When Think 360 Inc. won work for Tetley Tea last August it wanted to contemporize the old, stodgy British brand while leveraging that heritage in a fun, slightly eccentric Americanized way.
This juxtaposition of cultures resulted in the creation of Sir Tetley, a fictional character who has impeccable manners, sports a tattoo, likes punk rock music and pairs a jacket and tie with shorts and a swim tube hugging his waist. He tells people he’s here in the U.S. to explain that Tetley is a hip, great tasting brand.
“The point of our campaign is to disrupt the perception that Tetley is an old tea brand, and to do that in a slightly eccentric way,” Karen Koslow, the CEO of Think 360 Inc., said. “Sir Tetley allows us to bring a more contemporary feel and the British humor so it gives the brand a new face.”
The campaign, “Rethink Tetley, Rethink Tea,” is also aimed to attract new, younger buyers, ages 35 and up, while at the same time re-engaging past customers, and increasing the buying rate among occasional tea drinkers.
“We’re trying to bring the age down with a marketing goal to expand the user base,” she said.
Sir Tetley plays out across multiple marketing channels, including an FSI that dropped several weeks ago, shelf talkers, online ads (www.TasteofHome.com, www.MomsWhoThink.com, www.WorkBloom.com, and others), a three-week run of radio spots in 10 markets that have him skinny dipping at the beach and on Facebook.
The campaign kicked off in Atlanta last week where a “real” Sir Tetley played to the crowd, handing out samples of Tetley Iced Tea and talking up the brand. People could win prizes and money was raised for CURE Childhood Cancer by dunking D.J. Justin Tysinger in a tank of iced tea. Following the Atlanta event, Sir Tetley will post on Facebook about his summer adventures and what the brand is up to, including frequent tea giveaways. This fall, events will pick back up as the hot tea season arrives.
All communications point to a dedicated Web site where people can download a coupon for 50 cents off their next purchase of Tetley Tea or link to the Facebook page or Twitter.
The idea for Sir Tetley was first conceived using a “real” British celebrity, but that proved financially prohibitive so the fictional character was developed.
“We wanted to combine his British heritage with something that would get people to take a double take,” Koslow said. “We wanted him to portray the juxtaposition of good tea from Britain, but with a contemporary feel. So it was about how we take a character and marry those two and be somewhat disrupting as a result.”
Tetley, whose British pedigree dates back to 1837, was purchased last year by Tata Beverages, which has committed to reinvigorating the brand. Sales had dipped in 2008, but stabilized last year, Koslow said.
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