The Alkaline Water Company Announces New Marketing Initiatives and Brand Refresh for Alkaline88®

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alkaline Water Company Inc. (NASDAQ and TSXV: WTER) (the "Company"), a producer of bottled alkaline water, flavored-infused waters, and CBD-infused products sold under the brand names Alkaline88®, A88™, and A88CBD™, respectively, today announced a brand refresh for its flagship product, Alkaline88®. The Company's new label design preserves the original look and colors consumers know and trust while highlighting the brand's benefits. The new look will support its launch into traditional marketing channels over the next fiscal year.

"I'm thrilled with our new look. We want to continue to build our brand awareness and attract new consumers across all channels. Even though we see strong demand for our core brand, Alkaline88®, we want to support and accelerate this growth even more. One of the major initiatives over the last ten months has been market research on category awareness and brand loyalties. We believe this brand refresh allows us to take advantage of that market research and will drive our first-ever traditional marketing campaign for fiscal 2021," stated Richard A. Wright, President and CEO of The Alkaline Water Company Inc.

The Alkaline Water Company has established a truly national footprint for its flagship brand, Alkaline88®, without spending any traditional marketing dollars. With major retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway, and CVS selling millions of bottles of Alkaline88® per year, the Company believes now is the time to launch its national and regional marketing campaigns. These campaigns have a measurable ROI and will accelerate the growth of the flagship brand. The Company expects its recent announcement of 22,000 new retail locations nationwide to be a meaningful contributor in calendar 2020. And it believes a national marketing campaign will further fuel excitement for its products and be even more impactful to its growth.

The new branding keeps the original colors and the feel but allows the Company to focus on a number of the benefits associated with its number one selling bulk value-added water in the country. The new white panel for its single-serve bottles will separate Alkaline88^® from its competitors' look and feel. With the success that the Company has had in penetrating both the c-store channel and new specialty retail customers over the last 12 months, the new label will catch the consumer's eyes in the crowded single-serve aisle.

"The label now tells the consumer they are drinking the smoothest, cleanest, ionized alkaline water on the planet. We have trademarked "Smooth Hydration," "Clean Beverage," and "Ionized H2O," all of which are now beautifully displayed on our labels. We chose to do a brand refresh versus an overall rebranding as our current brand is one of the fastest-growing brands in the country, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Look for our new labels beginning in March and extending into summer as we roll them out across the country. It is our goal to regain our title of the fastest-growing alkaline water in the country and maintain our status as one of the top enhanced waters in the country," concluded Mr. Wright.

The Alkaline Water Company – Alkaline88® Product Portfolio - Brand Refresh 2020 is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae2c5866-e4a1-4c55-a4d9-053c77d3d339

About The Alkaline Water Company Inc.

The Alkaline Water Company Inc. WTER is a producer of bottled alkaline water, flavored-infused waters, and CBD infused products sold under the brand names Alkaline88®, A88™, and A88CBD™, respectively. With its innovative, state-of-the-art proprietary electrolysis process, Alkaline88^® delivers perfect 8.8 pH balanced alkaline drinking water with trace minerals and electrolytes. The Company recently announced a broad line of CBD infused products, which include ingestibles and topical products. For its ingestibles line, the A88™ Infused Beverage Division Inc. intends to produce CBD infused drinks, beverage shots, tinctures, capsules, and powder packs. For its topicals line, A88™ Infused Products Inc. produces salves, balms, lotions, essential oils, and bath-salt all made with lab-tested full-spectrum hemp. To purchase A88CBD™ products online, visit us at www.A88CBD.com.

The Alkaline Water Company Inc. is currently pursuing a national multi-channel, mass-market expansion strategy with a direct-to-warehouse model and co-packaging facilities that are strategically located 600 miles within 95% of the U.S. population. Founded in 2012, the Company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. To learn more about The Alkaline Water Company, please visit www.thealkalinewaterco.com or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements." Statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following: the new look will support the Company's launch into traditional marketing channels over the next fiscal year; the Company's desire to continue to build its brand awareness and attract new consumers across all channels; the Company's desire to support and accelerate the growth of its core brand, Alkaline88^® even more; statements regarding the Company's first-ever traditional marketing campaign; statements regarding that national and regional marketing campaigns have a measurable ROI and will accelerate the growth of the Company's flagship brand; the Company's expectation that its recent announcement of 22,000 new retail locations nationwide to be a meaningful contributor in calendar 2020; the Company's belief that a national marketing campaign will further fuel excitement for its products and be even more impactful to its growth; the new white panel for the Company's single-serve bottles will separate Alkaline88^® from its competitors' look and feel; the new label will catch the consumer's eyes in the crowded single-serve aisle; that the new labels will appear beginning in March and extending into summer as the Company rolls them out across the country; and the Company's goal to regain its title of the fastest-growing alkaline water in the country and maintain its status as one of the top enhanced waters in the country.

The material assumptions supporting these forward-looking statements include, among others, that the demand for the Company's products will continue to significantly grow; that the past production capacity of the Company's co-packing facilities can be maintained or increased; that there will be increased production capacity through implementation of new production facilities, new co-packers and new technology; that there will be an increase in number of products available for sale to retailers and consumers; that there will be an expansion in geographical areas by national retailers carrying the Company's products; that there will be an expansion into new national and regional grocery retailers; that there will be an expansion into new e-commerce, home delivery, convenience, and healthy food channels; that there will not be interruptions on production of the Company's products; that there will not be a recall of products due to unintended contamination or other adverse events relating to the Company's products; and that the Company will be able to obtain additional capital to meet the Company's growing demand and satisfy the capital expenditure requirements needed to increase production and support sales activity. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, governmental regulations being implemented regarding the production and sale of alkaline water or any other products, including products containing hemp/CBD; the fact that consumers may not embrace and purchase any of the Company's CBD-infused products; the fact that the Company may not be permitted by the FDA or other regulatory authority to market or sell any of its CBD-infused products; additional competitors selling alkaline water and enhanced water products in bulk containers reducing the Company's sales; the fact that the Company does not own or operate any of its production facilities and that co-packers may not renew current agreements and/or not satisfy increased production quotas; the fact that the Company has a limited number of suppliers of its unique bulk bottles; the potential for supply-chain interruption due to factors beyond the Company's control; the fact that there may be a recall of products due to unintended contamination; the inherent uncertainties associated with operating as an early stage company; changes in customer demand and the fact that consumers may not embrace enhanced water products as expected or at all; the extent to which the Company is successful in gaining new long-term relationships with new retailers and retaining existing relationships with retailers; the Company's ability to raise the additional funding that it will need to continue to pursue its business, planned capital expansion and sales activity; and competition in the industry in which the Company operates and market conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and Canada. Although the Company believes that any beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Readers should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in the reports and other documents the Company files with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov, and on the SEDAR, available at www.sedar.com.

The Company intends to comply in full with all federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations as the Company develops its CBD-infused ingestible products. The Company will not pursue the commercial production or sale of CBD-infused ingestible products until legally permitted.  The Company is closely watching and responding to all regulatory developments within the FDA and in each individual U.S. state, and plans to launch its CBD infused ingestible products accordingly.

The Alkaline Water Company Inc.

Richard A. Wright
President and CEO
800-923-1910
investors@thealkalinewaterco.com

Media

Jessica Starman
888-461-2233
jessica@elev8newmedia.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.