The potential health and environmental impacts of plastics in bottled water are a hot debate these days – and Tappening is trying to capitalize on the opportunity. The print ads direct consumers to a viral website www.startalie.com where users can join in the fun of creating and spreading lies. This interactive user generated content has resulted in everything from “Bottled water got me pregnant. I’m a man.” To “Bottled water is full of carbs.”

The campaign is smart and will get buzz. We like it.
But half-truths can easily spread through word of mouth and become “common knowledge” even if inaccurate. Is Tappening going too far with the lying?




I might be a bit bias as I tend to generally care about the environment. So I don’t really love bottled water to begin with. But I think these are hilarious. My favorite is Polar Bear Tears.
Hate it might be harsh, but I don’t love it. The ads are funny and all, but they’re also confusing. Took me too long to figure out what they were selling.
I’m with Clay. I’m getting to wrapped up in the message to make any real brand connection. The joke took up all my 2.5 seconds…I turned the page already.
I don’t necessarily think that Tappening’s idea is a terrible one. But today i just came across charity: water that, while not exactly the same thing, seems to be doing a far better job with its message, and at getting it out there. watch an overview on vimeo.
I think if you consider what these guys are actually selling – BPA free waterbottles, just like 10,000 other companies now – they have done a great job in creating a brand around a commodity. And they are charging about $8 more per bottle for it. That said, I read the entire website sometime ago before seeing the ads, which gave me a lot more background, and made the ads make more sense. I’m not sure I’d feel the same if I just saw the lies, without knowing their reason for being.
p.s. The website I’m referring to is http://www.tappening.com. That’s the company website, not the “startalie” user generated website.