A new survey conducted by Northstar, on behalf of SodaStream International has revealed that while most Americans know water is essential for good health, 40% still reach for something other than H2O to quench their thirst.
However, survey respondents could be encouraged to drink more water, citing better taste (35%), learning more about its health benefits (31%), added flavour (28%), and bubbles (8%) as valid reasons to increase consumption.
Last month, SodaStream committed to shifting focus toward health and wellness, recognising the importance of hydration as a part of a healthy and active lifestyle. The company commissioned this survey as part of that renewed corporate focus, encouraging people to drink more water by making it exciting. Survey results illustrate just how critical this new positioning is and will be used to inform a forthcoming study, done in partnership with celebrity fitness and wellness trainer Kathy Kaehler, tracking water consumption behaviors in US households. Driving consumers to drink more water, more often, as part of a healthy lifestyle, will be the goal of SodaStream marketing and advertising campaigns and brand partnerships for the remainder of 2014 and 2015.
“At SodaStream, we make water exciting,” says Scott Guthrie, Americas general manager at SodaStream. “We believe our home carbonation systems that create sparkling water drive consumers to drink more water. SodaStream recognises the beneficial role water – whether still, sparkling, or flavoured – can play in one’s life so we’re eager to support greater consumption of it.”
Refreshing or Required? When asked to describe their first thought about drinking a glass of water, 48 percent of respondents noted how refreshing water is. Yet close to a quarter (20% of them said they drink water because they ‘have to’ versus its taste or ability to refresh.
Half-hearted Hydration: Half of Americans (50%) drink four or less glasses of water a day (3-4 glasses 30%, 1-2 glasses 20%).
Boomers Fall Behind: Americans aged 65+ tend to drink only 1-2 glasses a day, the least amount of water compared to other age groups.
Drink to Your Health: At 41%, Millennials (ages 18-34) are the generation that could be most convinced to drink more water if they knew more about its health benefits.
First for Thirst: Nearly half of Americans (43%) choose plain, still water to quench their thirst, followed by soda (14%), tea (11%) and flavoured water (10%).
“Your body needs enough water to carry out vital functions and help you perform at your best, but as this survey shows, most people choose non-water beverages as a thirst quencher,” explained Kathy Kaehler. “While these results reveal a lack in water consumption across the country, they also show that with SodaStream’s unique ability to add excitement to water through bubbles and flavors, we can get closer to closing the gap between how much water Americans do and should consume.”
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