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Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! Campaign: The Social-Cause Marketing Initiatives

and Long-Term Branding Initiatives

* Research Associate, IBS CDC, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-mail: [email protected]

* * Team leader, IBS CDC, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-mail: [email protected]

We had taken the route of ‘social awakening’ to drive home the benefits of our brands – for the first time. And it had worked well for us.1

– Sangeeta Talwar, Executive Director (Marketing), Tata Tea Ltd.

I do believe Tata Tea must lapse into its standard format of advertising once again and must not get carried away by it all too much. It has done an excellent job with Jaago Re! But the company must move on. Remember, the number of customers who sit at the self-actualization level in India are a nano percentage of the total market. Time to move on. Move on with campaigns that will sell more and more tea once again. The memory of Jaago Re! will be there as a good and positive stroke for a brand right through.2

– Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

Election ke din, agar aap vote nahin kar rahe ho, to aap so rahe ho (If you are not castingyour vote on election day, you are sleeping) – this message instantly connected withthe people and pulled 618,157 of them towards www.jaagore.com site to register their votes. Although, launched during the Indian general elections 2009, this campaign was not an initiative of any political party, but that of a corporate house. In 2007, Tata Tea Ltd. (Tata Tea), one of the world’s leading companies in branded tea sector, launched Jaago Re! initiative as a part of its Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) (also referred to as Social-Cause Marketing (SCM)) program and focused on many social issues through this campaign.

Tata Tea, with Jaago Re! campaign, intends to promote its tea as a social-awakener and thereby improve its mind-share among the consumers. Earlier, Tata Tea promoted the physical and functional propositions of the brand in its ads. But the stiff competition from its nearest rival Hindustan Unilever Limited’s (HUL) tea brands and other unorganized

R Naga Sandhya* and P Girija**

Case Study

1 Srinivasan Lalitha (2008), “Tata, HUL Battle for Branded Tea Mkt Leadership”, available at http:// www.financialexpress. hulbattle-for-branded-tea-mkt-leadership/313777/, May 24.

2 Interview conducted with Harish Bijoor by R Naga Sandhya and P Girija, IBS CDC, May 20, 2009.

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players compelled the brand to emerge with innovative ways of connecting with people. In June 2007, as the brand became the largest tea vendor (in terms of volume share) in the world, it elevated its communication efforts to the self-actualization level through the Jaago Re! campaign. Hence, the question arises—will it make sense for Tata Tea to go beyond the conventional advertising format and embrace social issues in its marketing communications? and in that case, at which stage of the brand life cycle should the company go for CRM?

Brands, Brand Life Cycles and Cause-Related Marketing Initiatives Evolution of Cause-Related Marketing: Role of Global Brands

In 1886, France gifted a statue to the US, celebrating the centennial of the friendship that was established between the two countries during American Revolution. Known popularly as ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’ (Statue of Liberty), it became a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. However, the monument started suffering from the ravages of time and depicted signs of decay. In 1983, American Express, a US-based financial services company, initiated a campaign for raising money to restore the Statue of Liberty. It stated that whenever the American Express charge card3 was used by its holder, 1¢4 would go to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, a non-profit organization formed for restoring and preserving the monument.

As a result, American Express managed to generate $1.7 million5 for the restoration process. At the same time, the company, which was growing as a global conglomerate, also benefited from the campaign. The number of American Express card holders increased by 45% and the card usage raised by 28%.6 Termed as CRM by American Express, this became a popular corporate practice, with many other companies following suit. Be it the campaign for HIV prevention efforts, cancer awareness and public health, support for vulnerable and distressed children, advocacy issues, humanitarian aid, etc., many global brands took up these causes and woven these themes into their marketing campaigns.

One of the reasons for the emergence of CRM was the introduction of neo-liberal policies of the US government. In the 1980s, neo-liberalism, whose central principle was free markets and free trade, became popular in the US. The governments that endorsed neo-liberal economic policies provided favorable conditions for market capitalists through tax concessions and incentives that curtailed social welfare programs (in turn, the downsizing of social programs was mainly caused due to tax reductions). But, this did not help the private sector prosper as expected. As a result, neo-liberal policies further compounded social problems and widened the existing gap between the rich and the poor.

3 A kind of plastic card used for payments at the time of purchase. 4 “ What is Cause -Re lated Marketing?”, available at http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/

cause_marketing.html 5 “Statue of Liberty Facts”, http://www.statueliberty.net/Statue-of-Liberty-Facts.html 6 “What is Cause-Related Marketing?”, op. cit.

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Both government and not-for-profit organizations (non-profits) could not deal with the growing social problems. In this context, Inger L Stole, Associate Professor of Consumer Communication, Illinois University, US, said, “Due to decades of pressure, scrutiny and budget cuts, the public sector is seriously depleted and it is often unable to accommodate the needs of workers and others who find themselves without a safety net. Neither are the non-profits in a position to fill the void left by the failure of the economy to generate such extraordinary growth that the market would lessen or eliminate social problems.”7 At this point, corporates alternatively emerged with cause-related programs, more as their contribution to alleviating some (if not all) of the social perils.

Along with neo-liberal policies, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) also played an important role in the growth of CRM. Over the years, CSR gained momentum among the global corporates due to the growing threats from governments and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Since companies use resources from the society and environment, they need to be accountable and responsible towards them. Failing to do so, companies came under the scrutiny of government and NGOs who wanted them to be socially responsible and transparent in their reporting. As the need for corporate transparency and CSR with triple bottom line reporting grew among corporates, they began to review the corporate agenda and marketing strategies. During this time, companies considered CRM as one of the marketing tools that can make their values and CSR visible to consumers.

CRM gradually turned into a marketing communications activity for communicating CSR to stakeholders and target consumers. However, a few analysts draw a line between CSR and CRM. Christina SiunO’Connell, Communication Consultant at CSR Wire (an exclusive news service), opined, “Cause branding refers to a short-term strategy, usually advertisements connecting a social or environmental issue with a company’s brand. CSR communication, on the other hand, is the process of informing stakeholders of a company’s commitment to ongoing CSR.”8 Nevertheless, CRM became an element of CSR.

On the other hand, companies also took up CRM initiatives because of the shortcomings of conventional marketing tools. As media channels multiplied, excess information provided about the brands confused the consumers, and they in turn failed to create a space in the consumer’s mind. Therefore, companies began to align marketing initiatives with a social cause, to stand out in the clutter. In the process, they began partnering with non-profits to promote their products or services, and at the same time raise funds for non-profits. Unlike corporate philanthropy or altruism, in CRM, the alliance is for mutual benefit. On the one side, it helps non-profits in raising funds and diversifying their funding base, and on the other, it enables big brands in building brand image, customer loyalty, increased sales and brand visibility.

7 Stole Inger L (2008), “Philanthropy as Public Relations: A Critical Perspective on Cause Marketing”, available at http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/228/117

8 O’Connell Christina Siun (2004), “Corporate Responsibility is More Than Cause-Related Marketing”, available at http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/997613-1.html, August 1.

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By the 1990s, the brands—which earlier stressed on external attributes of a product— began emphasizing on values and promoted themselves as ethical marketers to gain goodwill. Brands built their marketing programs around values like compassion, courtesy, integrity, etc. Marjorie Thompson, Director of Saatchi and Saatchi Cause Connection,9

opined, “In the 1960s, the whole premise of advertising was rational and logical, appealing to the mind. Now in the 1990s, there is an emphasis on the ethical—what is right, how can I do good?”10

Several companies took up various social causes and campaigned for them. While some companies took up national issues, a few others took up regional/local issues (Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1: Examples of Global Brands That Embraced CRM

Dollar-Rent-A-Car In 1993, Dollar-Rent-A-Car joined forces with the Special Olympics, donating $1 to the non-profit for every car booked during the 6-week campaign. Bookings by travel agents increased 25% during the promotion.

