SUMMARY: Thirst for bottled water keeps growing, despite the added cost and added plastic. US bottled water volume rose 7% last year, and the number of brands has exploded into the hundreds. That is bad news for Coca-Cola and chief rival PepsiCo, which together control roughly two-thirds of the higher-margin US soda market but only about a fifth of the bottled-water market. Over the past decade, the wholesale price for a gallon of water has dropped to $1.23 from $1.63 while soda has risen to $4.05 from $3.05. QUESTIONS: 1. In what ways is bottled water an attractive market for Coke and Pepsi? In fact, why is this market irresistible