Reinventing Water

It strikes me as unusual for such a long running company to have such little participation in social media. They do have an online contest running right now on their website which is featured along on facebook. I genuinely feel that they do not necessarily need a blog. Maybe it is because there is only such much you can blog plug about water. I stumbled upon some weird blog types that I am still trying to get the visuals out of my head. However there were three searches that I do not believe were actual blogs but that stood out and applied to what Bhargava was addressing. The first one was the Poland Spring Review website where 30 people on camera reviewed Poland Spring water mostly by reading the label on the back and stating it is from Maine and that it tastes good. Unfortunately none of these people qualified as the accidental spokesperson.

The second website I found was a letter to an editor from an actual employee of Poland Spring advocating against a possible ordinance of the extraction of water for profit in his town. In his letter he distinguishes all the benefits of having Poland Spring as his employer and as part of his community. His name is Ed Swift Wells and Poland Springs would be wise to hire him as an internal public or external blogger. The fight between tap water and bottled water is a close tie. Perhaps a first blog would distinguish the levels of minerals not in tap water, that nurture more of the body, the organs and digestion. A second blog could discuss the economy and preservation efforts of spring water for future generations. Here’s the link to his letter blog.kennekbunkpost.com.

The last site I found coincidently was of a feature story about Poland Springs Spokesperson, elite marathon runner Jeff Cox. Springs sponsors a number of marathons and hydration is one of their basic company elements. Cox fits the role with his hydration tips and his expertise in training. He is the authority and the super hero Lindstrom says we all want to be. The earthiness of his nature matches that of Poland Springs' personality. The team of Cox and Springs was made clear in the PRnewswire.com site. Newswire featuring Spokesperson Jeff Cox & ING NYC Marathon.

 

Lindstrom states that transformation or reinvention is key to successful marketing strategy. At first I thought well maybe Poland Springs is not planning on a full transformation into social media however they are still reinventing themselves. In the past it appears like they used the available media outlets, for example the early pamphlet of Poland Water in 1878. A much used form of passing fast information in the late 1800s.

This 1906 picture has the royalty advertising strategy.

When I came across this picture I assessed historical re-invention and transformation. You can see their marketing strategy through the years just by examining each bottle.

Today their redesigning is not heavily web based because their target audience is the contemporary health active consumer. They sponsor marathons to associate themselves with health. Which was at their beginning a cure for tummy aches is today a sign of hydration and nutrition for the body. It is still the same personality and company.They have always had a subliminal association with health.