McDonald’s In 1994, McDonald’s sold a CD featuring Garth Brooks, Elton John and Tina Turner to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. In addition to raising $9 million for the cause, the promotion increased restaurant sales by 5%.

Coca-Cola In 1997, Coca-Cola donated 15¢ to Mothers Against Drunk Driving for every case of Coca-Cola bought during a 6-week promotion in more than 400 Wal- Mart stores. Coke sales in these stores increased 490% during the promotion.

Briggs and Stratton In 2002, Briggs and Stratton worked with the National Wildlife Federation to educate the public on the importance of lawn mower maintenance in cutting pollution emissions. After sponsoring a website, www.tuneupmonth.com, that included information on lawn mower tune-ups, tips for reducing pollution and energy inefficiency, and educational information, the company saw a tripling of tune-up kit sales.

TUMS In 2003, through its ‘TUMS Helps Put Out More Fires Than You Think’ campaign, TUMS pledged to donate 10¢ to the First Responder Institute for every bottle of TUMS sold. In addition to donating $238,000 to the institute, which in turn funded 60 fire departments throughout the US, TUMS saw a 30% increase in the number of displays shipped to stores and a 16% increase in sales volume.

Source: “Proving that Cause Marketing is a Win-Win”, available at http://www.fishamerica.org/images/projects/cmwin.pdf

9 A unit of Saatchi & Saatchi’s advertising agency that deals with CRM. 10 Cook Richard (1998), “Cause Related Marketing: The Name of the Game is all in a Good Cause”, available at

http://www.independent.co.uk/artsentertainment/cause-related-marketing-the-name-of-the -game-is-all-in-a- good-cause-1160321.html, May 11.

11 This article was written by Douglas B Holt (L’Oréal Professor of Marketing at the Said Business School of Oxford University in England), John A Quelch (Lincoln Filene Professor at Harvard Business School) and Earl L Taylor (chief marketing officer of the Marketing Science Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts). In 2002, they carried out research on how consumers in different countries value global brands, in association with US-based research firm, Research International.

Studies reveal that consumers are more inclined towards those multinationals that address social issues linked to products (or services) and business operations. The authors of article, How Consumers Value Global Brands11, opined, “As in famous cases have filled the

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airwaves—Nestlé’s infant formula sales in Africa since the 1980s, Union Carbide’s Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, the outcry over Shell’s plan to sink its Brent Spar oil rig and the protests at its Nigerian facilities in 1995—people have become convinced that global brands have a special duty to tackle social issues.”12 Their research validated that social responsibility is one among the three characteristics— quality signal, global myth and social responsibility—that influence consumers’ purchasing decision when it comes to global brands. Companies, especially MNCs with their global brands, saw merit in aligning their business campaigns with social campaigns.

For instance, ALDO, a footwear company, participates in community development programs through cause marketing. The company exclaims, “ALDO places a premium on being a good corporate citizen by working to enrich the communities in which we live and work. It is not uncommon for ALDO or its employees to participate in fundraisers or to volunteer their time to community causes. ALDO is a brand with a conscience, a brand that cares. We actively support the fight against AIDS. Giving back to our communities is a necessary and fundamental part of the work we do everyday.”13 Since 1985, the company has involved itself in fighting against AIDS. In 2005, it launched ALDO. As part of its AIDS campaign (Annexure 1), it designed a series of ads by featuring celebrities like actress Charlize Theron, singers Ziggy Marley and Wynonna Judd, etc. However, none of the ads highlighted the products of the brand, but only communicated about the dreadful disease and raised funds worth $3.5 mn14 for Youth AIDS.15

As part of its advertising campaign, ALDO sold empowerment tags16 in retail stores and online for $5, with the entire sales amount from tags going to Youth AIDS. This ad campaign also helped the company boost its sales among young consumers and increase its brand visibility. According to Robert Hoppenheim, ALDO’s General Manager of branding and strategic development, “foot traffic into ALDO stores increased by double digits and same-store sales increased by far more than the industry average”.17

Although, CRM programs are helping companies to increase their revenues, they are often considered as short-term promotional programs. Alliance is made for a short span, resulting in temporary sales boost and customer commitment. In short-term tie-ups, if brands fail to logically align the cause with their business, the cause-related initiatives would stand out as examples for failed attempts. For instance, if a company producing

12 Holt B Douglas et al. (2004), “How Consumers Value Global Brands”, available at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/ 4377.html, September 20.

13 “Aldo Culture”, available at http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/culture 14 Sharn Lori, “Using Emotion to make Strides with Young Consumers”, available at http://www.contributemedia.com/

trends_details.php?id=103 15 AIDS Education and Prevention Program of Population Services International, a not-for-profit organization. 16 Necklace with two small, ‘dog tag’- like metal plates, one incised with one of the words—hear, see or speak and

the other with the AIDS ribbon symbol. 17 “Using Emotion to make Strides with Young Consumers”, op. cit.

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tobacco products partners with a non-governmental organization and campaigns for cancer awareness, the fit between brand and cause would be less effective and could even result in negative reactions from the consumers. Therefore, companies ensured that the link between cause and their business enhances their image rather than degrading it.

In order to reap the benefits of CRM, companies tried to align their corporate values with social cause. For example, Avon, a US-based seller of beauty products, committed itself to fight against breast cancer by raising funds and educating about the disease since 1992. Although a long-term brand building strategy, Avon very well embraced the cause with its core business. However, the probability of success for a brand aligning its marketing activities with good cause is high among the established and trusted brands. Brands attempting to elevate their communication process and create an impact on consumers can enjoy success after gaining strong consumer awareness and acceptance.

Harish Bhat, Chief Operating Officer, and Suparna Mitra, Head of global marketing team of Titan Industries, opine, “Brand breakouts have a higher probability of success when the parent brand enjoys high awareness and trust, and is well-positioned on its core and existing dimension. Only then are consumers normally receptive to a fresh new dimension being adopted by the brand. If your brand is yet to strongly prove itself on at least one core dimension, do not attempt a breakout, it is unlikely to work.”18

On the contrary, there are a few companies which attempted CRM at an early stage. Mecca-Cola, a Dubai-based soft drink brand, announced during the product launch stage that 10% of the profit on every bottle of Mecca-Cola would go to Palestinian children’s fund and 10% to European NGOs. As a result, within two months of the launch, two million Mecca-Cola bottles were sold and the brand received future orders for 16 million19

bottles. This success makes evident that cause marketing efforts can even be taken up at an introductory stage when the brand is launched. But Mecca-Cola was primarily launched to promote anti-American sentiment and to satisfy the Muslim needs (who were boycotting American products because of its Middle East policies). It was developed to give a tough competition to US-based beverage brand Coca-Cola. In the words of Tawfik Mathlouthi, the founder of Mecca-Cola, “It is all about combating America’s imperialism and Zionism by providing a substitute for American goods and increasing the blockade of countries boycotting American goods.”20

Many leading global corporations nonetheless embraced socially relevant causes into their marketing programs to promote their brands. SCM initiatives proved successful to both marketers and fundraisers, globally. Though CRM is common abroad, in India, it is still not widespread. However, this trend has begun catching up in India too.

