Washing away the taste of Dasani won't be easy, but Smartwater could do the job

If our industry had a dictionary, the definition of disaster would be: ‘Coke’s attempt to bring successful US water brand Dasani to the UK in 2004.’

“Washing away the taste of Dasani won’t be easy, but Smartwater could do the job”

Vince Bamford, fmcg editor

Its US website tagline ‘can’t live without spunk’ caused much mirth on these shores; the ‘pure’ liquid was revealed to have been processed tap water from Sidcup; and a health scare and product recall was the last straw. It was pulled six weeks after its debut.

Little wonder Coke and UK distributor CCE waited 10 years before having another go. And they seem to have got a lot right with Glaceau Smartwater.

First, the source is a spring in Northumberland rather than a tap in South London (preventing comparisons such as those made between Dasani and Del Boy). Secondly, while also processed, Smartwater uses ‘vapour distillation’ to give it a USP, says CCE. The price is also very competitive. But, for me, the key factor is the format. CCE has splashed out on new labelling kit and is using a 600ml bottle - rather than the typical 500ml - to produce a clean, classy SKU.

Washing away the taste of Dasani won’t be easy, but Smartwater could do the job.