INTRODUCTION

Water forms an essential part of every living being. After air, water is
the most important necessity for life. Water plays a number of functions for
the body. It serves as the body's transportation system, it acts as a lubricant, it
regulates the body temperature etc. The eulogy for water is an unending thing.
In fact more than 2/3rd of the human body is made of water. The importance of
water for human body can be well accessed from the fact that if the amount of
water in our body is reduced by just 1-2%, we feel very thirsty. If it's reduced
by 5%, our skin will shrink and we will have difficulty moving our muscles
and if it's reduced by 10%, we will die.

Moreover with this commodity being a human necessity it makes best

sense to do business in. As a normal human being requires on an average
needs 2-3 litres of water everyday and world population is more than 6 billion
(growing at 2-3% annually), the business opportunity is humongous and the
potential is largely untapped. These facts about water added to the growing
number of cases of water borne diseases, increasing water pollution, increasing
urbanization, increasing scarcity of pure and safe water etc. have made the
bottled water business quite lucrative. In addition with getting pure drinking
water from municipal taps in cities and towns becoming a luxury the scenario
has become so lucrative in business sense that the opportunity is being
misused by a number of companies especially in our country. These companies
are selling plain tap water under the name of mineral water and are be-fooling
consumers. The situation has got aggravated by lack of awareness among
common people about mineral water and also due to lack of initiatives on part
of the government both on count of setting stringent norms as well as on
taking action against non-compliers. In fact one of the major factor for
flourishing of the sector is the public fear that water supplied by civic bodies is
impure.

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 HISTORY OF MINERAL WATER

POPULARITY OF MINERAL WATER:

The tradition of bottled water and mineral water is not very old. Even in
western countries the practice of bottled drinking water started in 1950s. The
trend of having mineral water gained grounds in the market.

Since ancient time people have used water from mineral springs,
especially hot springs, for bathing due to its supposed therapeutic value for
rheumatism, arthritis, skin diseases, and various other ailments. Depending on
the temperature of the water, the location, the altitude, and the climate at the
spring, it can be used to cure different ailments. This started the trend of using
mineral water for drinking purpose to exploit the therapeutic value of the
water. This trend started gaining momentum in mid 1970s and since then large
quantities of bottled water from mineral springs in France and other European
countries are exported every year.

The concept of bottled has been quite prevalent in western countries due
to greater health consciousness and higher awareness about health and
hygiene. The international standards regarding bottled water are so stringent
that for a particular brand of water to be certified as bottled water it has to get
approvals on four levels: federal, state, trade association and individual
company levels.

In United States, the bottled water industry is regulated on four levels:

federal (by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food product), state,
industry association, and individual company. EPA (Environment Protection
Agency) regulates public water systems. FDA regulates bottled water that
crosses state lines.

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SOME OF THE STANDARDS GOVERNING THE BOTTLED WATER
INDUSTRY IN US ARE:

 Water is classified as bottled water or drinking water, if it meets all

applicable federal and state standards, is sealed in a sanitary container
and is sold for human consumption.
 Bottled water cannot contain sweeteners or chemical additives (other
than flavors, extracts or essences) and must be calorie-free and sugar-
free.
 Flavors, extracts and essences -- derived from spice or fruit -- can be
added to bottled water, but these additions must comprise less than one
percent by weight of the final product.
 Beverages containing more than the one-percent-by-weight flavor limit
are classified as soft drinks, not bottled water.
 Bottled water may be sodium-free or contain "very low" amounts of
sodium.
 Tap water uses Chlorine as a disinfectant bottled water uses Ozone as a
disinfectant.
 Bottled water should not contain chlorine.

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 COMPANY PROFILE

In 1965, Donald Kendall, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola, and Herman Lay, the
CEO of Frito-Lay, recognized what they called “a marriage made in heaven,”
a single company delivering perfectly-salty snacks served alongside the best
cola on earth. Their vision led to what quickly became one of the world's
leading food and beverage companies: PepsiCo.