18 Bhat Harish and Mitra Suparna (2009), “Break-Out Brands”, available at http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ catalyst/2009/04/30/stories/2009043050020100.htm, April 30.

19 Murphy Verity (2003), “Mecca Cola Challenges US Rival”, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/ 2640259.stm, January 8.

20 Ibid.

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CRM in India: Role of Indian Brands Ever since globalization, Indian brands have been introduced to a number of new business practices that were pioneered by successful international companies and brands. To compete at the international front, they began to embrace new business methods developed by the global business world. The Indian companies, although not new to these concepts, are new to the names. For instance, the concept of CSR has existed in India for decades even before it became an accepted and sought-after business lexicon. Indian companies like Tata Group and Aditya Birla Group whose roots trace back to the 19th

century have been into philanthropic activities since their inception. For example, in 1892, Jamshedji Tata set up JN Tata Endowment to promote higher studies in India.

The need for a responsible way of doing business was stressed upon long ago by the late Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. In 1965, addressing a meeting, he said, “...[Business has] responsibility to itself, to its customers, workers, shareholders and the community... every enterprise, no matter how large or small, must, if it is to enjoy confidence and respect, seek actively to discharge its responsibilities in all directions ... and not to one or two groups, such as shareholders or workers, at the expense of community and consumer. Business must be just and humane, as well as efficient and dynamic.”21

Not until the foray of foreign Multinational Companies (MNCs), Indian companies hardly realized the seriousness of the impact of CSR in the growth of their businesses. MNCs set a benchmark through their socially-responsible business practices and built global brands. To compete with these MNCs, the Indian companies began seeking better ways of doing ethical business and strived to elevate their quality standards as well as brand image. In the process, corporate India aligned their businesses with social causes by embracing CRM.

Since the 1990s, CRM programs began to gain attention of the Indian corporates (both subsidiaries of MNCs and India-based companies), which transformed and propagandized their image by adding a new lateral dimension—socially-responsible. Brands like HUL, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Novartis India Ltd., Oberoi Hotels, Tata, etc., are a few who initiated CSR activities confusing it for CRM programs in India (Exhibit 2). Later, realizing the distinction between CSR and CRM, companies took a new approach. In 2002, HUL, to promote its soap brand, Lifebuoy, initiated a rural health education program through Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna. This was a long-term brand building strategy with the objective of bringing awareness on hygiene standards among rural people. This initiative reached 80 million people in 30,000 villages22 across India and believed to have contributed 20% sales growth23 in 2003-2004. In fact, with this initiative, HUL aimed to

21 “Disaster Risk Management and The Role of Corporate Sector – The Indian Perspective”, available at http:// www.ndmindia.nic.in/WCDRDOCS/DRM%20&%20The%20role%20of%20Corporate%20Sector.pdf

22 Srinivasan Lalitha (2008), “The New Soap Opera”, available at http://www.financialexpress.com/news/the-new- soap-opera/262272/3, January 17.

23 “Fighting Disease Clean-Handed” (2005), available at http://www.cecodes.org.co/boletin/44/archivo/unilever.doc

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increase its market size and market share for Lifebuoy soap, by targeting a new set of consumers. It set to bring behavioral change among rural Indians by promoting the benefits of soap (in terms of healthcare) and thereby creating a new customer base.

Similarly, Procter & Gamble (P&G), to promote its brands and boost their sales, partnered with Child Relief and You (CRY) (an NGO for children’s rights) and Sony television, and started a program Shiksha, to educate the underprivileged children. This initiative was part of ‘P&G Live, Learn & Thrive’ global CRM program to support the economically deprived children. As part of Shiksha, whenever selected P&G brands were purchased (such as Tide, Ariel, Pantene, Head and Shoulders, Rejoice, Vicks or Pampers), during the months of April, May and June of a year, the customer can support one day’s education of one child. However, the company, irrespective of sales, committed a minimum contribution of 1 cr to CRY in 2005, the initial year of launching the program. Since 2005, P&G continued its support to the program and even increased its contribution to the NGO, irrespective of sales. P&G also increased the portfolio of products associated with this program.

More Indian companies were trying to build their brands through CRM initiatives. Among them, Tata also initiated CRM programs for its tea brand, Tata Tea, to increase its customer base among different regions and segments.

Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! Campaign: The Payoffs Tata Tea: Building a Brand Tata Tea Ltd. draws its origins from the UK-based James Finlay and Company (James Finlay), which played a vital role in the development of tea industry in India in

Exhibit 2: Examples of Global Brands That Embraced CRM in India

1. Oberoi Hotels: had specially designed and printed envelopes placed in all Oberoi properties where in the guest could contribute to CRY, a NGO and collected more than 6.50 lakh in 18 months. CRY is an NGO whose role is that of an enabler, a catalyst between two groups of people (a) development organization and individuals working at grass root level with marginalized children, their families and (b) communities and people from all walks of life who believe in the rights of children.

2. Novartis India Ltd.: a pharmaceutical company in a CRM scheme donated 2% or value of sales of Ovaltline Plus towards CRY’S Gujarat rehabilitation operations. Total amount raised was approximately 40,000.

3. HLL (now HUL): announced 5 contribution to SOS Children’s Village, worlds largest charitable organization, working for educating every little heart by inserting coupons in its Brooke Bond Taj Mahal tea powder packs. The customer has to tell the coupon number to the company through a toll free telephone number.

4. P&G: In India, ‘Whisper’, a brand in the sanitary nappies market where the materialistic difference is minimal announced a contribution of 1 on every pack of its sales for blind relief society. It helped to improve market share for ‘Whisper’.

Source: Garg Bhavet (2007), “Cause Related Marketing and Its Impact on Corporate Brand Image and Sales”, available at http://dspace.iimk.ac.in/bitstream/2259/366/1/219-221.pdf, April

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the second half of the 19th century. In 1964, Tata Group entered into a joint venture with James Finlay to form Tata Finlay with the aim of manufacturing and distributing value-added tea in India. In 1976, Tata Finlay took over the production and marketing operations of James Finlay and in 1983, it took over entire ownership. The new company was named Tata Tea.

Soon after gaining a separate identity, Tata Tea felt the need to stand out in the Indian packaged tea segment in order to sustain its growth. During this period, Tata Tea was facing severe competition from several unorganized (regional and local players) and organized players (Brooke Bond and Lipton, which were HUL brands) of the Indian tea market. Brooke Bond and Lipton held 80% of the market share while Tata Tea’s share was only 3%.24 As a result, the company chalked out a strategy, to stand out in the crowd.

Tata Tea initiated efforts for building a strong brand image to distinguish itself from the players. For this, the company’s communication and advertising efforts were directed towards emphasizing on its core abilities. Tata Tea, grows tea plants (unlike other players), processes and packages tea and sells it directly to the consumers. Therefore, through its ads, the company projected the way it controls the entire value chain to create value for the customers (The ads show Tata Tea’s plantations, the processing of its tea made out of freshly plucked garden-fresh leaves. It also focuses on packaging that retains the aroma and ensures taste). These ads were meant to highlight various physical properties of tea like quality, taste, freshness and purity and also how these properties are delivered to the customers intact. Even though Tata Tea focused on its marketing strategies for brand identity, it also made inorganic growth as its key strategy for building a strong brand image (Exhibit 3).

Tata Tea started to expand its manufacturing activity in India and Sri Lanka (Exhibit 3) and even established its subsidiaries in countries like the US and UK. However,

24 Agrawal Sujata (2004), “Stirring up a Strong Brew”, available at http://www.tata.com/company/Articles/ inside.aspx?artid=6NVaexqbyp Y=, October.

