Water Just Got Healthier—or So PepsiCo Wants You to Think

‘This year PepsiCo released a new line of water called Lifewtr, a pH-balanced drink sparkling with electrolytes purportedly meant to “[fuse] creativity and design to serve as inspiration for hydration.”
Designer water is just the U.S.’s latest market fetish. Many of the largest soda industries are attempting to cash in on the public’s desire for nature’s elemental source, giving earth’s water a fizzy or mineral-enriched makeover—at the cost of environmental degradation and public rights to natural springs and wells.
PepsiCo is merely at the heels of this trend. In fact, last year was the first year bottled water sales eclipsed soda sales, in part because of growing health concerns over the sugary beverages. Bottled water has so grabbed the nation’s attention that PepsiCo even took out an ad for Lifewtr during this year’s Super Bowl, a slot that is usually kept for sodas. And Smartwater, Coca-Cola’s “vapor-distilled” beverage, has enjoyed expanded success, spotlighting ads that feature the likes of Jennifer Aniston, only adding to water’s newest brand of iconography.’
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