost free: The average water price for a thousand liters in this country is 1.60 francs. Nevertheless, the sales of mineral water are increasing every year. Between April 03 and March 04 alone, Mr. and Mrs. Swiss bought mineral water for around 324 million Swiss francs - this corresponds to an increase of a good 16 percent compared to the same period last year. Advertising spending by the industry, on the other hand, stagnated last year at 19 million Swiss francs, having increased by 18 percent in 2002. Nestlé Waters Switzerland, the beverage unit of the food multinational on Lake Geneva, is also benefiting from the positive trend in mineral water consumption. The company, headquartered in Gland, has been one of the top five advertisers in Switzerland for years. Marketing Manager Pierre-Alessandro Heyd sees the reason for the popularity of mineral water primarily in the consistent quality, availability and image of the brands. Mineral water producers are responding to consumer demand for more choice with new bottle formats, different carbonation levels, and flavor varieties.
Nestlé Waters Switzerland markets 77 water brands worldwide. Five of them - S. Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, Vittel, Perrier and Contrex - position themselves as international premium brands and are also among Nestlé's strongest mineral waters in Switzerland. Although consumption of bottled water is on the rise here at home, Swiss consumers are far behind their southern neighbors: in Italy, annual consumption is around 190 liters per person, while in Switzerland it is only 113 liters. "The overall market still has growth potential," Pierre-Alessandro Heyd is convinced.
In order not to cannibalize its own brands, Nestlé Waters uses different positioning. The top brand S. Pellegrino and its still counterpart Acqua Panna are strongly anchored in the restaurant trade. Perrier is to be perceived as water for festive occasions, and Contrex aims to appeal to line-conscious women. Vittel, on the other hand, is aiming for a broader target group. Says Heyd, "With Vittel, we are targeting active 25- to 45-year-olds."
In contrast to the five premium brands, Nestlé Waters Switzerland distributes the other 70 brands only locally. They are only available in one country - Levissima in Italy, for example - or in a specific region of a country. In addition, the company carries three own brands, Nestlé Acquarel, Nestlé Pure Life and, more recently, Nestlé Wellness, which, however, do not belong to the mineral water category due to their origin, production or taste.
Ziggy Stardust drinks Vittel
In Switzerland, S. Pellegrino and Vittel are the frontrunners in terms of sales volume. Strategists at Ogilvy Worldwide recently introduced a testimonial for Vittel, the French water from the Vosges Mountains: The singer David Bowie is to use a TV spot to encourage German, French, Japanese and Swiss consumers to drink Vittel. "We didn't want to just talk about the product, we wanted to dramatize the benefits of Vittel," says Heyd, specifying, "The mineral combination allows consumers to live out more sides of themselves."
In order to convey this message in a credible way, the marketing manager continues, a strong and well-known personality was needed. The person Bowie was ideal for this, after all, he had also embodied different characters again and again in the course of his career. The creatives in the spot also play with these: Today's David Bowie meets figures from his past in his house and discovers that they are also diligent Vittel drinkers, as the bottle in the fridge is almost empty.
In Switzerland, communications for Vittel, S. Pellegrino, Acqua Panna and Perrier are being handled or adapted by Grendene Ogilvy & Mather in Zurich. The Lausanne agency Bilateral is responsible for Contrex appearances. In addition to the measures for Vittel, posters recently promoted the introduction of pet bottles at Acqua Panna. Just in time for the bikini season, various poster campaigns are currently aimed at drawing the attention of line-conscious women to Contrex. Although mineral water is consumed all year round, it is important to be top of mind at the beginning of the warm season, explains Heyd. That's why a new appearance for S. Pellegrino is also starting "very soon".
Vittel makes you versatile: David Bowie is the ideal ambassador for this as a veteran pop chameleon.