For more than 50 years, as tastes, trends and lifestyles have changed,
PepsiCo has evolved with them. Our willingness to adapt and grow has
transformed our snack and soda company into a collection of global brands
including Pepsi and Quaker, Gatorade and Tropicana, Frito-Lay and beyond.
Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s most-respected companies with products
sold in more than 200 countries and territories and 22 brands that generate
more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

PepsiCo is also celebrated for its commitment to doing business the

right way, integrating Purpose into our business strategy. In 2019, we adopted
a new vision: to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by
Winning with Purpose. Winning with Purpose is the next chapter in our
purpose agenda and conveys our belief that sustainability can be an even
greater contributor to our success in the marketplace.

Our company is made up of six divisions: PepsiCo Beverages North

America; Frito-Lay North America; Quaker Foods North America; Latin
America; Europe Sub-Saharan Africa; and Asia, Middle East and North
Africa. Each of these divisions has its own unique history and way of doing
business.

Today, PepsiCo AMENA, either independently or in conjunction with

third parties, makes, markets, distributes and sells a number of leading snack

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food brands including Lay’s, Kurkure, Chipsy, Doritos, Cheetos and Smith’s,
and many Quaker-branded cereals and snacks. PepsiCo AMENA also makes,
markets, distributes and sells beverage concentrates, fountain syrups and
finished goods under various beverage brands including Pepsi, Pepsi Max,
7UP, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Slice and Tropicana.

The Aquafina brand name is also licensed for use on multiple skin care
products, including lip balm and wrinkle cream. It was first distributed
in Wichita, Kansas in 1994, before becoming more widely sold across the
United States, Canada, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, the GCC countries, Iran,
Egypt, Morocco, Vietnam, Pakistan, and India to compete with The Coca-
Cola Company's Dasani and Dr. Pepper Snapple's Deja Blue. As of 2009,
Aquafina represented 13.4 percent of domestic bottled water sales in the
United States, making it the number one bottled water brand as measured by
retail sales.

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 PRODUCT PROFILE

Aquafina Pure Water, the primary unflavored product produced under

the Aquafina brand, is derived from local municipal tap water sources and
goes through a purification process that incorporates reverse osmosis, 
ultraviolet, and ozone sterilization. Beginning on July 27, 2007, a disclaimer
was added to each bottle of Aquafina, stating the water comes from a "public
source". In Canada, the current 1.5 litres bottle of water displays
"Demineralized Treated Water". In response to concerns amongst
environmental advocates who raised questions over the disclosure of water
sources, a PepsiCo spokeswoman stated, "if this helps clarify the fact that the
water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do."

Flavored variations are also produced under the Aquafina brand name –
all of which are labeled as containing no calories and no carbohydrates.
Aquafina Flavor Splash, first introduced in 2005, is a flavored water product
line which is non-carbonated and artificially sweetened with Sucralose. As of
2011, it is produced in six flavors: Grape, Strawberry Kiwi, Wild Berry,
Raspberry, Lemon, and Peach Mango. Aquafina Sparkling is a carbonated line
of flavored water; however its production was discontinued in the U.S. in late
2010. Other former products included Aquafina Alive (a low calorie, vitamin-
enhanced water beverage introduced in 2007 and discontinued in
2009) and Aquafina plus+ (a low calorie flavored water labeled as a vitamin
supplement) – both of which have been discontinued in the U.S. As of 2011,
the "Sparkling" and "plus+" lines were still in production in other markets
such as Canada.

Purified
Aquafina originates from public water sources and is then purified
through a rigorous purification process. This purification process includes

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reverse osmosis and other filtering and purification methods. It removes things
like chlorides, salts and other substances that can affect a water's taste. Every
bottle of Aquafina is produced at one of our water purification centers. That's
how you know you're getting pure water and perfect taste consistently every
time you open an Aquafina. Anytime, anywhere.

Purification Process
While other brands of bottled water may also have similar purification
steps such as reverse osmosis and ozonation, Aquafina has an extensive
purification system that delivers pure water with perfect taste. At Aquafina,
we understand that when you pay for bottled water, you expect consistent
purity and great taste. That's why Aquafina has invested hundreds of millions
of dollars in purification processes and exceeds purity standards set by the
federal government.

Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) uses semi-permeable membranes with smaller
pore sizes than microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration to remove
unwanted substances in the water, like sodium and chloride.

Remove Beneficial Substances

The Aquafina purification system is designed to remove trace
compounds like carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates, phosphates,
nitrates, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron and manganese. These
compounds are also referred to as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). While some
of these compounds, like calcium and potassium, are necessary for your body,
their minute levels in most bottled waters have no impact on health. Therefore,
we remove these compounds to deliver a more pure water.

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Difference between Spring Water and Purified Water

Spring water is derived from an underground formation from which

water flows to the Earth's surface. While spring waters are treated to remove
bacteria and possible contaminants, most spring waters retain many of the
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), trace compounds and other substances found in
the water.

Purified water is sourced from water systems that provide safe drinking
water and are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This
water is then taken through purification systems designed to remove
substances according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. The
purification system used by Aquafina employs standards that are even more
stringent that those set by the FDA. Aquafina delivers pure water with perfect
taste. Every time.

More info on Total Dissolved Solids (TDS):

TDS is the sum of all solids dissolved in water measured in parts per
million (ppm) Examples of substances that can account for TDS include
carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates, phosphates, nitrates, calcium,
magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and a few others.

A TDS meter is used to provide a reading of the dissolved solids in

water. FDA guidelines require that bottled water, excluding mineral water,
contain no more than 500 ppm TDS. For a bottled water to be labeled
'purified', it must have TDS of no more than 10 ppm.

The Aquafina average TDS reading is 4 — that's 2.5 times lower than
FDA standards and 75% less than the closest competitive brand.

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Aquafina Remove the Substances like Bacteria or Gaseous Compounds
Our purification system is designed to remove dissolved solids and
organic compounds that may be present in the water.

The reverse osmosis process we use removes these organic compounds,

but we also employ other steps such as carbon filtration, ozonation, and Ultra
Violet (UV) light as additional safeguards.

Remove Pharmaceuticals
The Aquafina purification process uses the best technology available to
purify water. It is an accredited and validated process that meets or excedes
government standards and has been verified by independent experts.

The purficiation process includes reverse osmosis, ozonation and

carbon filtration. Each of these steps — even individually — is designed to
remove manufactured molecules such as pharmaceuticals, as well as naturally
occurring substances such as heavy metals.

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 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 To study the factors that influences the buyers to buy different brands of
packaged drinking water.
 To determine the awareness level of the soap brands.
 To examine the brand awareness for various brands and the attributes
and influencers impacting purchase decision.
 To study the impact of consumer promotions and factors influencing
switching behaviour.
 To identify various factors affecting purchases

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The essential purpose of marketing research is providing information,

which will facilitate of an opportunity or problems situation and assist the
managers in arriving the best decision, when such situations are encountered.

RESEARCH DESIGN
The research problem having been formulated in clear cut terms, the
researcher will be required to prepare a research design. That is he will have to
state the conceptual structure with in which research would be conducted. The
preparation of such a design facilities research to be as efficient as possible
yielding maximum information.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD

Whether secondary or primary data is to be collected is explained. A
copy of the questionnaire or schedule used is to be attached in appendix and
its importance is highlighted in this getting.

PRIMARY DATA
Primary data are obtained by a study specifically designed to fulfill the
data needs of the problem at hand, such data are original in character and are
generated in large number of survey conducted mostly by government, and
also by some individual, institutions and research bodies.

SECONDARY DATA
Data that are not originally collected but rather obtained from published
or unpublished sources are known as secondary data. The secondary data
constitute the chief materials on the basis of which statistical work is carry out
in many investigations.

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SAMPLING PLAN
Sampling means where only a few units of population under study are
considered for analysis is called sampling. It is a process of obtaining the
information about an entire population by examining only a part of it.

SAMPLE UNIT:
I chose my sampling area at Cumbum town for market survey of the
Aquafina Water.

