Chapter 17- Personal Sales and Sales Management

Throughout the selling process many key proponents are needed to create an effective sales approach. An example of the many important aspects of this process is simply knowing the industry that a salesperson/ sales force is participating in. The industries that fiji water participates in are The Water and Ice industry, The Non-alcoholic beverage industry, and the manufacturing sector. Fiji water has made a great effort to make its product differentiate greatly from its competitors. The company is the only bottled water company that claims its water is untouched and bottled at the source. The  company claims to manufacture its bottles in house at Fiji. However this is misleading because the company actually imports the raw materials for their bottles from China. Eliminating the opportunity to give the outsourced jobs to Fiji Natives. Once the raw materials are shipped in from China, Fiji makes the actual bottle in house- a bottle that is twice the weight of a normal bottle. The bottle is put into the production line which fills the bottles with water from the 17- mile long aquifer that the company almost has exclusive access to. After production the bottles could sit at the plant for months at a time allowing bacteria and high temperatures to spoil the water. The water is then shipped thousands of miles unrefrigerated via vessel, to countries around the world to be distributed to various stores. So we see here a process that outsources its raw materials to cut cost, uses an aquifer that the government cannot even access due to shortage of funds, and uses millions of tons in fossil fuels to import and export materials. However Fiji water is still able to maintain that green image in order to be set apart from its competitors and viewed as a more natural, higher- class water. This marketing of Fiji water’s image portrays the water as a green, and more healthy water as the company claims it is untouched during it’s manufacturing process. As a result of knowing the company's industry Fiji Water was able to focus on a trait that makes it unique. Over time the company has continually emphasized  this trait resulting in a product that. ear

As seen in the Image, Fiji water is the only industrial corporation that dominates the Fijian landscape demonstrating its power over the corrupt country and unrestricted access to the countries resources.  

s superior to its competitors.

Chapter 16- Advertising, Public Relations, and Sales Promotion

It's interesting to me when bottled water companies promote themselves as "green." Why? because bottled water accounts for 3 billion pounds of waste per year, takes 17 million barrels of oil to produce in the U.S alone to produce, and to end short handed: kills the environment. Only 1 in 5 water bottles are recycled. On that note, Fiji Water claims that it is a “green” bottled water company with slogans such as:  “Our Promise, Our Progress” or “Every drop is green.” This is a form of the companies advocacy advertising campaign. According to Is It Green: Fiji Water, Adrienne Jeffries states that Fiji water  plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25% over the next three years, convert to 50% renewable energy by 2010, and is pursuing recycling and reforestation programs on the island of Fiji. However Jeffries “grilled” the senior manager of sustainable growth for the company; the senior manager states how Fiji water is promoting green energy and all the basics that any company would say with a “green” title. However Jeffries had the Senior manager stumped as seen in the following interview questions:

Q: FIJI has one of the thickest, heaviest bottles among bottled water brands. After the 20% reduction in packaging, how will the bottle’s heft compare to other brands like Nestle and Poland Spring?

A: FIJI declined to answer this question.

Q: How could a lighter weight bottle compromise the integrity and quality of the product, which is water? Is Fiji is keeping the bottle heftier than other brands for marketing reasons, for example because it sends a subconscious signal of quality to the consumer, or for whatever reason?

A: FIJI declined to answer this question.

Fiji water has not mentioned ANY process on the reduction of plastic used in its production of its bottles. As inferred by Jeffries, it is most likely to maintain the title of having a higher quality water bottle. If Fiji water was to create a water bottle with the same feel as a Arrowhead or Poland Springs bottle, it may reduce consumers consumption of the water. So the company can do more to reduce this 3 billion pounds of water bottle waste, by reducing the plastic in its bottles, or resorting to other materials as other companies have such as Boxed Water, or promoting reusable bottles. It’s an ongoing controversy that bottled water companies are promoting their image as green as a way of advocacy advertising, when they continue to manufacture bottled water.

Chapter 14 Marketing Channels and Retailing

When one thinks of a bottle water he or she never thinks of a bottled water being sold that has its own unique store to sell its bottled water. Recognizably, Fiji Water is mainly sold in convenience stores, supermarkets, and sometimes drugstores. When it comes down to where Fiji Water is sold, this concepts applies to all water bottles. Water bottles in general are sold in the previously listed locations because it is where most are most likely to buy a bottle of water. Convenience stores, supermarkets, and drugstores are the type of retailers that consumers expect to be a quick trip tpo for the most part. Consumers would not go to a Costco, Sam's Club, or a departments store simply for a bottle of water. Bottled water companies want to make their products easy to purchase for their consumers. Looking into Fiji water specifically, the company places its products in all the same places as all other bottled water brands. However, since the company strives to market itself as a “healthy” and “higher-level” water brand, Fiji water’s products are sold in places such as upscale hotels.

Chapter 6- Consumer Decision Making

When consumers are deciding about buying a bottle of Fiji water it's merely not the same as buying a house, or a car as there is a tremendous gap in the amount being spent. However when it comes down to water that is priced at more than five dollars a bottle, consumers consideration of value of price does come into play. When making a purchase of Fiji water consumers are considering the value of money, meaning how much money they are having to give up in order to purchase the water, and if the trade off is worth it. Most consumers end up buying the Fiji water even though they are able to receive free water from their fouscets at home. According to Business Insider Magazine, in 2012, Americans spent 11.8 billion dollars on water bottles. For something that we can get out of our tap at home, that's an astounding amount of money. This placed water at a cost of $1.22/ gallon. However this fact simply shows the amount of value Americans place on water bottles. We are willing to pay such a high amount for something that is offered for free within out society. When consumers purchase a bottle of water, they have a perceived value that the bottled water is of better quality, and can even makes us healthier. However the fact of the matter is water is water. During a test conducted by the Center for Nutrition Diet and Health, it was shown that among four categories: spring water, tap water, mineral water, and distilled water; tap water was the second most prefered taste at 32% while spring water was at 34%.