Sony Bottles Their Waterproof MP3 Players And Sells Them Via Vending Machine.

DraftFCB of Auckland has created a marketing first - The Bottled Walkman. To illustrate the waterproof properties of Sony's W Series MP3 player, they cleverly packaged the device in bottles full of water and then hijacked a vending machine in a gym and transformed it into a product display, distribution channel, and talk piece.







Targeting swimmers specifically, the unique idea removes barriers to purchase, allowing swimmers to buy the product inside of gyms and public pools as easily as buying a bottle of water.



The effort was further supported with additional signage in the pool area:



Video:


See the full creative credits here

They are only packaged this way in new Zealand, but you can purchase them here

Elie Saab Designs a Lacy Limited Edition Evian Bottle for 2014

evian announces its collaboration with fashion designer Elie Saab, to create a limited edition glass bottle that is a joint celebration of both brands' pursuit of purity in design. The partnership between evian and Elie SAAB is the latest to follow six years of evian associating itself with international fashion brands. Previous collaborative designer bottles include those by Diane von Furstenberg(for 2013), Courreges (for 2012), Issey Miyake (for 2011), Paul Smith (for 2010), Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix (for 2009 and 2008)


And a special collection of 5 crystal evian bottles by Jean Paul Gaultier for Baccarat in 2008:


This year, the two brands unite with the common theme of purity. The bottle is decorated with a signature Elie Saab lace pattern that recalls the feminine and elegant designs featured so prominently in the brand's collections.



The delicate white lace has been applied with architectural accuracy, bringing added refinement to the clean lines of the bottles silhouette. The final creations symbolize the immaculate craftsmanship, and mutual sophistication that both Elie Saab and evian are renowned for.



The lace pattern, an ELIE SAAB signature, recalls the feminine and elegant designs featured so prominently in the brand's collections:


above top: bottle close up and below; actual lace used in Elie Saab fashions

The creation symbolizes the immaculate craftsmanship and the mutual sophistication that both ELIE SAAB and evian® are renowned for.



The 2014 Limited Edition bottle by ELIE SAAB will be available for purchase at shop.evian.us, and at select restaurants and hotels, including Sofitel Luxury Hotels nationwide beginning October 2013.


About the evian® Limited Edition Collection
The evian Limited Edition Collection first launched in 1992 with the Olympic Games Limited Edition bottle. evian has since partnered with the world's most esteemed designers, including Issey Miyake, Paul Smith, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix and Courreges, Diane von Furstenberg, and now Elie Saab. From bold and innovative designs to international fashion designer collaborations, each Limited Edition bottle design celebrates the perfectly pure water inside, evian Natural Spring Water, and maintains the evian Live young spirit: "Youth is not a matter of age, it is an attitude".

WTF? A Blackberry Flavored Energy Drink With Gold Flakes In Lieu of Sugar.

Launched early in 2013, WTF? is an original flavored water-based energy drink made with gold flakes instead of sugar. Manufactured in Germany, the Blackberry flavored water comes from Germany's Rhön nature park.



The name is a giggle and the packaging is gorgeous, from the bottle and hang tag to the case. They have even garnered an award for their website design.




The sugar free drink contains carbonated water, Blackberry extract, Ginseng, Vitamin C, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Gold Flakes, 0.4% Taurin and 0.03% Caffeine







You can purchase individual bottles, a case of nine bottles or 9 cases (a pallet) here at their online store.

What Do Bottled Water, Music and Architecture Have In Common? Check Out Ice Swan.

Glaciers + Music + Architecture = Ice Swan.
Ice Swan is a beautiful bottled water from the glaciers and waterfalls of Chile's Patagonia region packaged in an equally beautiful bottling plant designed by Panorama Architects. To add to the intrigue, it is processed in a very unusual manner, the harvesting and bottling of the water is imbued with classical music and natural sounds of Patagonia's habitat because, according to Dr. Masaru Emoto, a world-renowned researcher, water has memory and sensitivity to sound.

Origin:


Ice Swan is bottled in its place of origin. It is a nature's gift from a strand of more than seven ancient majestic glaciers and multiple waterfalls situated in the 'Coastal Temperate Rain Forest' of The Chilean Patagonia, one of the five most pristine regions on earth.



From ancient fjords on the planet's southernmost terrain, Ice Swan's smooth 'mouth feel' and delicate flavor will refresh and satisfy even the most demanding/refined palates. Ice Swan is for the savvy and demanding connoisseurs who prefer the kind of products that set trends and leave an overwhelming feeling of wellness.

Bottle Design:


Ice Swan's bottle is an original creation from award-winning Chilean designer Sebastián Errázuriz, whose talent is trend setting in NYC, where he currently resides. The bottle's teardrop shape represents the fluidity and elegance of a slender-necked swan.



Music:
Joakin Bello, outstanding composer, performer and researcher, has put all his talent to create Ice Swan´s sonorous universe, a soft melody which flows like the waters of the Queulat Fjord.


above: the speakers in the bottling plant

It is about an original musical piece based on strings, bronze and synthesizers, in different versions; a clear example of what he himself has denominated as "Total Music".