Exhibit 3: Tata Tea’s Growth

1964 Tata Finlay established to develop value added Tea.

1976 Tata Finlay takes over tea production and marketing operations of James Finlay.

1983 James Finlay sell their shareholdings to Tatas heralding the ‘Dawn of a New Era’—Tata Tea is born.

1987 A wholly-owned subsidiary, Tata Tea Inc., set up in the US.

1991 Acquisition of 52.5% shareholding in Consolidated Coffee Ltd. (Tata Coffee Ltd.)

1992 Joint venture in Sri Lanka, Estate Management Services (P) Ltd., formed.

1993 Joint venture alliance with Allied Lyons Plc. – Tata Tetley established.

1996 Sri Lankan JVC acquires 51% shareholding in Watawala Plantations Ltd.

2000 Tata Tea acquires The Tetley Group Ltd., UK.

Source: “Tata Tea – Historical Milestones”, http://www.tatatea.com/history.htm

Year Tata Tea’s Growth Activity

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in 2000, the acquisition of UK-based Tetley brand which was twice the size of Tata Tea, enabled it to become the second largest tea brand in the world25 (at the time of acquisition, Tetley Tea sold tea bags in 44 countries and had 10,000 tea plantations around the world). This acquisition also helped the brand to rely on Tetley’s expertise and distribution facilities worldwide.

In the meanwhile, Tata Tea faced threats from unorganized local players (who offered tea of mediocre quality at low price) and other big tea brands (in 2004, Tata Tea’s share was 17% when compared to 24% of HUL). Nevertheless, amid fierce competition, Tata Tea always distinguished itself through brand innovation and communication. According to Sangeeta Talwar, Executive Director (Marketing), Tata Tea, “To combat this it is essential to weave substantial competitive differentiation into the brand. This is done through not only the taste and in-cup profile of the product, but also through its packaging and brand communication, the latter transcending the product beyond its transaction level, creating an emotional connect with the consumer where the brand plays a role in his life.”26

The market positioning of all Tata Tea brands was mainly done through physical and functional aspects of the products. Through its advertising campaign, Tata Tea continued to communicate various brand properties like freshness and taste, refresher, energy booster, binder of family relations, etc., along with added dimensions like attractive packaging, etc. The communication used catchy ad lines for all its brands—Asli Taazgi (Actual Freshness), Baaganon ki Taazgi (Garden Fresh) (both for Premium), Na Kahoge toh Pachtaoge (Say no, regret later) (for Gold), Chakkani Anubandhaniki Chikkani Tea (a strong tea for strong family relations) (for Gemini), etc.

Tata Tea’s product portfolio comprises national brands like Tata Tea (Premium), Tata Tea Gold (Gold), Tata Tea Agni (Agni), Tata Tea Life (Life), Tetley and South Indian-centric brands like Gemini, ChakraGold and Kanan Devan (Annexure 2). This segmentation was done to cater to the taste of regional customers and thereby strengthen the brand in the regional markets. Alongside, Tata Tea also differentiated itself from competitors by offering Tata Tea brands at different prices, as per the affordability of consumers. For instance, Gold, which is targeted for the upscale consumers, is offered at 90 (500 grams) and Agni, which is for the economy segment, is available in packs of 5, 10 and 30, etc. Through this segmentation, Tata Tea consolidated its presence in the targeted consumer group to build a strong relationship with the targeted group (Exhibit 4).

Vivek Mathur, Tata Tea’s vice president (marketing and sales) said, “We have brands in all segments of the market: premium, popular and economy. Our strategy is simple: offer diverse brands after taking local tastes into account. Our products vary in terms of blend,

25 Bhattacharjee Dwijottam (2000), “Tata Tea: Brewing up Global Success”, available at http://www.tata.com/ company/Articles/inside.aspx? artid=1Xot3p6xrew=, October.

26 Moraes Candida (2006), “Building Brands, Brewing Success”, available at http://www.tata.com/company/Ar- ticles/inside.aspx?artid =3HnkE5Ihdvg=, July.

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27 Agr awal Suj ata (2003), “Beverage Le verage”, availab le at http:/ /www.tata.com/company/Ar ticles/ inside.aspx?artid=o3DcySw2zr M=, August.

28 “Building Brands, Brewing Success”, op. cit. 29 David Jose P (2005) , “Flavored to P lease”, avai lable at http:// www. tata.com/company/Article s/

inside.aspx?artid=3eeOTpSUfro=, June.

Exhibit 4: Tata Tea’s Market Positioning

Brand Positioning

Tata Tea Premium Thrives on the great leaves, great taste platform in the popular category.

Tetley In the premium segment, showcases the finest international blend for discerning consumers.

Tata Tea Agni Economy segment, offers strength and a low price.

Chakra Gold Strong premium tea in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, is a blend of high- quality Assam dust with a golden taste that creates golden moments.

Gemini Strong tea for strong family relationships, is a dominant player in central Andhra Pradesh.

Kanan Devan A heritage brand that delivers the unique taste of the Kanan Devan Hills, holds fort in Kerala and Karnataka.

Tata Tea Life Targeted at health and wellness space.

Tata Tea Gold Identified with upscale consumers.

Source: Compiled by the author from Pinto Viveat Susan, “Cause and Effect”, available at http://www.financialexpress.com/news/cause-&-effect/446640/, April 14, 2009

pricing and packaging formats to cater to the unique needs of each segment.”27 Moreover, Tata Tea, to know the preferences of various consumer segments, conducts market research and accordingly customizes the blends of tea.

In the tea industry, although the penetration level is very high, it is difficult to attract new consumers since the product is highly habit-driven. In the article “Building Brands, Brewing Success”, author Candida Moraes opines, “Consumers once used to a brand are not very open to a change in taste profile. Therefore, the acquisition of new consumers (which always have to be from another brand’s franchise, given the high level of penetration) is a very challenging task. Yet, Tata Tea has achieved commendable success with its innovative products, savvy packaging, attractive pricing and eye catching advertising. However, it feels that to sustain this success and continue to grow, understanding changing consumer needs and identifying related challenges and opportunities should be a continuous endeavor.”28

Tata Tea also focused on product innovations by regularly introducing new flavors and new look products. For instance, in 2003, the company introduced flavored tea into the Indian market as part of ‘product diversification strategy and a long-term value addition proposition’.29 It introduced masala, ginger, lemon and earl grey flavors under Tetley brand. The communication of the brand was carried out, as how Tetley brought a change in the

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201142

tea through its wide range of flavors, with the ad line Chai mein twist… Life mein twist. Because of its constant product innovations and communication efforts, Tata Tea gained strong mind-share among tea labels and high penetration in various markets.30 Innovation has been on Tata Tea’s business forefront and the mission statement states that Tata Tea wants to “be recognized as the foremost innovator in tea and tea-based beverage solutions” (Annexure 3).

Tata Tea became the market leader in 2007 in terms of volume by outperforming its nearest competitor (Exhibit 5). But the company felt that there was a need for a unified and singular communication effort for all its national brands—Premium, Gold, Agni and Life—which could promote the mother brand as a whole. At the same time, it also felt that earlier campaigns (taazgi, energy, etc.), which were existing since the late 1980s, turned boring and tiresome.

Exhibit 5: Tata Tea’s Volume Share (%) (2002-2007)

Year Nearest Competitor Tata Tea

March 2002 26.1 16.3

March 2006 21.5 16.7

March 2007 19.5 18.5

June 2007 18.6 19.2

Source: “Tata Tea Takes over the No. 1 Position in Volume Terms” (2007), available at http://www.tata.com/company/releases/inside.aspx?artid=qYNyN9dc0VA= , July 26

30 “Tata Tea Reasserts No. 1 Status”, available at http://www.tatatea.com/no1status.htm 31 “Tata Tea Reasserts No. 1 Status”, op. cit.

