In the FMCG industry, competition in the bottled water market has always been intense. For a long time, brands have fiercely competed around physical attributes such as 'water source' and 'purity.' However, today's consumers not only care about water quality and health but also the emotional value the product can bring. Therefore, how to reach consumers' hearts and deeply explore brand value has become a common topic for many bottled water brands. New Distribution observed that Aquafina, PepsiCo's bottled water brand, has gained deep insight into this trend and turned its attention to the culture and value behind 'water.' Not only did it complete its 'Pure from the Heart' brand upgrade in 2024, but this year it has continued to deepen this concept, continuously cultivating the cultural tourism track, truly starting 'from the heart' to provide consumers with better products and services.

Creating 'Moving Scenery' Reshaping the Bottled Water Experience

In a highly homogeneous market, 'how to create product differentiation' has become a core proposition that the FMCG industry continues to explore. Especially in the bottled water sector, when the differentiation of selling points such as water source quality, production processes, and packaging design gradually narrows, brands must answer a more fundamental question—What unique value can this bottle of water create for consumers beyond meeting basic needs?

Aquafina's breakthrough strategy starts precisely from this question. The brand keenly captured the rise in cultural tourism consumption and the diverse needs of today's young people, from 'check-in travel' to 'in-depth travel.' Thus, Aquafina combined the 'travel necessity' attribute of bottled water with cultural tourism experiences, building a unique brand perception through the innovative strategy of 'product as content, consumption as experience.'

To this end, Aquafina started with product design, launching four cultural tourism bottle series inspired by natural sacred places such as Gongga Snow Mountain, Hoh Xil, Qinghai Lake, and Nalati. Each bottle showcases pure and magnificent natural landscapes, allowing consumers to feel the natural power from the 'pure land' the moment they pick up the water.

But Aquafina's thinking goes beyond attractive packaging. It hopes consumers can move from 'seeing' to 'entering,' truly participating in the pure lifestyle the brand advocates.

Therefore, Aquafina created its own cultural tourism interactive platform—【Journey to the Pure Land】. Users can scan the bottle code to enter the mini-program, experience the 'pure land' online, immerse in VR exploration of snow mountains and lake scenes, and also take photos, check in, and share travel experiences, making a bottle of water a true gateway connecting nature and life.

At the same time, the brand also launched photography contests, travel experience recruitment, and other activities, making 'Pure from the Heart' not just a slogan but a lifestyle that can be personally experienced offline.

Additionally, brand members can earn points by participating in interactions and redeem cultural tourism merchandise in the points mall. These travel souvenirs not only extend the activity's heat but also transform consumers' short-term interest into longer-lasting emotional connections—every time they see them, they recall the journey and think of Aquafina.

From visual attraction to experiential participation to emotional retention—Aquafina has built a complete brand path. Consumers are not just purchasing a product; they are building deeper emotional resonance with the brand through repeated viewing and experiencing.

What Aquafina cares about is not just the sales of a bottle of water, but hopes that through online-offline linkage, every sip becomes a small and real 'pure land journey.'

It is precisely for this reason that the brand has begun to try warmer ways to extend the 'Pure from the Heart' concept from product innovation to more immersive travel experiences, allowing consumers to step into nature and feel the life attitude that 'purity' represents.

Using Cultural Tourism as a Bridge Aquafina Brings 'a Bottle of Water' into Cities and Hearts

When 'purity' transforms from concept to action, Aquafina hopes to let more people embark on this journey.

Therefore, the brand took the cultural tourism platform 【Journey to the Pure Land】 as a starting point and upgraded it into a national cultural tourism IP, continuously expanding brand boundaries and opening new consumption scenarios with more immersive cultural tourism experiences.

In May 2025, the 'Journey to the Pure Land·Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Cultural Tourism Bottle' launch event was grandly held in Lijiang, Yunnan, officially kicking off Aquafina's 【Journey to the Pure Land】 IP cultural tourism co-branding plan.

To truly bring consumers offline, Aquafina launched three-day, two-night pure land journey experience activities in multiple cities, making the brand concept truly seen and trusted.

In June, the brand invited consumers to visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, camp under the stars, hike around Blue Moon Lake, and experience intangible cultural heritage tie-dyeing.

From August 1 to 3, Aquafina took consumers to the 'Sacred Lake Shore' in Qinghai. There, they experienced the plateau's azure lake waters and vast grasslands, Thangka art and Tibetan culture, as well as the 'Mirror of the Sky' at Chaka Salt Lake and the golden waves of Menyuan's rapeseed flower fields.

In the journey interwoven with landscapes and culture, consumers rediscover the rhythm of a 'pure from the heart' life.

These offline activities not only allow consumers to truly participate and feel the brand's warmth but also put Aquafina's cultural tourism co-branding plan into practice, showcasing the brand's continuous dedication and vitality in exploring new cultural tourism models.

After this, the activities continued. In September, Aquafina brought the 'Pure Land Journey' to Jinan, the City of Springs, and Jiande, Hangzhou.

