With over 12 million posts on Tiktok, generating billions of views, and influencer videos on Instagram attracting millions of viewers, Air Up bottles have become a viral sensation across Europe.
Founded in 2019 by a group of five students in Munich, the brand has now sold over 15 million bottles and more than 200 million of their interchangeable pods. But what makes this bottle so desirable and can a viral hit really become a long-lasting global brand?
Cristina Kenz, CEO of Air Up, joined Angela Barnes in the studio for the latest episode of The Big Question to discuss how the company is turning viral attention into customer habits, and what it sees as its biggest competition.
Having previously held senior roles at PepsiCo, Danone and Kraft Heinz, as well as at the company behind Burger King, Kenz has spent much of her career working with fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands.
Is Air Up just another water bottle?
At first glance you might think Air Up are selling flavoured water, or just another plastic water bottle that will eventually gather dust at the back of your kitchen cupboard. And while the latter might prove to be the case, there’s something slightly more to it.
Though recommendations vary by country across Europe, health authorities generally recommend regular fluid intake, with individual needs varying depending on factors including age, activity and climate.
“We exist to help humans drink more water,” Cristina explained.
“And we do it in a way that is no sugar, no artificials, just pure water with a hint of flavour and that gives you the enjoyment.”
Their interchangeable pods, which click onto the top of the bottle, are designed to create the perception of flavour through smell alone, a process the company has dubbed ‘scentaste’.
And so far, they’ve been successful in attracting high-profile investors, including Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and PepsiCo.
Can a viral sensation become a global brand?
Cristina believes there have been three stages to their journey so far: hype, virality and habit building.
“The habit building is a little bit slower in the sense that we need to get people adopting the system day after day for the hydration promise to be true. You need to continue coming back, and that is the part that we are invested in now.”
And while there may be scepticism about the life span of a viral product and how long it will be a fixture of our lives, Cristina and her team are focusing on making the product widely accessible as one way of encouraging repeat use.
“Now we have 15,000 points of sale,” she explained.
“It’s a little bit like when you think about a gym. We all know that being healthy is going to a gym, but if you have to take a bus and you have to walk a kilometre to get to your gym, you won’t make it.”
What’s next for Air Up?
Rather than pursuing rapid international expansion, Cristina says the company is currently focused on building customer habits in its four key markets: Germany, France, Italy and the UK.
She also discussed a hypothetical future stock-market listing, saying that if Air Up were to go public, she would favour Europe over the US. However, she confirmed that an IPO is not currently a priority.
The company is also considering pursuing further international growth, with Cristina saying she regularly receives approaches from potential partners in markets including Korea, Mexico, Vietnam and Japan.
“But where we are in the journey, I think what we need to do now is to really make sure that we find our model, find the repeatability of the model, find the way that we go from the hype, the viral, the habit.
“The moment we get into a habit and we understand how that model works, it’s much easier to launch in different countries and find the repeatability of the model.”
The Big Question is a series from Euronews Business where we sit down with industry leaders and experts to discuss some of the most important topics on today’s agenda.
Watch the video above to see the full discussion about Air Up’s viral success.