How about the bottled water business!
According to Wikipedia, The U.S. is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, China, and Brazil.[1] In 2008, U.S. bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion gallons for 28.9% of the U.S. liquid refreshment beverage market, exceeding sales of all other beverages except carbonated soft drinks, followed by fruit juices and sports drinks… About 25% of U.S. bottled water sold is purified municipal water according to a four-year study by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Both Aquafina from PepsiCo and Dasani from The Coca-Cola Company originate from municipal water systems.
And in the United States, bottled water costs between $0.25 and $2 per bottle while tap water costs less than a penny. According to Bottledwaterblues.com, about 90% of manufacturer's costs is from making the bottle, label, and cap!
AMAZING BUSINESS!
For those of you who think you're in a commodity business, you're not working hard enough to figure out how to differentiate your brand and make more money.
Heck, Dasani and Aquafina is pretty much tap water marked up a couple thousand percent!
Work harder to craft and build a consistent and meaningful brand image, design, USP, packaging, promotion materials, talent pool etc.,
If they can do it with water, I'm certain you can do it with the kool-aid they're selling at your firm!
IN SHORT, BE A BRAND – NOT A COMPANY!
