Don't tread on Cleveland water

Fiji ad wisecrack prompts quality test

 

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Olivera Perkins

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Fiji Water likes to brand itself the trendsetting thirst-quencher of celebrities, but it reaches for some hackneyed humor about Cleveland in its latest ad campaign.

 

"The label says Fiji because it's not bottled in Cleveland," boasts the full-page ad running in national magazines like Esquire.

 

www.plaindealer.com

That is pretty damn funny, and I'm from Cleveland. WTF, Clevelanders have always had a great sense of humor, just let it slide. You should hear the comments on the local news here when a home-run ball flies out of PNC park in old Pittsburgh. Especially since the rivers there are mostly shit-brown year round. You get the idea.

 

vs.

 

 

The question of the ages...

Doesn't Cleveland get their water from Lake Erie?? and didn't lake Erie literally catch on fire? I have a hard time believing this...

Dear Mr. XXX,

 

 

 

We sincerely apologize for any offense that our advertising caused you.  It was never our intent to cause any distress.  In fact, the advertising was designed to be humorous but since it clearly didn’t meet its goal, we have decided not to use it in the future.  We are glad to have the opportunity to be able to do something about this situation so that we will not offend anyone else who might share your opinion.  We care deeply about how our company is perceived and we care deeply about our water and we thank you for taking the time to let us know how you feel.

 

 

 

We are proud that FIJI Water comes from a tiny island in the South Pacific and that we are able to help support the economy of this small nation.  At the same time, we also take pride in making some of the healthiest water available to people outside of Fiji.  We have been selling FIJI water for over 6 years and we have every reason to believe that the test results quoted in the press are inaccurate and alarmist.  For each of the past 6 years, FIJI Water has been independently tested by third-party, highly renowned water testing laboratories as part of our rigorous quality control protocols and these results cast significant doubt over the quoted findings.  These independent lab results validate that FIJI Water meets all of the bottled water standards as established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA).  We test the water regularly in order to ensure that the high standards are maintained.  We believe that there is every reason to doubt the accuracy of the test results that were quoted in the press and there is absolutely no cause for concern when it comes to water safety and FIJI Water.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Consumer Affairs

 

FIJI Water Company, LLC

 

1.888.426.FIJI

 

hmm no lake erie didnt catch on fire, the cuyahoga river did... over 30 years ago...

 

ya know, its not like some young person now would even really get the joke unless they were from cleveland.  this is not a big deal, it could easily be replaced with Detoit, Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philly, etc... kinda like the salsa commercials that made fun of the "other brand" being made in New York City... did NYC get heated up and claim they have a huge influx of immigrants that know their salsa recipes?  no.

I sent a scathing email (http://www.fijiwater.com/contact_us.html) I don't like it when my adult step daughters boyfriend from out of state brings up the ad (how I found out) and wonders if Cleveland is really this dirty. They are coming for first visit next week. lots of damage control, b/c they are on reconnaissance mission. some may never bother

 

edit: I should have added the hilarious backlash is the PD article. even if the lab tests are wrong, the damage is done (agiainst Figi)!

That NYC/salsa ad is a totally different thing. If you switched NYC to Cleveland in that circumstance, it would still be humorous because Cleveland, obviously, is not the place a bunch of cowboys would want to get their salsa because it wouldn't be authentic.

 

In the water ad, they are basically implying that Cleveland's water is dirty and undesirable. I think there would have been a backlash not matter what city they picked. And if they picked Detroit, I would have written a note, too.

 

This is what you get when you have a CEO writing ad copy. Leave that to the professionals.

