SodaStream Evolves U.S. Positioning To Emphasize Health And Wellness, Encouraging Americans To Drink More Water

Leading Home Beverage System Manufacturer Makes Water Exciting, Answering Consumer Need Uncovered by Survey of America's Hydration Habits

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SodaStream

Nov 11, 2014, 12:47 ET

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey conducted by Northstar, on behalf of SodaStream International, Ltd. (NASDAQ: SODA), revealed that while most Americans know water is essential for good health, forty percent 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 percent), learning more about its health benefits (31 percent), added flavor (28 percent), and bubbles (8 percent) as valid reasons to increase consumption.

Last month, SodaStream committed to shifting focus toward health and wellness, recognizing 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 U.S. 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 recognizes the beneficial role water - whether still, sparkling, or flavored - can play in one's life so we're eager to support greater consumption of it."

Additional survey highlights include:

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 percent) of them said they drink water because they "have to" versus its taste or ability to refresh.
Half-hearted Hydration: Half of Americans (50 percent) drink four or less glasses of water a day (3-4 glasses 30 percent, 1-2 glasses 20 percent).
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 percent, 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 percent) choose plain, still water to quench their thirst, followed by soda (14 percent), tea (11 percent) and flavored water (10 percent).

"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."

For more information on SodaStream and to stay up-to-date on the brand's health and wellness-focused initiatives, please visit: http://www.sodastream.com.

Northstar, an integrated insights consulting firm, conducted the survey online with 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ from October 8 – October 11, 2014.

About SodaStream
SodaStream is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of home beverage carbonation systems which enable consumers to easily transform ordinary tap water instantly into carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. Soda makers offer a highly differentiated and innovative solution to consumers of bottled and canned carbonated soft drinks and sparkling water. Our products are environmentally friendly, cost effective, promote health and wellness, and are customizable and fun to use. In addition, our products offer convenience by eliminating the need to carry bottles home from the supermarket, to store bottles at home or to regularly dispose of empty bottles. Our products are available at more than 65,000 retail stores in 45 countries around the world, including 17,000 retail stores in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.sodastream.com

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SOURCE SodaStream