To preserve Ice Swan's original essence, they imbue their harvesting and bottling process with classical music and natural sounds of Patagonia's habitat. When tested at the Masaru Emoto Institute in Japan, water samples of Ice Swan produced wonderful hexagonal crystals that reveal the water's exceptional quality, purity and perfection.


above: an Ice Swan water molecule

The Bottling Plant:



The building is a square volume of 18 by 18 meters and 6 meters height with its four facades clad in toughened glass with a black opaque coating. The building is set on top of a 1.5 meter tapered soil base to avoid floods of the nearby river in winter. Because of the weather conditions glass offered a good skin solution plus the reflections of the surroundings, on the other hand the steel structure which is bolted was thought to ensure recycling as much as possible.



Designed by Constanza Hagemann and Nicolás Valdés of Panorama Architects, the end result is a balanced and vanguardist building that is environmentally friendly.




The architects were asked to design a building with the function of bottling water from a cascade which is formed by a glacier. The cascade is visible from the site that is situated at the border of Queulat National Park in Patagonia, 3 hours away from Coyhaique, the nearest city.



Regarding the building, they decided to propose a construction that would depend on its context to reduce to the maximum its presence in the Patagonian landscape; this is how reflection was the most asserted principle to work on. Reflection as the ornament and presence.

The situation of harsh climate conditions and isolation compromised the material and construction logistic decisions to secure its construction quality and aging.

Inside the bottling plant:




The interior is organized in two areas, each related to a different scale. The area of the bottling process utilizes the height of the industry and the rest of the office programs are disposed in wood modules of lower height.




The Ice Swan Myth:
Ice Swan takes its name from the cosmogony of patagonian communities, the first ones to dwell there. The legend tells they were a group of native kawesqar women that died by taking side with the 'Sister Moon' against the 'Brother Sun' turning into swans that flew up to the moon. They called them ice swans, believing these became winged spirits of the glaciers, which now is the place of origin of Ice Swan's water.



Physiochemical Properties
Of utmost purity and a delicate millenary taste, our water naturally flows from glacier thaws, snowdrifts and eternal snows from the untouched region of the chilean patagonia. Our water is bottled with classical music in our facilities in order to preserve its extraordinary genuine properties, following the theories of Dr. Masaru Emoto.



Ice Swan: Chile (Patagonia)
Virginality:
Tds: 12 Mlg (Super low minerality)
Hardness: 1 Mlg (Soft)
Ph: 6,7 - 7,3 (Neutral Orientation)
Calcium: 2,99 Mlg
Nitrate: 1 Mlg (Superior Virginality)
Sodium: Sodium Free
Magnesium: 1 Mlg

images and info courtesy of Ice Swan and Panorama Arquitectos

Ice Swan

You can purchase Ice Swan Water here or at other fine bottled water retailers.

Product Pick Of The Week: Your Own Signature SIGG Water Bottle!

Are you one of those people that totes a water bottle around with you everywhere you go? I know many people who do.

If so, you may as well make it one that both reflects you as a person as well as one that doesn't destroy the taste of your drink or add to our landfills.

That said, I suggest you check out mySIGG.com

If you aren't already familiar with SIGG brand bottles, they are a swiss engineered water bottle with a variety of tops. Reusable, they have received rave reviews for the fact that they don't leach into the liquid, keeping your drink tasting pure, and they look cool too.


Above: Sigg's double walled construction

But even more exciting is that now, at MySIGG.com, you can create your own distinct and fashionable water/sport bottle with your choice of tops. With 144 bottle designs to choose from and 22 interchangeable lids, you have a plethora of choices. They have lifestyle designs, classic designs, even kids' designs.




In addition to that, they donate 1% of their sales to the natural environmental group, 1% For The Planet.


Here's a little history about them:


Above: Actual photo from the SIGG archives

SIGG Switzerland dates back to 1908 when metal processing specialist Ferdinand Sigg established an aluminum product factory about 30 kilometers outside of Zurich. Along with his colleague Xaver Küng, the two men combined their love of metal and the strong belief that "aluminum is the material of the future". Their product line, which was called SIGG AG Aluminiumwarenfabrik, was initially comprised of saucepans, frying pans and bottles, all of which sold rapidly and were immensely popular. By 1958, SIGG had thousands of products that were all manufactured in the company's own rolling mill and drawing shop.

It was in 1990 that the course for the future of the SIGG bottle was determined: a new shape, still typical of today's bottles, was developed and the quality achieved was superior. The beautiful shapes and design of the bottle is one of the reasons that in 1993 SIGG was incorporated into the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. In 1997, the company was bought by an investor group and changed direction to focus on its #1 "star" product... the SIGG bottle.

Approaching its 100 year anniversary, SIGG has its sights set on growing the brand outside of Europe. In 2005, SIGG launched a USA subsidiary based in Stamford, CT. "This brand has tremendous history and for generations has been the must-have water bottle for Europeans," stated Steve Wasik, SIGG USA President. "Americans are now discovering that using a high quality, reusable bottle like SIGG makes great sense – both financially and environmentally."


Above: Just six of their many fun designs

mySIGG.com