User:Havenproject/Vitamin drink
Introduction
The name in itself explains what VitaminWater is, vitamins and water mixed together. The carrier of VitaminWater is Glaceau, which is owned by the Coca-Cola Company. VitaminWater consists of fifteen delicious and exotic flavors. Each flavor has its own unique make up of vitamins. Vitamins that are contained in these drinks go from vitamin-c to zinc, depending on the flavor that is picked. VitaminWater is perfect for those that do not consume vitamin in a daily basis or drink water. However, even though these drinks are enriched with vitamins, they are also enriched with sugar, artificial flavors, and many calories. If one is on a diet, then VitaminWater is not a recommended drink for him or her. Moreover, Glaceau promised that their product,VitaminWater, is nothing but a healthy drink. This promise made many people switch from a sugary and unhealthy drink such as a soft drink to a more natural and healthy drink, VitaminWater. It turns out that, VitaminWater is not as healthy as they claim. For this reason, Coca-Cola has been faced with a lawsuit for their false advertisement. VitaminWater has been a successful product for the Coca-Cola company. Soft drinks sales from the Coca-Cola Company have gone down, but the sales on VitaminWater keeps going up. Furthermore, VitaminWater has become a great investment for Coca-Cola. It is a drink that is at some point healthier than a soft drink, and it is a favorite drink among different people in the United States of America (even Hollywood Stars).
History
Mrs. and Mr. Bikoff are owners and presidents of the William Bikoff Associates Incorporation, real estate management company and metal importer, Mrs. and Mr. Bikoff's son, J. Darius Bikoff has come a long way in his life with close proximity to entrepreneurial knowledge. At eleven years old, Bikoff started as a part-time assistant in the family's business. During this age, his job solely dealt with answering phones and serving in a variately of ways around the office. Around the time he had reached college leve, he was found conducting negotiations with European suppliers overseas. Three years after graduating from Colgate University in 1983, his father made him president of the company. When he was ten years into running the business, he started the thinking of setting up a business of his own. He knew that water was not the only vital thing in life, but also the intake of vitamins. He went on to creating "better water" in which he combined the two elements together. By 1996, he was working full-time and pursuing his dream job where he hired the first group of scientists who served him well in developing his first Energy Brand product: Glaceau Smartwater, it is a product that was distributed accordingly and was out on various store shelves within two years. He went on to creating the next two product lines: Fruitwater in 1995 and Vitaminwater, which goes in hand with VitaminWater 10, in 2000. His latter product line remained one of Glaceau's most successful product. Since 1996, J. Darius Bikoff remains the chief executive officer of Energy Brands, Incorporation.
Flavors
There are fifteen different flavors for Vitaminwater. Each flavor is uniquely made to fulfill anyone's desire. This is the list of all the flavors:
1. Power-C (dragonfuit) with taurine and vitamin C.
2. Defense (rasberry-apple) with vitamin C and zinc.
3. Focus (kiwi-strawberry) with vitamin A and lutein.
4. Blance (cranberry-grapefruit) with vitamin C and glucosamine.
5. Endurance (peach-mango) with vitamin E and ribose.
6. Essential (orange-orange) with potassium and vitamin C.
7. Energy (tropical citrus) with vitamin B and caffine.
8. B-Relaxed (jackfruit-guava) with vitamin B and theanine.
9. Tranquilo (tamrind-pineapple) with multivitamins.
10. Rescue (green tea) vitamin C and green tea extract.
11. Muti-V (lemonade) with vitamin A and zinc.
12. Formula 50 (grape) with several vitamins.
13. Sync (berry-cherry) with vitamins and polyphenols.
14. Revive (fruit punch) with vitamin B and potassium.
15. XXX (acai-bluberry-pomegranate) with acai; this flavor will be served in bottles regionally at McDonalds.
There will be more flavors added once their [low-carlorie] line called Vitaminwater 10 comes out.
Nutrition Value
When it comes to nutrients, VitaminWater is renowned for its ingredients which contain a variety of nutrients per flavor. VitaminWater helps quench thirst and benefits humans in providing them with vitamins and nutrients. Among the fifteen different flavors, there are different vitamins and minerals which fulfill the daily requirements for the human body. Generally, different flavors of VitaminWater contain some basic ingredients such as vitamin C and vitamin B. These vitamin drinks should not be confused with energy drinks; Vitamin Water aims to provide vitamins to rehydrate the body. All of the vitamins that are found in Vitamin Water are essential elements for the activities of everyday life. For instance, Vitamin C, found in most of the flavors, is considered one of the most important vitamins necessary for healthy lives. This water-soluble vitamin is used to help heal wounds and support our body’s immune system. Each bottle of VitaminWater provides the individual with more Vitamin C than needed to ensure that the body absorbs enough vitamin recommended daily. Apart from vitamins, each flavor of VitaminWater also contains different kinds of minerals. These minerals have no energy value but are important in regulating body metabolism and building body tissues. With the fifteen different flavors, people have a variety of drinks to choose which flavor is most suitable for him or her. Therefore, VitaminWater guarantees to provide the human body all the minerals and vitamins that are required daily.
