The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

June 11, 2011 | 2 min read

No-one ever thought people would be so crazy as to buy bottled water when you could get it out of the tap. Look how wrong they were. Now Kraft in the US is going big on what call a liquid water enhancer, adding fruit flavours to plain old water. If it works, you can bet you will see it here in the UK too..

This is a concentrated flavouring syrup called MiO, zero calories, that you squish into your glass of water. Each little plastic pod contains 24 servings and costs $3.99 (around £2.50).

The name MiO means “mine” in Italian. Kraft says it lets consumers make their drink their way. The target market is 18-to-39 year olds, men and women, who want" to personalise whatever and wherever they can, from customised playlists on their ipod to going online to build their own shoe with Nike ID Sneakers," says Kraft. MiO comes in six flavours: Berry Pomegranate, Strawberry Watermelon, Fruit Punch, Mango Peach, Sweet Tea and Peach Tea. Despite the names, the product "contains 0% juice" and has less than 2% of natural flavour says the label. So what is the thinking behind MiO? " In the U.S. we consume about $10 billion in bottled water and on a consumption basis, three times that much in tap water. We think MiO represents the way people will drink water in the future," says Kraft. Dentsu's McGarryBowen created advertising to launch the product but the business has now gone to WPPs Taxi. So far Mio was "doing great -- exceeding our initial expectations," said Kraft. " We are inspired by what lies ahead." A Florida newspaper's Consumer Panel carried out a taste test, with fair to good ratings. One woman liked that Mio was portable, easy to use and had no calories. But she pointed to all the additives. A retired man said he microwaved the drink and found it "very enjoyable as hot peach tea." A Navy veteran said, "We need to think about all the chemicals and additives in food. Adding chemicals to water isn't a trend I'd get into." MiO is a US -only enterprise at the moment, said a Kraft spokeswoman. However, if it lives up to the hype and conquers the fears of people who worry about chemicals, I predict you will see it on British shelves soon .
Coca-Cola Kraft

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