Elevating the Tata Tea Brand Through Jaago Re! Campaign In 2007, soon after becoming the No. 1 tea brand in India, Tata Tea initiated a new communication campaign to demonstrate its “bigness in terms of size and taste; bigness in terms of Tata Tea’s vision and commitment to bigness in terms of the tremendous R&D which goes into the product”.31 Through this campaign, Tata Tea intended to strengthen its relationship with the consumers.

As a result, it launched an advertising campaign, Jaago Re! with a caption – Har subah sirf utho math. Jaago Re! (Every Morning, Don’t Just Get Up, Wake Up). In this campaign, Tata Tea, rather than focusing on physical and functional aspects of the brand, positioned itself as a catalyst for social awakening. The brand emphasized on attributes like enlightenment and civic-consciousness (self-actualization) that the consumer could get with a cup of Tata Tea in everyday life.

Explaining how the idea struck, Sangeeta Talwar said, “In India, tea is much more than just a beverage, it is indeed a way of life. It is so deeply embedded in our psyche, in our roots, and our culture that we cannot imagine life without a cup of steaming hot tea.

43Case Study

The new campaign will migrate Tata Tea from being a physically and emotionally revitalizing tea experience to one that will challenge the consumer’s intellect to ‘awaken’ to what is around them. It will motivate people to internalize the tea experience and externalize their social awakening. It is probably the first time that any brand is taking on the mantle of social responsibility in such a manner. The campaign will also provide a poignant platform for connection with the youth.”32

Tata Tea then hired the advertisement agency Lowe Lintas (Lintas) for the conceptualization of the idea. The company briefed Lintas to come up with a campaign that would appeal to more number of people, especially the youth. Moreover, Tata Tea decided to break away from the monotonous way of positioning tea as a ‘revitalizing’ or ‘refreshing’ drink. Realizing the need to differentiate itself from its nearest competitor HUL, Tata Tea thought of blending tea with the concept of social awakening. In tandem with these requirements, the ad agency conceived the idea of highlighting Tata Tea more as an awakener than as one that just wakes up an individual. According to Tarun Chauhan, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas, “It is a very lateral campaign; it is not linear. Normally when you have a cup of tea, you wake up whether it is a coffee or tea. To ladder that to awakening, you need a very gutsy client.”33

The campaign had paid off, which was evident in the survey of ad recall conducted by Tata Tea. Sangeeta Talwar said, “We have actually done a study across 4,500 consumers across rural and urban India and the recall of the campaign for urban India was over 85%. In rural India, we studied 1,000 consumers and the recall was 70-75%.”34

The ads primarily intended to appeal to the youth who were considered “restless, idealistic and hungering for change”.35 As a part of Jaago Re! campaign the ad agency developed a series of ads by spotlighting several social problems like corruption, improper roads, responsibility of political leaders, role of police, etc., with a 10-second duration, wherein the youth questioned the system. For instance, Jaago Re!’s first commercial was about a young man finding out the credentials of a political leader, contesting in elections (Annexure 4). These ads were screened with the idea of emotionally connecting with consumers on social issues. Justifying the move, Sangeeta Talwar said, “We wanted to emotionally connect with issues that drive the heart, mind and soul of India’s emerging social consciousness.”36

32 “A “Brand – New Awakening” (2007), www.tatatea.com/1st%20Oct07%20Jaago%20Re%20Rls%20Final.doc, October 1.

33 D’Souza Nilofer (2009), “Waking Up to Brand Success”, available at http://business.in.com/article/breakpoint/ waking-up-to-brand-success/2452/1, July 22.

34 Ibid. 35 Sangameshwaran Prasad and Irani Delshad (2009), “Blending Tea Leaves with Ballots”, available at http://

ec onomi cti mes.i ndi ati mes.c om/ Featu res/Br and-E qui ty/ Blending-te a-leaves-with-ballots/ar tic le show/ 4461630.cms?curpg=3, April 29.

36 “Blending Tea Leaves with Ballots”, op. cit.

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201144

To have a larger impact on consumers, Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! ads were promoted via different media—television, radio, cinemas and print. Since the Internet usage is high among the youth, the company even used social networking and blogging to promote the campaign and started a website called www.jaagoindia.org to create an online community for social awakening. Along with ad campaigns, Tata Tea, as part of Jaago Re! initiative, also took up programs like Tata Tea Jaago Re! Soccer Stars37 to attract Indian youth towards soccer and nurture their interest in this game.

As intended, Jaago Re! campaign successfully placed all the four brands (Premium, Gold, Agni and Life) on a single platform and conveyed the unified message. It even increased Tata Tea’s sales, brand awareness and brand loyalty. Tata Tea sales rose from 36.9 cr in September 2007 to 43.79 cr in September 2008. Sushant Dash (Dash), Associate President (Marketing) at Tata Tea, said, “It has helped us get our media spending together; we do not spend separately for our four brands. Also, all four sets of consumers believe it is their brand and mind share has gone up.”38 As this ad campaign generated tangible and intangible benefits to the brand, Tata Tea felt the need to further take this campaign forward and focus on many more social issues.

With general elections in India around, Tata Tea launched the second phase of this campaign with Jaago Re! One Billion Votes in September 2008. Commencing CRM with a politician’s role, Tata Tea focused on youth empowerment. Dash explained, “The first campaign was a huge success. However, we realized that to make its impact more meaningful and powerful the concept needed to be taken to the grassroots and went ahead with the Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign.”39 As part of this campaign, Tata Tea partnered with Janaagraha40, a Bangalore-based NGO, and became a corporate funding partner.

Janaagraha co-founder Swati Ramanathan stated, “However, we realized that we would need a lot of investment in order to do this and, hence, we would need a corporate tie-up...we wanted them (Tata Tea) to look at it not as CSR but as a branding strategy around a social cause, and after Tata Tea’s first such advertisement (where a young person asks the politician seeking his vote for his qualifications), we thought it would need a follow-up.”41 On the other hand, Tata Tea, which took up the campaign as part of its

37 The initiative was launched in tie-up with Arsenal FC (UK’s premier football club) to provide top-class training and coaching program to children between the age group 10-15. As part of this initiative. All India Soccer Tournaments were played across four regions and the final game was held in Kolkata. Best 30 students were given an opportunity to take training from Arsenal coaches and 16 finalists played for 18th Arsenal International Soccer Festival. The result was that India created history by winning the Plate Cup on the international ground.

38 Fernandes Christina (2009), “Wake Up and Smell the Tea”, available at http://www.tata.co.in/media/articles/ inside.aspx?artid= Mqu9vNyjWzM=, January.

39 Seema Sindhu (2009), “Tata Stirs up Responsible Brew”, available at http://www.business-standard.com/india/ news/tata-stirsresponsible-brew/348167, February 6.

40 Janaagraha conceived the idea – urge Indian youth to exercise their vote – of campaign. 41 Tewari Ruhi (2009), “Campaigns Urge Youth to Wake up and Vote for Honest Leaders”, available at http://

www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=d0b8c754-23df-4cb1-b45d-0740e0337c71, April 13.

