Current society is obsessed with image. We find ourselves buying things more and more because they look good, not because they are necessarily functional or of great value to us. One great example is the Starbucks latte. Although many people love the taste, the main reason that one drops over $3 for a latte is the social stigma that comes with it: walking around with a Starbucks coffee cup in hand has become a symbol of stylishness and class. An even more arresting example is bottled water.
Water is water. There is only so much one can do to water to improve its quality and taste. And yet the prices of a bottle of water range from free from the tap, to $3.00. This post by David Kiley takes the same confused, and slightly outraged, opinion that I do, in that water has been reduced from the sustainer of all life, to the next cool, trendy item for the image-obsessed citizen.
Bottled water companies purposefully target the upper class population, as they will be willing to spend the money to look cool. Voss water
has successfully positioned itself as a sleek, modern choice for water. These strategies by bottled water companies were no doubt developed after an analysis of the macroenvironment had made clear the social trend of image and appearing wealthy.