MILAN – The age of the “Twitter Open Forum” is here. A new way for businesses, the media and consumers to communicate – in 140 characters. This change comes thanks to an influential social network that has now become a key tool for dialogue and today boasts over 500 million users around the world and over 5 million in Italy. Tuesday 11th June saw the first forum on the subject put forward by In a Bottle: “The importance of mineral water – Economy, Territory, Development”. One of the biggest companies in the Italian mineral water industry, respected journalists, experts and organisations came together for a virtual round table to discuss the importance of mineral water in Italy for the economy, society and jobs. The media, consumers and internet users took part on Twitter through the account twitter@Inabottle_mag.
THE MARKET – The most recently data from the Beverfood.com Annual Bevitalia Survey explains that the mineral water industry is in fact important to the Italian economy and consumption in Italy: over 12,25 billion litres produced in 2012; approximately 11,4 billion litres drunk in 2012 equivalent to approximately 192 litres per capita each year, which sets Italy as the most prolific consumer in the European Union; turnover of over €2.3 billion, 320 million of which comes from the export market. Mineral water is therefore an important industry for the Italian economy and a well-loved product in the country, as shown by the penetration of 98% of Italian families.
A NEW FORMAT – In light of these numbers, In a Bottle decided to renew its efforts of spreading the word and optimising the value of the mineral water culture in Italy by designing and launching a new format. “140-character tweet-ups” are themed fora that aim to provide information on everything mineral water stands for in terms of the economy, society and well-being. Designed like television talk shows, these “tweet-ups” host discussions between experts and respected opinion-makers, suggest and capture talking points on Twitter and can also be followed through the live stream.