The Hindu Business Line : Walking on air

IN a sluggish tea market, Godrej Tea may not have made much headway with its brands Chai House and Noble House but it has already changed its agency from Ambience Publicis to a relatively smaller one, AMO Communications (part of the Hakuhodo group), hoping to give impetus to its struggling brands.

Trying to differentiate itself from the existing tea brands, the agency decided to launch a character called Mr Hawa (air) to deliver the message Kadva Nahin. Kadak (Not Bitter. But Strong) to the housewife. This it did through its value-added packaging initiative — airtight containers.

"Our goal is to always offer our consumers superior value that is tangibly different. Our new airtight containers not only keep tea fresh and aromatic for longer periods but are also a great value addition to any kitchen cabinet," claims Mrinmoy Mukherjee, General Manager (Marketing), Godrej Tea.

When AMO was appointed last June, the brief given was simple: communicate superior value that is tangibly different in a clutter-breaking manner. The creative team at AMO literally lived with the airtight jar since then. The superiority of the new jar as opposed to conventional steel containers and screw-cap jars did not take long to emerge.

According to the findings of a study done by the agency, steel jars are never entirely airtight. Air somehow manages to sneak in and spoil the items stored in the jar. Opening a steel jar is also tough. Using force leads to spillage. Conventional screw-cap jars also aren't effective.

The emerging need for consumers was, therefore, a jar that was cheap, easy to use, one that opened without much pressure and without hurting the nails, and was attractive.

A shot from the Mr Hawa campaign

The agency finally came up with Mr Hawa, who is at the root of all problems. Mr Hawa manages to sneak into every jar and inevitably spoils the food stored in them but fails to do that with the Godrej Chai House tea, as it is airtight.

Mr Hawa is shown as a playful and naughty animated character who wafts around mischievously. Depicted as a `strong gush of wind', he undertakes the challenge to enter the so-called airtight containers displayed on the kitchen shelf. With a burst of zeal and determination, he forces his way through the first jar, victorious in his endeavour. Luck favours him as he makes his way through the second and third jars as well. With a mocking laugh he celebrates his victory. Deemed invincible, he now tries to make his way into the Godrej Chai House airtight jar kept on the neighbouring shelf but fails miserably. His defeat leads to the admission that the new Godrej tea jar is truly airtight in every sense.

Godrej, however, has consciously decided to limit the commercial to its Chai House brand since Noble House has a premium positioning. Explains Elvis Dias, Managing Director, AMO Communications: "Noble House is a premium blend and is meant for the tea connoisseur who understands flavour and taste. It is not meant for consumers looking for promotions."

While the commercial may do some good for the Godrej tea brands, the tea industry itself has not been growing for the past couple of years. Despite the lacklustre situation, Godrej decided to enter the market with its two brands nearly a year ago. Although its market shares remain negligible, the decision to launch its brands was taken seeing the huge size of the industry (estimated at nearly Rs 3,000 crore) and the saturation of existing big brands such as Red Label, Taaza and Tata tea.

Observes Mr Mukerjee: "While commodity prices of tea have been going down, of late, the trends show that the regional brands have been growing and the national brands have been losing share. Our research shows that consumers are willing to try out new tea brands. It is not entirely possible for new brands to garner shares right away."

Without disclosing its turnover in the tea business, Godrej Tea is now focusing on building its distribution network in urban towns. It is already reaching out to two lakh urban retailers and intends enhancing its distribution by almost 50 per cent every year. Tapping into rural markets is still on the cards.

Building excitement around its brands remains an ongoing challenge for the company. Claims Mr Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants, "Tea is meant to refresh you; however, there are hardly any refreshing strategies to take the category forward. Tea brands must have a relevant positioning and need to have an identity at the retail level."

Godrej Tea is relying on its airtight jars to create some excitement around its brands but more innovations are expected from the company in future. As Dias says, "Customer delight is not just about the quality of the product but the offering that comes along with it." Mr Hawa hopefully will provide that `gush ` of success the company is looking for.

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