SAMPLE SIZE:
The sample size taken for the survey is 100 respondents,

Tool used for analysis:

The collected data were interpreted using percentage analysis method

Sample size : 100 Readers

Sampling technique : survey method (or) questionnaire method

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 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

This is an attempt to organize and summaries data in order to increase

results. Usefulness in such a manner that enables the researcher to relate
critical points with the study objectives. Sometimes these organizing and
summarizing of data requires the use of summary statistical measures.

Such as percentage averages and dispersions since most marketing data

are collected through the use of samples, the reliability of the summary
estimates is required to be determined. In this survey the collected data are
analyzed and interpreted by the percentage analysis method.

Percentage Analysis Method

Percentage method to a special kind of Ratio Percentage is used in
making comparison between two or more series of data percentage to describe
relationship.
No. Of Respondents
Percentage = ———————————— x 100
Total respondents

Research Design
A marketing research design specifies the procedure for conducting and
controlling the research project. The choice of particular research design
would follow from the problem. As such there is no single best design.
However, any marketing research study must explicitly state its plan about
collection and analysis of data.

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 SUGGESTION

 It is suggested that Aquafina can make changes in their price offerings

as customer are willing to pay moderate price for their product.
 Companies should focus on hygienic factor in their product rather than
focusing on reducing the price of their product.
 Companies should focus on local retailers as mostly sales come from
local vendors.

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 LIMITATIONS

 The research has a number of limitations which must be acknowledged

Mainly this study was conducted in particular area with limited number
of respondent.
 The data collection was based on the opinion of respondent and it may
change from time to time.
 The sample size is very limited due to time constraints .
 Many respondents were biased in their responses
 Few respondent were not interested in answering
 Unwillingness of respondent to provide information.

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 CONCLUSION

From this study we conclude that while purchasing the drinking water
customers considers various factors during their purchasing decision. It was
found that mostly customer prefers brands while purchasing the drinking
water as it is concern for their life’s.

It is also found that Bisleri is the market leader with the 60% share in
the market. Mostly packaged drinking water pack size used by the customers
are 500ml & 1L. Customers are also willing to pay average price for packaged
drinking water.

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 QUESTIONNAIRE

1) What are your sources of drinking water?

 Bottled Water  Water Cooler  Other
2) What according to you is the safest form of drinking water?
 Mineral  RO treated  Boiled  Filtered
3) Do you prefer bottled drinking water?
 Yes  No  Can't say
4) What are the factors you take into consideration before buying bottled water?
 Price  Brand  Availability
 Certification  Don’t Care
5) Which company’s bottled drinking water do you prefer?
 Bisleri  Kinley  Aquafina  Other
6) Where do you generally buy bottled drinking water from?
 Metro Station  Railway Station  Bus Stand  Malls
 Locals Vendors
7) What size of bottle do you usually prefer?
 500ml  1L  1.5L  2L
8) Do you carry drinking water with you while travelling?
 Always  Occasionally  Rarely  Never
9) If given an option to buy water from a vending machine (at the same cost), would you
prefer buying it?
 Yes  May Be  Can’t Say  Never
 Depends
10). Where do want the vending machines to be installed?
 School College  Railway Station  Malls  Other
11) How much are you willing to spend on the above (1 ltr bottle)?
 Below 5  5-20  20 Above
12) Would you prefer drinking water with an essence over Soft drinks/artificial
juices/lemonade?
 Yes  No  Can’t Say  Depends
13) Which factor induce you to buy this product?
 Television  Newspaper  Friends / Relatives

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14) Is Aquafina brand is available in your area?
 Yes  No
15) Where do you purchase the Aquafina water bottle?
 Departmental Store  Retail Store  Super Market
16) What is your option about the quality of the product?
 Moderate  Low  Costly
17) What is your option about the quality of the product?
 Very good  Excellent  Poor
18) What type of packing do your prefer?
 Bottle  Polythene  Container
19) Are you completely satisfied with this product?
 Yes  No
20) In which reason do you consume Aquafina water bottle?

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