Battle for the right brew

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: Imagine drinking tea from a gold cup. In this day and age. No, that’s not a figment of someone’s fancy. To live that moment, walk down to the nearest super market and pick up a pack of Brooke Bond tea.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), India’s largest FMCG company and marketer of Brooke Bond, has unleashed an aggressive consumer promotion to celebrate “the special bond it has enjoyed with Indian households for over 130 years” now. “We have announced a special promotion to reward our loyal consumers by giving away 60 gold cups that are 22 karat gold each and assured prizes worth Rs 15 crore this summer,” says George Kohsey, marketing manager, Brooke Bond.

All in all, a total of Rs 15 crore worth of gifts and 60 gold cups designed by Gitanjali Jewels are up for grabs over the next two months. Consumers can avail of this offer on pack sizes above 100 gm of Brooke Bond teas—Red Label, Taj Mahal, Taaza, and 3 Roses. Cine star Soha Ali Khan and her mother and yesteryears’ actor Sharmila Tagore unveiled HUL’s consumer promotion in Mumbai a few days ago.

To announce its brand new consumer promotion for Brooke Bond, HUL is getting ready to launch a mass media campaign. And to ensure high visibility for its flagship brand, HUL is also looking at in-store advertising in major metros across the country. Interestingly, HUL has also launched India’s first ever Taj Tea Trails, an exclusive tea tasting and appreciation workshop with film star Saif Ali Khan in Mumbai a few months ago.

Arch rival Tata Tea is not sitting on its laurels. Enthused by the response to its Jago Re ad campaign, Tata Tea is now charging ahead to woo tea drinkers across the nation. The company is planning beef up its distribution strategy to reach out to a wider audience this year. As a step in that direction, the company is also taking its retail outlet Chai Unchai outside of Bengalooru.

Chai Unchai is designed as a retail space in the out-of home segment that connects with the youth. The format is cool—neither a kiosk nor a parlour—but with an ambience that is unpretentious and fun. And Tata Tea wants to be the leader in this out-of-home beverage segment. The company plans to initially invest around Rs 20 lakh per outlet, which will be opened in malls, shopping complexes, corporate parks and educational institutions.