Much of the water industry operates this way. Blow the bottles at one factory, then truck them to be filled and capped at another. Not only is it environmentally irresponsible, but it’s also just plain stupid. Anyone with a healthy love for supply chains would have agreed.

Now, Benjamin Gott had zero experience in the H₂O industry. But he did spend the last nine years in fairly large, web-based supply chain start-ups. And anyone could tell you that water was a racket. To the tune of something like $16 billion in 2008. And nearly all of it in inefficient, unsustainable, perpetual plastic.

But what else is there?

Boxes. Easy to make, ship, build up, break down and recycle. In just two pallets, or 5% of a truck’s hold, Boxed Water Is Better does the duty of 5 truckloads of empty plastic or glass bottles.

Over 75% of the packaging is made from a renewable resource, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified trees. And, Boxed Water is Better gives 10% of their profits to world water relief, as well as another 10% to reforestation foundations.

Visually, they’re a breath of fresh air. There’s a Warhol-ian quality to the way they sit in a refrigerated row, the simplistic black-and-white look a deliberate juxtaposition to twenty years worth of waterfall, mountain and glacier iconography.

The one thing they make no bones about – check out the website – is that their product isn’t perfect. It’s still using fossil fuels for manufacturing and transportation. It’s still a commodity, not a necessity. But with 20% donations, containers from a renewable resource and every box taking a bite out of the big guys, the name still holds true.

Boxed Water Is Better.

Tappening, rather than promoting a specific brand, was created to increase market share in a rather mundane, typically unbranded product: “Tap water is the ultimate Challenger Brand,” states Mark DiMassimo, co-founder of Tappening. “It seemed to us that bottled water had a good business model, and tap water had a lousy business model, and as a result, people were over-consuming bottled water. So, we adopted tap water.”

Tappening’s strategy is unique. While some advertisers develop but deny deceptive strategies, efforts to promote use of tap water include creating deliberate lies about bottled water on a site created for that purpose, http://www.startalie.com/. Tappening’s ads claim that bottled water includes “98% polar ice caps and 2% polar bear tears,” “makes acid rain fall on playgrounds,” “causes blindness in puppies,” and is the “primary cause of restless leg syndrome.” Posters with these slogans can be downloaded and sent to friends via e-mail, twitter or Facebook, or visitors can start and disseminate their own lies on the website.

Behind its deliberate lies, Tappening is one selfless organization:

• The only products Tappening sells are a few BPA-free plastic and stainless steel water bottles, asking users to “Think Global. Drink Local.”
• The entire undertaking is funded by several ad executives who want to put their skills to work for the greater good

Tappening is concerned about the lack of disclosure by bottled water companies. Although labels picture pristine streams and dazzling waterfalls, the source of the water is not as clear as the graphics indicate. Often, laboratory analysis shows that the product is no better than, or even not as good as, what comes out of the kitchen sink. 

The effort’s founders believe that, with the money wasted on bottled water, the US could provide health insurance to every child in the US. Tappening’s goal, rather than profitability, is to contribute to a societal shift by spearheading an anti-bottled water movement. “Our measures of success were not just marketing and business goals,” explains Di Massimo. “We had movement goals, to increase the amount of tap water consumed.” 

Although Tappening’s objectives and tactics may be a bit unconventional, their thinking can be applied to any Challenger Brand. “You can’t challenge by imitating,” says DiMassimo. “Know who you’re taking the market from – identify the enemy and go after them.” This is a company whose battles are fought not with grenades and rockets, but with high-powered water guns – filled right from the tap.