Differentiator and value proposition
Today every brand in the market speaks of the health benefits of tea. To that extent this valuable claim is now a generic claim. Looking deeper into the market one notes that it is the strength of the individual brands that dominate the market. The global leaders Lipton, Tetley, Brook Bond and the like have won the ‘trust’ of their consumer and have the strength to market leading tea variants without any association to Ceylon Tea. Of course they have Ceylon Tea products too.
However, the fact is that the strength of their individual company brand makes it possible for them to market the larger share of their volume and variants without the Ceylon tea story. Looking into the shelves of supermarkets particularly in the developed markets we note many tea brands with no reference to Ceylon Tea at all. Given this scenario it is time for us to ask the question, is Ceylon Tea losing its power to influence the consumer with a relevant, credible and differentiating value proposition?
Call for urgent consumer research
We often speak of Ceylon being famous for quality tea, and some may assume that the entire world knows about it. However, when have we last verified this assumption through in depth research in the key markets? Is it our own perception or that of those involved in the tea trade, or only in the minds of the older generation? Does today’s ‘new consumer’ know about it?
Even more important, when another brand of tea (local or foreign owned) uses the slogan ‘Pure Ceylon Tea’ what impact has that on the buyer of that brand? Does adding this slogan increase the value perception of the brand? These are questions for which answers must be found in both developed and developing markets.
Generic branding promoting Ceylon Tea might be initiated but unless such communication is based on a realistic marketing strategy taking into