In Jinan, Aquafina led everyone to experience a '3-day, 2-night' slow city life—drawing water at Black Tiger Spring, sipping tea by Baotu Spring, enjoying summer lotus flowers at Daming Lake at night, and finding long-lost relaxation by the babbling springs.

In Jiande, they led everyone into the poetic small town of Xiaya Village, cruising the Xin'an River and checking in at the same beautiful scenery as in 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains.'

In addition to marketing activities in multiple locations, Aquafina also deeply realized that a brand's nationalization cannot be separated from local vitality—it must not only build a strong brand IP but also stimulate the local vitality of cultural tourism in various places.

Based on this concept, Aquafina actively promotes 'localization' cooperation nationwide, allowing the brand spirit to take root and flourish in different regions through co-branded bottles, themed activities, and public welfare actions.

In April, Aquafina joined hands with Hunan Tourism Group to launch the first 'Hunan's Five Business Cards' themed drinking water; in July, the Guizhou cultural tourism bottle was released, attracting more tourists to visit the Shuanghedong Scenic Area in Suiyang, Zunyi; in August, the Shantou cultural tourism bottle debuted, becoming a new cultural tourism business card for this coastal city.

If these local collaborations showcase Aquafina's 'localization exploration,' then the implementation in Heilongjiang pushed the brand concept to a more socially warm level.

On September 24, Aquafina held the 'Pure Departure·Extremely Beautiful Heilongjiang—Cultural Tourism Boosts Consumption, PepsiCo Supports Public Welfare' themed launch event in Harbin, officially introducing four limited-edition 'cultural tourism bottles' that integrate Heilongjiang's regional cultural characteristics.

Aquafina put the dawn of Fuyuan, the aurora of Mohe, the blue waves of Xingkai Lake, and the European culture of Central Street into the bottles, showcasing the unique charm of 'Extremely Beautiful Heilongjiang' with the most intuitive visual language.

'I'm totally attracted by Aquafina's packaging,' 'Holding it for photos is super photogenic'—such comments keep appearing on social platforms, and the cultural tourism bottles quickly became popular items for young people to check in.

More meaningfully, this time Aquafina innovatively combined 'cultural tourism + public welfare,' through three major actions: 'consumption for good, public welfare for education, and youth co-creation,' making every bottle of water converge into a love and allowing more young people to actively participate in Heilongjiang's cultural tourism and public welfare construction.

'From nature to cities, from cities to hearts,' Aquafina has truly 'brought the brand to life' through a series of experiential activities and cultural tourism collaborations, integrating into life and warming hearts.

From 'Grabbing Traffic' to 'Retaining Users' Aquafina Wins Not Only Heat but Also Mindshare

Water is pure; the heart is free. A good brand is not just about good products, but also about whether it can touch people's hearts. Aquafina's cultural tourism marketing practice has made 'emotional value' no longer an abstract marketing concept but a real existence that can be perceived, experienced, and remembered.

First, from a brand perspective, Aquafina has extended the story of a bottle of water into cities, mountains, and hearts by creating the national cultural tourism IP 【Journey to the Pure Land】. This innovative form using cultural tourism as a medium not only makes the brand image more three-dimensional, youthful, and warm but also drives local tourism consumption and cultural dissemination.

Second, at the product level, Aquafina's 'cultural tourism bottles' make consumption more emotionally expressive. In terminal stores, they are eye-catching 'traffic items'; on social platforms, they are emotional carriers for 'check-in sharing.' Aquafina uses a bottle of water to carry young people's imagination of freedom, healing, and a better life.

Entering the third quarter, the brand further extended this creativity, launching a series of cultural tourism bottles inspired by 'casual travel,' focusing on nearby leisure destinations and incorporating autumn golden elements, making the 'pure land journey' closer to daily life.

Finally, at the communication level, Aquafina did not stop at single exposure but used multi-touchpoint methods to build genuine resonance with young people.

For example, cooperating with the S-level variety show 'Wild Planet' to echo the brand concept with a nature exploration theme; Signing variety show guest Wang Anyu to convey the 'pure from the heart' life attitude from a youth perspective; And then creating the Xiaohongshu 'Slow People Festival' IP, encouraging young people to 'slow down, travel, and feel simple, pure leisure time,' making Aquafina a symbol of relaxation and healing.

These contents are not just communication but deep co-creation of user emotions. The brand is no longer a lofty narrator but, as a friend, experiences the rhythm of life and shares the joy of travel with consumers.

It is precisely for this reason that Aquafina has won 'retention' after 'reach' and occupied 'mindshare' beyond 'heat.'

Final Thoughts

Behind Aquafina's brand upgrade is a profound insight into 'how FMCG brands can build deep connections with users'—in an era of material abundance, consumers are buying not just products but the 'meaning' behind them. While other brands are still anxious about 'traffic,' Aquafina has planted the reason 'only you' in consumers' hearts with a bottle of water, a trip, and an IP.

From selling products to selling experiences, from traffic to retention, Aquafina has proven over time: the future of FMCG lies not in the purity of 'water' but in the resonance of 'heart.'

After all, brands that can enter consumers' hearts can go further.