Benefits
Vitamins have always been an essential part of our diet and most people do not always get all the vitamins they need in a day. In Glaceau's VitaminWater, several different essential vitamins are provided. This drink contains vitamins C, E, B3, B6, B12, and B5. These vitamins are very beneficial in many ways, such as helping repair wounds, fight infection, and reduce wrinkles. Even though these vitamins have been included in the drinks, there have been several lawsuits against the Coca-Cola Company. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has been the main antagonist against the idea of Vitaminwater. U.S. News reports that CSPI used the Coca-Cola Company by saying that, "their marketing claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive." VitaminWater claims that their water reduces the risk of chronic disease, eye disease, promotes healthy joints, and supports immune infections. However, Medical News Today reported that CSPI was suing Coca-Cola's Vitaminwater because each bottle contains 33gm of sugar and it is more likely to increase the chance of being obese and developing diabetes instead of helping the human body. The litigation director for CSPI, Steve Gardner states, "Coke fears, probably correctly, that they'll sell less soda as Americans become increasingly concerned with obesity, diabetes, and other conditions linked to diets too high in sugar. VitaminWater is Coke's attempt to dress up soda in a physician's white-coat. Underneath, it's still sugar water."
Prices
In this economy, people are always looking for a good deal on shopping. They always try to find which store sells the same products at a more convenient price. VitaminWater ranges in price from store to store. For instance, at a liquor store, the price for a 20oz. VitaminWater bottle is $1.80; at a gas station, the price for the same 20oz. bottle is only $1.27. However, the cheapest price can go as low as a $1.00 per bottle when it is bought at a bigger store, such as a warehouse.
Comparisons and Competitors
Who is Vitaminwater’s competition? Doing the research, there was no direct competitor to Vitaminwater. On the other hand, other flavored waters can be considered as competitors since there are so many different brands. Although, there are other flavored waters that it can be compared to such as Dasani Flavored Water, Aquafina Flavored Splash, Fuze Beverage, SoBe Lifewater and possibly Gatorade. However, Gatorades main competition is Powerade, owned by the Coca-Cola Company who owns Vitaminwater as well. In comparisons with all of these flavored waters would depend on the nutrition facts listed on each of these flavored water bottles, here are a few listed below. [AWKWARD]
1. Vitaminwater 20 fl. oz. bottle: Lemonade, Low Cal Vitaminwater10 has 25 calories, 2.5 serving per container (8fl. oz. 10 calories), 4grams total carbohydrate, 3 grams sugar, 1 gram erythritol, vitamin A – 25% per bottle, C – 100%, E – 25%, B3 – 25%, B6 – 25%, B12 – 25%, B5 – 25%, Calcium 10%, Folic Acid 40%, Magnisium 10% and Zinc 25%.
2. SoBe Lifewater 20 fl. oz. bottle: Pomegranate Cherry has 100 calories, 2.5 serving per container, 55mg sodium, 41 grams total carbohydrates, 24 grams sugar, vitamin C – 250%, vitamin E – 50%, vitamin B6 – 25%, vitamin B12 – 25%, Niacin 25% and pantothenic acid 25%.
3. Gatorade 20 fl. oz. bottle: Fruit Punch has 130 calories, 2.5 serving per container, sodium 270 mg, potassium 75 mg, total carbohydrates 34 grams and sugar 24 grams.
4. Fuze Slenderize Beverage 18.5 fl. oz. low carb bottle: Blueberry Raspberry has 20 calories, 2 serving per container, sodium 5 mg, total carbohydrate 2 grams, sugar 1 gram, vitamin C – 100%, Chromium 15%, L-Carnitine 20 mg, Super Citrimax 200 mg and 5% juice.
Celebrity Endorsement
Several celebrities have signed endorsements with Vitaminwater -- Carrie Underwood, 50cent, Brain Ufacher, David Ortiz, Carl Edwards, Tracy, Mcgrady, David Wright, Josh Howard, Elton Brand, Ray Alleen, Daniel, Briere, and Kirk Herstriet. Celebrities such as 50cent are known for making Vitaminwater popular to the younger consumers. He also has his own flavor: Formula50 (grape); 50cent has made about one-hundred million dollars after signing an endorsement with Vitaminwater.