45Case Study

marketing initiative, also denied it as a CSR. Sangeeta Talwar opined, “This was not a CSR initiative for Tata Tea… this was a core marketing and branding initiative.”42

Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign was initiated before elections to awaken Indian citizens on their voting right. As part of Jaago Re! second phase campaign, several ads were designed with the objective of urging Indian citizens, especially youth, towards a change, through vote. For instance, one of the Jaago Re! One Billion Votes commercials is about a young man asking a woman at a cinema hall ticket counter to cast her vote, rather than spotting a new film release (Annexure 5). Unlike the first phase, where television was the prime media, the second phase centered website as its core communication medium. Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign was not only meant to urge the youth towards voting, but also to guide them through the voting process. As a result, it launched a website, www.jaagore.com enabling interested people to register for voting (Annexure 6). The campaign also used social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut for reaching the youth.

Since its launch, Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign gained a lot of attention from people. It made 618,157 people to register for voting through the site www.jaagore.com. The campaign also gained support from Information Technology giants like Infosys and Wipro whose employees registered for voting through Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign. Besides, the campaign was also supported by Bollywood film personalities like Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor who endorsed a few commercials, and this in turn helped them in publicizing their new film (Delhi 6). While for Tata Tea, market share increased from 19.4%43 in December 2007 to 20.6% in December 2008, the longevity of the impact of such ad campaigns called for a question.

Tata Tea’s Social Marketing Initiatives: The Possible Themes and the Possible Problems Post-Jaago Re! One Billion Votes campaign’s success, Tata Tea plans is planning the second edition of Tata Tea Jaago Re! Soccer Star. Since the first phase of Arsenal Soccer Stars initiative was a huge success, Tata Tea launched the second edition on a larger scale. Dash said, “We are committed to the Jaago Re! campaign; that is the positioning of the brand. Following the billion-votes effort we now have the Tata Tea Arsenal Soccer Stars initiative aimed at encouraging kid footballers with talent. We want to do different things with different segments.”44

Tata Tea’s social marketing initiatives primarily linked Tata Tea’s core propositions with social awakening. Its promotional activity moved beyond the physical attributes to 42 Sachitanand Rahul and Subramanian Anusha (2009), “Heady Brew”, available at http://businesstoday.intoday.in/

index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=1166&id=10972&ltemid=1&secctionid=24, April 16. 43 “Tata Stirs Up Responsible Brew”, op. cit. 44 “Wake Up and Smell the Tea”, op. cit.

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201146

various other benefits of Tata Tea. However, for this initiative, Tata Tea leveraged on the core values of Tata Group, i.e., ethical, social and moral responsibilities. “Work on the campaign began in earnest once it was decided that a universal branding exercise was required. Tata Tea understood that the advantage it had over the competition was the Tata name and all the positives that it evoked, principally integrity and genuineness. From that flowed the linking of tea drinking, and the feeling of rejuvenation and stimulation that it produced, to social awakening. Tata Tea had discovered the perfect blend to secure a significant slice of advertising attention.”45

As a result, social marketing campaigns were well received by the customers which are reflected in terms of brand loyalty, sales and market share. Moreover, research studies by Cone Inc.46 (Cone) also validate the benefits that companies can get from CRM initiatives. According to a consumer behavior study (2008) of Cone and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, CRM can increase the sales and also influence the consumer’s brand choice. Gavan Fitzsimons, Duke marketing professor and researcher, revealed, “One thing we know for sure—consumers are paying more attention to cause messages and as a result, are more likely to purchase. This is clearly great news for brand managers, as every percentage increase can translate to millions of dollars in revenue.”47

Besides, these initiatives also form the central theme of Tata Tea’s long-term brand- building plans. However, Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! advertising campaign also holds challenges for the brand. Through this campaign, Tata Tea attempted to move beyond its physical attributes and position itself as a social awakener and hence the commercials should typically perceive the same idea. Moreover, ads carrying a social theme require a different approach from those carrying the functional aspects of the brand. Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults, opines, “This involves a vox pop-oriented advertising where you cannot use unreal visuals. The tone, tenor and decibel level of this advertising is completely different.”48 (Annexure 7).

On top of these, tea as a product has little aspirational value and hence the real challenge for the brand lies in ad designing (Exhibit 6). Amer Jaleel, Executive Creative Director of Lowe Lintas said, “Tea, as a category, has certain clichés associated with it and we wanted to stay away from this.”49 With Jaago Re! campaign, Tata Tea not only awoke consumers, but also its competitors. In 2009, HUL, in response to Tata Tea’s campaign, relaunched its brand, Lipton Yellow Label Tea with a new digital campaign called Stay

45 “Wake Up and Smell the Tea”, op. cit. 46 A strategy and communication agency, which is into research of American consumer attitude towards Cause-

Related Marketing programs. 47 “Consumer Behavior Study Confirms Cause-Related Marketing Can Exponentially Increase Sales” (2008),

available at http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20081001005317 &newsLang=en, October 1.

48 “Heady Brew”, op. cit. 49 Ibid.

47Case Study

50 Lipton Tea increased its focus on Theanine, which is a substance present in tea. Theanine helps a person to relax and be alert whole day. HUL, with the help of Stay Sharp digital campaign positioned itself as a tea that helps a person stay sharp.

51 Sindhu Seema (2009), “Lipton’s Jigsaw Puzzle”, available at http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/lipton%5Cs- jigsaw-puzzle/358397/, May 18.

52 “For a Worthwhile Cause” (2007), available at http://www.financialexpress.com/news/for-a-worthwhile-cause/198440/ 0, May 5.

Exhibit 6: Tata Tea Jaago Re! Campaign Challenges

• Tata Tea wanted to look beyond the physical and mental focus of advertising

• Tea as a category has but little aspirational value

• The company sought to look beyond the taste and energy typically advertised

• It focused on the perceived benefits to society by being ‘awakened’

• This involved different storyboards and more realistic visuals

• The benefits are not immediate; companies need to focus on long-term gains

• Tata Tea says this campaign was not a CSR initiative, but a core marketing exercise.

Source: Sachitan Rahul and Subramanian Anusha (2009), “Heady Brew”, available at http://businesstoday.intoday.in/ index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=1166&id=10972&Itemid=1&sectionid=24, April 16

Sharp (which is about solving a jigsaw puzzle from Stay Sharp website www.stay-sharp.in). Through this campaign, HUL intends to position Lipton brand among young consumers as a tea for sharp minds.50 This campaign has already started gaining attention from people, which is evident from nearly 20,00051 registrations in Stay Sharp website. Indeed, the concept of SCM is gaining momentum in India, with several Indian brands embracing this concept of late.

In May 2009, Voltas, a Tata group company initiated a social-cause advertising campaign to raise sales for its energy-efficient air conditioners. The brand partnered with New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and created a fund called Jagmag Desh Mera Fund to bring light to those villages that do not have access to electricity. According to Voltas, contribution for the fund is made by the consumers with the purchase of energy-efficient Voltas Star Rated AC and also from the savings of electricity bills. This example made evident that companies which are integrated into the society are giving back to the society by endorsing social causes.

Although Indian companies are increasingly linking marketing activities with a social cause, analysts opine that they are ‘sporadic in nature’.52 Indian brands prefer to set aside some amount for social cause projects, rather than linking product sales to social causes because of the hardship involved in initiating CRM programs. Chand Das, Chief Executive of ITC’s greeting, gifting and stationary business opines, “Linking a brand with a cause is not easy. You have to set aside resources, have targeted communication, which

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201148

calls for a lot of effort.”53 Moreover, only a few Indian brands are into CRM programs and the approach is still in the nascent stage.

