BevBlog: Pepsi takes shot at Vitaminwater calories

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1. 1 On February 18th, 2008, stezton said:

   Yeah, it may be 100 calories more but it tastes way better than Propel.

2. 2 On February 18th, 2008, Stephen said:

   The TV spot, though logical, makes no sense when further analyzed. Lifewater is Pepsi’s knock-off of Vitaminwater. If they want to blast Vitaminwater, then don’t compare it to a product not in the same class. Mistake #2, as this blog mentioned, Lifewater has nearly as much calories as Vitaminwater. Both Lifewater and Vitaminwater are fine products best for those who will actually exercise, which really only takes 10 minutes or so on the treadmill to burn off.

   FYI – Coke offers Dasani Plus, another enhanced flavored water with zero calories for those wanting to avoid 125 calories AND Powerade Zero which is coming very soon. Pepsi’s Gatorade brand doesn’t. It looks like Coke has one-upped their competitor on two fronts here.

3. 3 On February 18th, 2008, Greg said:

   Mr. Craven,
   I think you missed the point about this approach to marketing. The demo they were going after was/is not the guy sitting on his couch eating cheetos and drinking a regular soda watching the Jerry Springer show. They are going after the demographic that is moving away from that lifestyle and one that takes a sincere interest in their health.
   Your statement”….it seems like dangerous territory for a company that sells countless other high calorie products ..” when talking about the “message” Pepsi is delivering seems to want to constrict the products a company can offer thier customers. CCE, PBG, Pepsico and TCCC are marketing companies that sells all types of beverages, not just Soda.
   On another note, If you want to complain about the product lets talk about the rediculous assumption that one bottle of Vitamin Water is any good for you in the first place. It is basically a marketing driven product that plays on the emotions of guilty Americans, as well as other global citizens, who don’t really want to make the effort to really take control of their health.

4. 4 On February 18th, 2008, stephen bennett said:

   Just as point of reference, Pepsi and their associated bottlers purchased an up and coming company called SoBe a few years back in order to have a competitive edge against Coke. What has that purchase done for them, absolutely nothing because they rely on a beverage developed by Quaker Oats to attack the Vitaminwater juggernaut. Lets be realistic here, Pepsi is a sinking franchise who pours money into things such as Lifewater and doesnt recieve a great return on investment. The Lifewater franchise has gone through 3 logo/label changes since its inception and that is utterly sad. When will they learn you cannot beat the big dog, just mearly try to keep him from destroying you.

5. 5 On February 19th, 2008, Justin said:

   G2 is Gatorades low to no calorie alternative so Powerade Zero will be just making catch up.

   Sobe lifewater has 40 calories. Don’t spread bull.

6. 6 On February 19th, 2008, Jason said:

   G2 is actually catching up to Powerade, have you ever heard of Powerade Option?

7. 7 On February 19th, 2008, Ron Swedelson said:

   Sounds like someone msut have invested somewhat in that $4+ billion investment that coke had? either that, or a huge fan of vitamin water.
   Why wouldn’t Pepsi want to attack Coke’s new baby? They are direct competition. Woudlnt it hurt coke to have Vitamin Water crumble under them after they already wrote that huge check? Not that coke has done that to other brands already.
   Didn’t Sobe go through a couple label changes as well, and almost close shop before they shortened South Beach Beverage to SOBE? Not saying that Life Water will be the next “biggest thing”, I’m just addressing your consern over repackaging the brand a few times.

8. 8 On February 20th, 2008, robert said:

   So heres my thought, why would I want to drink something that has no taste and uses something to sweeten it that has been proven to cause cancer and other physical problems. when i can drink Vitamin Water that taste freaking awesome and has a major flavor packing punch and doesn’t make my stomach turn inside out. HERES TO COKE AND VITAMINWATER and also the best flavor is their new XXX.

9. 9 On February 20th, 2008, Justin said:

   G2 is not catching up to powerade..they have had alternatives for a while but none with zero calories for gatorade directly..propel? Hello? Thats gatorades spin off.

   The propel has plenty of taste but Lifewater is superior to VitaminWater in many ways including all natural ingredients and more flavors to come..you dont have to buy a certain flavored VW to get the intake of things you want you get that in any flavor of LW which has 1/3 the calories and doesn’t look all cloudy. btw those alternative sugars proven to cause cancer is nothing but a farce. If I forcefed you 10x your daily recommended intake of anything you probably would develop a cancer too.

