In developed countries, tap water is provided through reticulated systems. Pipes in your street deliver water directly to your house, and you pay the price, depending on the amount of water used. Even though tap water pricing is a controversial topic, it is very cheap. With prices of less than one cent per litre, filling a bottle of water costs practically nothing. But, not all water is the same. Purveyors of bottled water charge hundreds of times the price people pay for tap water, even though the core product is the same.
Many water utilities don't implement origin strategies very well. Municipal water utilities are often focusing on treatment processes instead of the natural origin of their tap water. Utility engineers are proud of their achievement and love to tell their community about the technology needed to deliver drinkable water to each house.
This strategy is set for failure because it emphasises the production process without any emotional attachment. Problems with the acceptance of recycled sewage as drinking water forcefully illustrate this point.
Water utilities could become less lazy by showing customers the naturalorigins of their water. In the end, all water comes from nature and tapwater is as good, if not better, than bottled water.
If you like to learn more about water utility marketing, then please consider reading Customer ExperienceManagement for Water Utilities by Peter Prevos.
Customer Experience Management for Water Utilities: Marketing Urban Water Supply
Practical framework for water utilities to become more focussed on their customers following Service-Dominant Logic.