But CRM initiative can make a rapid progress among the Indian brands if the potential of this initiative is made evident. Kompella Kartikeya, President of Lintas Personal, relationship and direct marketing division of Lintas India advertising agency, wrote, “Indian marketing is talented and opportunistic: if one brand shows the potential of cause-related branding, others will rapidly beat a path to the best program. Marketing folk, advertising and brand consultants and PR professionals, in tow will surge forward in search of the Holy Grail of cause-related branding.”54 The success of Jaago Re! campaign has inspired many Indian companies and their non-profit partners to test their success with social-cause related programs. Indeed, CRM initiative offers a win-win situation for everyone—companies, charities and customers—involved in it.

Nonetheless, Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! campaign as a social-marketing initiative appealed to millions of Indians. Although the social issues highlighted by the brand were in existence for a long period, they received huge attention from people after the brand endorsed these issues. Hence, the question arises: If social-marketing initiatives were initiated by a brand which is either a start-up or a less prominent one, can they create the same impact? Also, analysts have started reflecting on the future of CRM in India and its long-term impact on companies and customers as well. As Harish Bijoor opined, “Companies have got used to take-and-take approach to society…they will need to develop a give-and-take approach in future.”55 

53 Ibid. 54 Kompella Kartikeya (2008), “For A Good Cause”, available at http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/Surveys/

For-A-Good-Cause/Page-2.html, January 7. 55 “Heady Brew”, op. cit.

49Case Study

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The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201150

Annexure 2

Source: http://www.tatatea.com

Tata Tea Indian Brands

51Case Study

Annexure 3

Source: “Tata Tea”, available at http://www.tatatea.com/vision_miss.htm

Vision, Mission and Values of Tata Tea

Annexure 4

Tata Tea Jaago Re!’s Politician Commercial

With the elections approaching, Bhawar Lal

Bhandari, a politician, goes out asking for votes

Surrounded by his supporters he visits a guy with the request. Ordering tea for him, the guy

asks his qualification

As Bhandari fails to answer that, our guy demands, “Apna work experience

bataiye.”

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201152

Annexure 4 (Cont.)

The answer comes from the politician’s assistant who

says, “Pachchis saal se hain is line mein.”

With frustration showing on his face, the politician

demands if he is being interviewed.

The guy answers, “Sir, itni badi job ke liye apply kiya

hai apne.” Stunned by the reply...

...as the politician asks, “Kaunsa job?” our guy says, “Desh ko chalane

ka job, Sir.”

He then offers the shocked man a

cup of tea.

VO: “Har subah sirf utho mat.

(Jingle: Jaago re!) Tata Tea.”

Source: “Storyboards”, available at http://www.afaqs.com/perl/advertising/storyboard/index.html?id=2623

Annexure 5

Tata Tea Jaago Re!’s Election Commercial

On an election day, a youngman approaches a group at a movie theatre and addressing

a woman, says, “Hello Mam... aap so kyu rahi hain,

aap chai pijeye ha. Chai piyengi to jag jaayengi”,

(Why are you sleeping? Drink tea, you will wake up).

53Case Study

The surprised woman looks at the young man

Annexure 5 (Cont.)

The young man offers a cup of Tata Tea to the woman

Tata Tea is also offered to the crowd at the theatre to wake them up from sleep. The people there do not understand what was happening and have a puzzled look on their faces

The woman who is pestered by young man says, “Aaj chutti ka din hai. Ham log picture dekhne ayehe (Today is a holiday. We have come to watch movie).” And shows that she was not sleeping.

The women gets the reply, “Election ke din agar aap vote nahin kar rahe to aap so rahe ho”, (On the election day, if you are not casting the vote, you are sleeping)

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201154

Annexure 5 (Cont.)

Source: “JaagoRe Commercial”, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXWdhB1xYic

Annexure 6

Tata Tea Jaago Re!’s Website

By saying these words, the young man offers Tata Tea to the woman

(VO) Agar aap soyenge to yeh desh kaisa jaagega (If you sleep how will the nation progress), Tata Tea

The young man asks them to wake up and register for voting on Jaagore.com

and walks away from the crowd.

55Case Study

Annexure 6 (Cont.)

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201156

Annexure 6 (Cont.)

Source: http://www.jaagore.com/

57Case Study

Annexure 7

Interview Conducted by IBS CDC with Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

1. You are known to be one of the pioneering marketers of coffee. Can you brief us on your stint with working for tea and coffee brands? Did you intend to specialize on tea and coffee or it just happened over a period of time?

I started my career accidentally. I joined Brooke Bond, a Tea and Coffee company for a start. I worked on different varieties of tea and coffee and then went on to specialize in the terrain. In the beginning, it was all about marketing tea and coffee. As I grew in the company, it was all about plantations, operations, export and more. I moved on after eight years with the HUL group over to Tata Tea Limited, and then on to Tata Coffee Limited. That was a start up operation in marketing coffee from scratch. That was exciting.

Within the HUL group, I had a given portfolio of brands to manage. At Tata Coffee, I had to play a major role in creating those brands and options for the company to have a marketing front- face – from being a plantations oriented company for decades.

In short, I guess it all happened over time. Over a span of 16 years across two companies. HUL at one end and Tata Coffee Limited at another. Exciting times!

2. In one of the presentations made by you at PR Pundits workshop held in Mumbai on November 30, 2005, you said that brand is just a thought, a simple thought that lives in a person’s mind, whereas few consider brand to be a perception. How would you like to justify your idea?

The brand is really not a perception. It is simpler, it is a mere thought. A thought that lives in people’s minds. Perceptions are formed much later, the wings and tails that brands sprout in people’s minds after living there for a while.

A brand is a thought that lives in people’s minds – not necessarily in consumer minds. Brands live in the minds of all – Consumer or not! Does not matter.

One of the big and powerful brands in your mind could be your mother. This is a powerful thought. This is not a perception. It is a thought. Thoughts are more powerful than perceptions. Simple as well.

3. According to you, why is SCM important in present day scenario? What are the origins of Social-Cause Marketing? Is this similar to CRM?

In the beginning, marketing is all about selling products. About selling tea, car, tractor, panty- hose, etc. Then it is about selling services. Marketing of services is a higher end development. When products come to a stand-still, services take over. To that extent, I do believe everything is a service. Nothing will remain a pure product at all. Coffee drank at home is a product. The same coffee partaken at a Barista or a Café Coffee Day outlet is a service. God worshipped at home is a product. God worshipped at church or a temple is a ‘service’!

The service dimension adds value to a brand. Value, that is unique and irreplicable. Irreplaceable even!

Products and services are sold at the lowest common denominator level by the use of simple marketing. As societies and people evolve, marketing assumes a higher dimension of play. Look keenly at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for a clue.

When marketing society is simple, simple marketing rules. When society is deprived of food, clothing and shelter, simple marketing rules. As one climbs Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, marketing itself needs to morph.

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201158

Annexure 7 (Cont.)

When social needs dominate, marketing needs to focus on societal mores and moods. Marketing is all about classiness and experiential benefits here. Still, one lives at the functional satisfaction level.

As society morphs still, and as people reach levels of self-actualization in their lives, when money and societal scores do not matter, marketing needs to morph to a level of emotional gains and cues. At the highest end of these emotional gains and cues lies social marketing. Social marketing dominates in a society that is operating at the highest common denominator level of its customer profile and not at the lowest common denominator level.

Societal marketing attains relevance in categories where there is enough ennui with standard brand positioning stances. Take tea for instance, in the beginning it was marketed simply as the ‘tasty’ tea. The selling line was generic. Simple.