Nestlé Waters Switzerland Nestlé entered the water business in 1969 with a 30 percent stake in Société Générale des Eaux Minérales (SGEMV) de Vittel. In 1992, the Vevey-based company took control of SGEMV and spun off the Perrier Group. That same year, Nestlé launched Valvert water in five different countries simultaneously. Just five years later, the group was present on every continent. With the acquisition of S. Pellegrino, Nestlé also acquired the leading position in the Italian mineral water market. In 1998, the company launched the Nestlé Pure Life brand in Pakistan, and other third-world and emerging markets followed. With the spring water Nestlé Aquarel and the latest creation Nestlé Wellness, the multinational has two other own brands. Since April 2002, Nestlé's water division has been operating under the name Nestlé Waters Switzerland. (sk)
Simone Keller
Nestlé Waters Switzerland markets 77 water brands worldwide. Five of them - S. Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, Vittel, Perrier and Contrex - position themselves as international premium brands and are also among Nestlé's strongest mineral waters in Switzerland. Although consumption of bottled water is on the rise here at home, Swiss consumers are far behind their southern neighbors: in Italy, annual consumption is around 190 liters per person, while in Switzerland it is only 113 liters. "The overall market still has growth potential," Pierre-Alessandro Heyd is convinced.
In order not to cannibalize its own brands, Nestlé Waters uses different positioning. The top brand S. Pellegrino and its still counterpart Acqua Panna are strongly anchored in the restaurant trade. Perrier is to be perceived as water for festive occasions, and Contrex aims to appeal to line-conscious women. Vittel, on the other hand, is aiming for a broader target group. Says Heyd, "With Vittel, we are targeting active 25- to 45-year-olds."
In contrast to the five premium brands, Nestlé Waters Switzerland distributes the other 70 brands only locally. They are only available in one country - Levissima in Italy, for example - or in a specific region of a country. In addition, the company carries three own brands, Nestlé Acquarel, Nestlé Pure Life and, more recently, Nestlé Wellness, which, however, do not belong to the mineral water category due to their origin, production or taste.
Ziggy Stardust drinks Vittel
In Switzerland, S. Pellegrino and Vittel are the frontrunners in terms of sales volume. Strategists at Ogilvy Worldwide recently introduced a testimonial for Vittel, the French water from the Vosges Mountains: The singer David Bowie is to use a TV spot to encourage German, French, Japanese and Swiss consumers to drink Vittel. "We didn't want to just talk about the product, we wanted to dramatize the benefits of Vittel," says Heyd, specifying, "The mineral combination allows consumers to live out more sides of themselves."
In order to convey this message in a credible way, the marketing manager continues, a strong and well-known personality was needed. The person Bowie was ideal for this, after all, he had also embodied different characters again and again in the course of his career. The creatives in the spot also play with these: Today's David Bowie meets figures from his past in his house and discovers that they are also diligent Vittel drinkers, as the bottle in the fridge is almost empty.
In Switzerland, communications for Vittel, S. Pellegrino, Acqua Panna and Perrier are being handled or adapted by Grendene Ogilvy & Mather in Zurich. The Lausanne agency Bilateral is responsible for Contrex appearances. In addition to the measures for Vittel, posters recently promoted the introduction of pet bottles at Acqua Panna. Just in time for the bikini season, various poster campaigns are currently aimed at drawing the attention of line-conscious women to Contrex. Although mineral water is consumed all year round, it is important to be top of mind at the beginning of the warm season, explains Heyd. That's why a new appearance for S. Pellegrino is also starting "very soon".
Vittel makes you versatile: David Bowie is the ideal ambassador for this as a veteran pop chameleon.
Nestlé Waters Switzerland Nestlé entered the water business in 1969 with a 30 percent stake in Société Générale des Eaux Minérales (SGEMV) de Vittel. In 1992, the Vevey-based company took control of SGEMV and spun off the Perrier Group. That same year, Nestlé launched Valvert water in five different countries simultaneously. Just five years later, the group was present on every continent. With the acquisition of S. Pellegrino, Nestlé also acquired the leading position in the Italian mineral water market. In 1998, the company launched the Nestlé Pure Life brand in Pakistan, and other third-world and emerging markets followed. With the spring water Nestlé Aquarel and the latest creation Nestlé Wellness, the multinational has two other own brands. Since April 2002, Nestlé's water division has been operating under the name Nestlé Waters Switzerland. (sk)
Simone Keller