10. 10 On February 20th, 2008, Greg said:

    To Stephen Bennett;
    Have you been living under a rock? Pepsi bough the SOBE Brand years before any any Competition with COKE in that segment. Do you remember Mad River??? Where is that brand now?
    And as far as Pepsi buying Quaker Oates to compete with Power Ade that is a no brainer. Pepsi needed something in the Isotonic Category, just as COKE came out with that dismal performing KMX to compete with Pepsi/SOBE Adrenaline Rush.
    I’ll concede that Lifestyle is a direct knockoff of Vitamin Water but it was when Pepsi went head to head with Glaceau, not COKE, when that little venture started.
    I’ll take the Pepsi System over Cokes anyday however, neither is exactly breaking new ground with innovation…..they are just buying it!!!

11. 11 On February 20th, 2008, Greg said:

    Robert,
    How are you going to get cancer by drinking Lifestyle water???? Do you normaly drink 4-5 times your body weight in artificial sweetners? If you do you have more problems to address than your cancer.
    Drink your Vitamin Water and enjoy your carbohydrate saturated drink, then sit back and watch your insulin levels rise and start storing body fat and creating a dependency on sugar laden foods to garner satiation effects in the brain.
    C’mon, look seriously at the research about what you call “cause cancer and other physical problems.”
    A rat that weighs 10oz and ingests( or more appropriately, force fed) over 24oz of artificial sweetner in a 24 hour period is bound to have some negative results.

12. 12 On February 21st, 2008, Jason said:

    Justin,
    Propel is water and is not in the same category as Powerade/Gatorade.
    Gatorade DID NOT have a product to compete directly with Powerade Option.

    You say that life water is superior because it’s all natural, Vitamin Water is 100% natural. The other reason you give is that it has more flavors coming, how is it superior if Vitamin Water has more flavors now?

13. 13 On February 21st, 2008, Justin said:

    My mistake its 40 calories per serving..but it still has less calories than Vitamin Water(LW that is) it has a readable born on date and all flavors have the same vitamin content. The only advantage VW has is that it has more flavors. I can say I do like some VW flavors but all LW flavors are good.

    Powerade Option and Propel are pretty much the same thing. Coke just classifies it as a sports drink..but its clear like water so I dont understand why its not in the water category.

14. 14 On February 25th, 2008, matt said:

    sobe life water is 40 calories per serving.vw is 50 calories per serving.the best thing about 15 flavors of vw is they each have a different function for every time of the day.sobe lw tastes terrible.vw also does not have all the sodium that gatorade has.vw is your best option and tastes the best.

15. 15 On February 25th, 2008, Jason said:

    Justin,
    The color of the beverage does not determine it’s category. A key ingredient in the isotonic (Powerade) category is electrolytes. Propel has as many electrolytes in it as Life Water has chances of being the leader in the enhanced water segment, NONE! Powerade Option has electrolytes.

    Is it CLEAR to you yet?

16. 16 On March 5th, 2008, Bailey said:

    Let’s take a step back from the blur of multi-million dollar marketing going on here between two big power houses and take a moment to understand that neither of these beverages have solid health benefits. These beverages use the tried and true basic vitamins enhancements such as C, a little B maybe some A if you’re lucky but are they on the cutting edge of health beverages? No. Are they truly offering a product that is going to make a difference in your health? No. It’s time to look to some smaller brands, though they may be harder to find without multi million dollar marketing campaigns behind them. This is where you will find the up coming health trends and cutting edge health technology. So why put attention on the petty bickering between two companies that are already winning?

17. 17 On April 27th, 2009, Have You Seen This Ad?: Vitamin Water 10 “Mother Nature” « Sell Me Somethin’! said:

    [...] Let’s face it: people aren’t drinking that much soda these days. You’ve got bottled water, you’ve got energy drinks, you’ve got sports drinks. With American consumers increasingly concerned about empty calories and artificial ingredients, Glaceau must convince consumers that its formulas are not soft drinks masquerading as healthy beverages (which is what Pepsi would like them to think, now that Glaceau is owned by Coca-Cola). [...]

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