Just a side note, the river actually caught on fire twice.  :-D

I LOVE when people are so uninformed about the water here, the river fire of three decades ago, and Lake Erie!  Yes, the river caught on fire a looooong time ago..but it wasn't the only river or body of water to burn...there were quite a few, but for some reason Cleveland got to be the butt of the jokes.  Many areas that had heavy industrial areas had water pollution problems because of no real EPA standards that were in place...unlike now.  Yes the river may look dirty, but it is only because it is a shallow river with much traffic that kicks up the mud and makes it appear dirty.  Heavy storms can do the same thing, just like in the lake near the shore line.  When storms roll in, sometimes the turbulent water kicks up dirt near the shallow areas of the shore which gives the appearance of "dirty water".  I was in the lake today..swimming...YES, swimming....(some people are SO afraid to swim in the water because it is "contaminated"...it's NOT)  When water is stagnant or the debris is kicked up after a storm, it can sometimes reach "unsafe" bacteria levels.....this year has been far and few between with those levels.  In fact, I was in neck deep ( I am 6'3") and could see my feet at the bottom clearly.  I have dived ship wrecks miles out into the lake to depths of about 70 ft and had very good visibility.  MANY beaches go through this...not just up here in Cleveland area.  The water that NE Ohio drinks out of the lake is NOT taken from shallow areas, but rather from in intake crib three mile out in the lake, where the deeper waters are.  The water here is fine...plain and simple.

Yeah riiight.

I fell into that river last year and came out with gills on my torso :[

So there IS an Aquaman!

Just a side note, the river actually caught on fire twice.  :-D

 

i think that it actually caught fire on quite a few occasions, but it was the last, large fire that actually brought about change. 

 

EDIT:

 

Here is a quote on the fires. I don't believe there are any photos of the 1969 fire.

 

"On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland, Ohio. The blaze lasted just thirty minutes, but it did approximately fifty thousand dollars in damage-principally to some railroad bridges spanning the river. It is unclear what caused the fire, but most people believe sparks from a passing train ignited an oil slick in the Cuyahoga River. This was not the first time that the river had caught on fire. Fires occurred on the Cuyahoga River in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, and in 1952. The 1952 fire caused over 1.5 million dollars in damage."

 

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1642

 

 

Yeah, now that I think about it, I believe it happened three times. Anyway, it's one of those things that Clevelanders should laugh about, and point to the improvements since then. I'll take the Cuyahoga over the Rouge any day.

The last Cuyahoga River fire is remembered because it was the poster child for the campaign supporting passage of the Clean Water Act.  Other than that, it was nothing unusual for an industrial water body.

Also didn't help that (then mayor) Carl Stokes decided to harp on the last fire along the Cuyahoga as well.

Many rivers, including the Hudson, caught on fire many times

I wonder if anyone has ever attacked Great Lakes Brewery for there 'Burning River'?? I for one couldn't imagine, that shit is good even if they called it 'Automotive Exhaust'!

Well  great lakes gets a pass b/c they do a  lot for enviromental awareness. http://www.burningriverfest.org/ .  If  Bud or miller tried to name a beer sold in Cleveland burning river, it would not work. of course I would not drink that crap anyway.

 

"I wonder if anyone has ever attacked Great Lakes Brewery for there 'Burning River'?? I for one couldn't imagine, that shit is good even if they called it 'Automotive Exhaust'!"

 

No, because they're poking fun at themselves for all intents and purposes. It's that self-deprecating wit that seems to be a trait of a lot of Cleveland-based comedians. Not to mention - I love the label: a great night-time skyline shot, flames, the Cuyahoga, industrial grit, all wrapped around 12 oz. of bottled heaven. I love you, Burning River :-)

 

 

 

Also didn't help that (then mayor) Carl Stokes decided to harp on the last fire along the Cuyahoga as well.

 

Or that his successor's hair caught on fire (smoldered is more like it, but it was still pretty funny -- Perk was as corrupt as they come).

Also didn't help that (then mayor) Carl Stokes decided to harp on the last fire along the Cuyahoga as well.

 

Or that his successor's hair caught on fire (smoldered is more like it, but it was still pretty funny -- Perk was as corrupt as they come).

 

Hope I don't get in trouble for this...

 

Just realized I should have read the part about how to post images first. Oh well.

ColDayMan,

 

Another exciting example of taking the high road. Bravo.

ColDayMan,

 

Another exciting example of taking the high road. Bravo.

 

I don't know, I kinda like the Fiji picture myself...

From the Akron Beacon Journal - 7/29/2006

 

Fiji learns: Don't dis the water

Associated Press

CLEVELAND - Don't mess with Cleveland.

 

A popular bottled water company that used the city as the butt of a joke in a national advertising campaign got so many complaints that it has canceled the campaign. The full-page magazine ad for Fiji Water said, ``The label says Fiji because it's not bottled in Cleveland.''

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15152096.htm