Can water become a brand?

 
Column Away from political developments, a process is taking place in everyday consumer life that threatens to make access to water more exclusive: the basic element of water is increasingly becoming a branded product. 
Our world consists largely of water. We humans are also known to consist of two thirds water. Water is therefore fundamentally important for survival. Water is life. Water scarcity, on the other hand, leads to catastrophes. For Peter Brabeck, "the water crisis is far more threatening" than climate change. Free access to water must therefore surely be one of the unrestricted human rights. Of course, there is already an alarming inequality in the distribution of water in the global context, most recently discussed at the annual World Water Week in Stockholm. What are the reasons for a further worsening of this situation? Most obviously geopolitical circumstances. Global water reserves are distributed very unevenly from region to region. In some of the regions that possess them, people are already speculating about the rosy days of blue gold. It is therefore only logical that companies involved in the utilization of blue gold along the entire "water value chain" (according to the investment company SAM) are becoming attractive investment objects: "US investors in search of water" is the headline in the NZZ. There is also an impressive, or rather frightening, geopolitical power potential here. There are fears of wars over water worldwide.
At first glance, very far removed from these highly political developments, another process is taking place rather inconspicuously in everyday consumer life that threatens to make access to water more exclusive. The basic element of water is increasingly becoming a branded product. The obvious perversions of this development make us sit up and take notice: Bottles enhanced with crystals from Swarovsky contain mineral water which, at a price of almost 50 US dollars per liter, should no longer be affordable for everyone. It is not quite so perverse, but nonetheless at least ecological nonsense, that international branded mineral waters are also increasingly successful in markets that could certainly be served by domestic mineral waters (or even tap water that is completely harmless to health).
In such obviously irrational consumer decisions, brands demonstrate their power, which is based on emotionally motivated purchasing behavior. "Show me what water you drink and I'll tell you who you are." The water brand as an anchor of identification and social differentiation. Madonna drinks Voss, Whoopi Goldberg and Janet Jackson drink Fiji. Volvic announces the water brand "dedicated entirely to men". The world's leading food companies have long been relying on the purchase-increasing and demand-securing effect of brands, including water, investing large sums in the development of this market and securing the largest possible market shares for their portfolio of water brands. Nestlé, for example, the global market leader with around 20 billion liters bottled, now has 75 brands in 36 countries around the world.
It is important to remember that the brand is one of the few legitimate monopolies in our economic world. Unlimited in time and space, an efficiently and effectively managed brand can effectively prevent other manufacturers from offering a comparable product competitively. Strong brands represent very effective barriers to entry for potential competitors. Water brands can therefore restrict access to water in the long term. Following on from the considerations mentioned at the beginning, this raises the question of whether brands should legitimately have this restrictive effect on water, which is such a vital element. In principle, certainly not. Political resistance to this is likely to arise very quickly. And this resistance should at least prevent or at least limit overly grotesque developments in the marketing of water.
Jürgen Häusler is CEO of the Interbrand, Zintzmeyer and Lux Group and an honorary professor at the University of Leipzig.