As society grows up from one degree of want, need, desire, aspiration and deprivation to another, marketing itself morphs in its appeal. Tea, therefore, becomes functionally positioned. It becomes the tea with ‘taste’, the tea with ‘strength’ and the tea with ‘aroma’. And then, comes another tea with ‘taste, aroma and strength’ all together. This functional stance can then move on to economy (the tea that gives more cups per kilogram) and more.

Society morphs and grows again. Functional attributes and functional positioning stances give way to emotional ones. The tea that gets you to fall in love? The tea that helps you work more (the work-mate tea) and more.

Society grows up. Society is tired of everything else now. Consumers are matured and are self- actualizing. This is the time for the ‘social cause’ USP to come in. Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! campaign fits in here.

Tata Tea is not the only company that has experimented with this to success. Lifebuoy has, with its ‘Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetana’ and the ‘Lifebuoy clean up the locality’ campaign ads. So has Surf, with its Do bucket paani bachana hai campaign with Shabana Azmi in the lead.

It sure is CRM as well.

4. Can you give us a few examples of highly successful global SCM initiatives? What can be the insightful perspectives for marketers and brand managers from these initiatives?

Very simply, when you involve society in your marketing mix, it can be profitable. Society that is self-actualizing emotes with your brand that much more, when you support society and its many causes. This is a terrific way to make consumer connect happen through brands.

5. Are there any Indian brands that have succeeded in coming up with social campaigns?

HUL and Tata Tea are leaders in this space (social campaigns) of SCM.

6. Do you consider social marketing to be an effective tool in influencing the buying behavior of the customer? If it succeeds, what is the longevity of this marketing approach?

Social marketing can be a single idea or it can be a cascade of many ideas that are campaignable. Tata Tea’s Jaago Re! is a single idea. An idea that attains relevance during election time in a bigway. This single idea can be used in different ways altogether. The joy of this idea lies in the fact that tea is a wake-up stimulant. The product story can be woven intrinsically into the campaign with no disconnect at all.

Longevity of such ideas lies in the creative excellence that can be achieved through differing and different campaigns.

59Case Study

Annexure 7 (Cont.)

7. Take for instance, the Jaago Re! campaign, the ad focused on election-related issues. Would people still remember the Jaago Re! campaign even after the elections? Will this make some kind of impact on the customers? If the customer’s memory is short-lived, to what extent can they relate the ads with Tata Tea? Will this drive the sales of the brand even after?

Most CRM campaigns are poor on sale generation. They do much more than create sale. They seldom create sales. They help build a positive brand image. Tata Tea will need to create separate and disparate campaigns to create sales. Jaago Re! essentially creates brand salience and brand positivity. For sales, you need campaigns that operate at a crass level of consumption oriented dynamics.

8. If social branding becomes the long-term initiative of Tata Tea, what can be the other socially relevant themes for the brand? Would Tata Tea continue coming up with the same kind of advertising in the future?

I do believe Tata Tea must lapse into its standard format of advertising once again and must not get carried away by it all too much. It has done an excellent job with Jaago Re!. But the company must move on. Remember, the number of customers who sit at the self-actualization level in India are a nano percentage of the total market. Time to move on.

Move on with campaigns that will sell more and more tea once again. The memory of Jaago- re will be there as a good and positive stroke for a brand right through.

It is important for the brand management team of Tata Tea not to get bogged down by all the accolades all around. Brand managers need to be realistic and in sync with ground level needs of the sales teams.

9. How do you look at this initiative? Is this Tata Tea’s CSR or just any other marketing/ branding initiative?

I do believe this is Tata Tea’s social responsibility activity that has a brand piggy backing on it. I do believe it is an excellent campaign and has created for the brand and the company a very positive appeal in the minds of consumers. Not only consumers of tea, but consumers of the democracy that we live within.

10. Tata Tea is also a global brand with significant market shares in countries like UK and US. In the light of growing CRM programs, do you see any need for the company to take up such initiatives even at the global level?

I do think the opportunity lies open in this realm. There can be campaigns that talk the green language for instance. Tea is green and the green cover it adds to, is a story in itself. The global opportunity is big, but highly cluttered as of now.

11. Tata Tea took up Jaago Re! campaign after it attained first position in India in terms of volume. As such, do you establish any relationship between brand life cycle and social cause marketing? At what stage of brand life cycle does it make sense for any company to come out of its traditional advertising model (highlighting usual, emotional and physical characteristics of product/brand) and focus on intellectual and self-actualization issues?

It is the role of the leader to appropriate this role normally. In the English print media, the Times of India is a leader. The paper therefore appropriates a leadership stance and position in its campaigns, be it ‘Lead India’ or ‘Teach India’.

When the leader in a category takes up such campaigns, spread, reach and credibility levels are far higher. There certainly is a relationship between leadership stance, CSR and the age life cycle of a brand and the campaigns it can get away with.

The IUP Journal of Brand Management, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 201160

Annexure 7 (Cont.)

12. What will be the success of CRM programs, if they are initiated by a company at introduction or growth stage?

Will be weak, will suffer on credibility scores, and will most likely flounder for most of its part. Therefore, everyone cannot attempt this. Brand heritage is important. Brands go through the standard stage of being a novice, a student, a learner and finally a teacher. Only when a brand attains the teacher stage can it attempt such campaigns. Brands with grey hair to boast of get away best with such campaigns. Tata Tea is one such. As is Surf and Lifebuoy!

13. Just the way a celebrity is commissioned to endorse a brand, should a social cause be endorsed by a powerful brand? Will such endorsements bring desirable results? What if a social cause is not endorsed by a not-so-well known brand?

Not necessary at all. It is only incidental that this campaign of voting with gusto has been endorsed by Tata Tea. The Polio drops campaign of the Government of India and the NAB campaign on eye donation have not needed commercial brands to endorse them. In fact, when noble causes get touched by brands, more often than not, they lose sanctity.

14. Studies reveal that social marketing helps in differentiating one’s brands, increasing market share and gaining more brand loyalty. Despite these benefits, social marketing spending is less when compared with conventional marketing. What are your views on it?

I agree. This is yet to be audited though and proven. The time-cycle of delivery is a delayed time cycle as well. It takes long for such campaigns to deliver. Brand managers need patience and the will to harvest after a long cycle-time. Impatient brand managers don’t get much out of this. The fifth P of marketing here is Patience with a big P!

15. Do we need to exclusively have something called social marketing, when the businesses in general are expected to be socially responsible and ethically sound? Why do you think there is a demarcation between commercial marketing and social marketing?

This demarcation is there, but will blur in the long term. All marketing operates within the context of society. All marketing will therefore have to adopt stances that are friendly and in sync with consumer needs, wants, desires and aspirations.

Over a period of time, all marketing will be social marketing.

16. How far can social marketing programs in India be successful in terms of creating a social impact/change?

They have a big role to play. Brands need to discover that they need to give back to society what they take from it. This is going to be a brand sustainable practice in the long run. It cannot be forgotten or ignored.

Brand will create change. In attitude, in behavior and in terms of socio-cultural impact.

17. As a new marketing initiative, will cause-related marketing approach be successful in India?

It will. This is just the beginning. Watch out for more. Socially-ostracized categories such as cigarettes, liquor, gutka will take up more of these. Look out for borderline categories such as oils, sugars and petroleum to take up more of these.

Harish Bijoor Brand-Expert & CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

Source: “Interview conducted with Harish Bijoor by R. Naga Sandhya and P. Girija”, IBS CDC, May 20, 2009

Reference # 25J-2011-06-03-02

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