Advertisement and Reviews
VitaminWater, established in 1996, has really concentrated the majority of its advertisements on television. Just as these advertisements go from Super Bowl half time to late night commercials on national television, they also advertise via the Internet. Glaceau relies on celebrities to influence and appeal to the general public. In a former commercial, for instance, Brian Urlacher (VitaminWater consumer) and David Ortiz are playing badminton in a title match. Brian sends a shuttle cock in to his opponent's leg leaving it embedded in his shin. Though a bit extreme, the commercial does get its point across to the consumer. The advertisement tries to prove that VitaminWater gives you extra strength. Most of the publicity is done through television but there are also ads on the Internet such as the one with professional basketball player Steve Nash visits VitaminWaters headquarters and jokes around with the employees and somewhat plays pranks on them as well. Both their website http://www.Glaceau.com and http://Bevnet.com lets the public find reviews on Vitaminwater flavors, content, as well as a brief summary of each water's function.
Lawsuit
Vinnee Tong discussed the lawsuit on the Coca-Cola Company for their false advertisment on their new new drink, VitaminWater, on the article "Coca-Cola Sued Over VitaminWater Health Claims." On January 15 of 2009, the Coca-Cola Company was sued for a false advertisment on their new product, VitaminWater, by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The lawsuit took place in United States. District in the Northern District of California. In addition, the Coca-Cola Company reensured that VitaminWater will help a person obtain "Defense [...], energy and endurance" (Tong). However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest commented that VitaminWater's "Top three ingredients are water, cane sugar and crystalline fructose. The 20-ounce bottle has roughly 33 grams of sugar" (Tong). In other words, people are consuming sugarly water. The Coca-Cola Company had promise that VitaminWater was nothing but "Vitamins that boost immunity and reduce the risk of disease" (Tong). When Coca-Cola was faced with this issue, the Coca-Cola Company spokes person, Diana Garza Ciarlante, responded, "This is a ridiculous and ludicrous lawsuit" (Tong). She also commented that the lawsuit was a "Cheap, opportunistic publicity stunt. Not only that, consumers can readily see the nutrition facts panels on every bottle of Glaceau VitaminWater, which show what's in our product and what's not" (Tong). In addition, there are other articlas that support the claims by the Center for Science in the Public Interest such as "The Truth About ‘Healthy’ Bottled Water", "Is Vitamin Water as Helathy as They Claim?", and "Is Vitamin Water Really Good For Your Health?"
References
Baldauf, Sarah. "Health Buzz: Coca-Cola's VitaminWater Lawsuit and Other Health News." U.S.News & World Report. 16 Jan 2009 <http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2009/01/16/health-buzz-coca-colas-vitamin-water-lawsuit-and-other-health-news.html>.
Chen, Christine Y. "Darius Bikoff vs. Coke and Pepsi Business is flowing for the godfather of "enhanced waters." That's why the big guys are taking note." Fortune. 3 Feb 2003. 24 May 2009 <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/02/03/336429/index.htm>
Elliott, Stuart. "With Humor, Glacéau Vitaminwater Introduces New Low-Calorie Beverage." The New York Times. 31 Mar 2009. 20 May 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/business/media/01adco.html>.
"Glaceau Vitamin Water." One Stop Treatment. 30 May 2009 <http://www.onestoptreatment.com/Glaceau-Vitamin-Water.php>
Howard, Theresa. "50 Cent, Glaceau forge unique bond." USA TODAY. 17 Dec 2007. 20 May 2009 <http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2007-07-29-vitamin-water-50-cent_N.htm>.
Hughlett, Mike. "McDonald’s adds DrPepper." Chicago Tribune. 28 April 2009. 20 May 2009 <http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/apr/28/business/chi- tc-biz-dr-pepper-0428apr28>.
"J. Darius Bikoff Biography." Notable Biographies. 20 May 2009 <http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-A-Co/Bikoff-J-Darius.html>
Leong, Kristie. "Is Vitamin Water Really Good for Your Health?". Aviva. 08 Apr 2008. 30 May 2009 <http://www.aviva.ca/article/asp?acticleid=110>. --"Is Vitamin Water as Healthy as They Claim?". Health Mad. 09 Apr 2009. 30 May 2009 <http://www.healthmad.com/nutrition/is-vitamin-water-as-healthy-as-they-claim.106731>.
Nordvist, Christian. "Coca-Cola Sued For Suger Laden VitaminWater Sold As Healthy Alternative." Medical News Today. 2009 MediLexicon International Ltd. 17 Jan 2009 <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/135816.php>
"Risk in Brief, The Safety of Energy Drink." Risk Assessment in Food Safety. Centre for Food Safety. 2008. 16 May 2009 <http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fci_02_01.html>.
Tong, Vinnee. "Coca-Cola Sued Over VitaminWater Health Claims." Law. 16 Jan 2009. 30 May 2009 <http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202427513419>.
Wanjek, Christopher. "The Truth About 'Healthy' Bottled Water."Live Science. 29 May 2007.30 May 2009 <http://www.livescience.com/health/070529_sugar_water.html>.
"Weddings; Nanne Puritz, Darius Bikoff." The New York Times. 29 May 1994. 20 May 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/29/style/weddings-nanne-puritz-darius-bikoff.html>