‘You ought to drink more water,’ scold gigantic ads on London’s
Underground, a sharp-eyed owl glaring accusingly. ‘Drinking
enough water everyday helps keep you properly hydrated which
increases alertness and maintains concentration.’ Fail to drink
enough water, and you’ll be sluggish and dim-witted, the owl
warns. Fortunately, through this generous public service
message, the Natural Hydration Council is here to remind you to
drink ‘2 – 3 litres of water a day,’ such as from a clear, shiny
plastic bottle of water like the one the owl is clutching. Who
is the Natural Hydration Council? A soothingly nondescript name
like that should rouse suspicion, just like the Safe Energy
Coalition (funded by the nuclear power industry) or the
Foundation for Clean Air Progress (a front for the American
Petroleum Institute). The NHC however is at least honest about
its financial backers with a string of logos at the bottom of
their ads, including Volvic, Evian and Buxton Springs. The
public relations face of the bottled wate