Charleston Tea Plantation. By Sarah Harkness. Journalism Creative: Strategy to Execution Professor Purday 14 December 2018

Transcription

1 Charleston Tea Plantation By Sarah Harkness Journalism Creative: Strategy to Execution Professor Purday 14 December 2018

2 Charleston Tea Plantation Part I: Situation Analysis Category Review Tea is grown in about 30 countries across the world, namely China, India, Japan, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Vietnam (Graham). However, the Charleston Tea Plantation holds the spot for being the only tea plantation in the United States, meaning all other major competitors are imported into the United States. Currently, North Americans consume ⅕ of the world tea population (Walcott). Clearly, there is a large possible target market for tea purchase and consumption across the nation. In recent years, there has been an increased public awareness of the health benefits of tea, notably including providing antioxidants, combating obesity, and providing a caffeine boost (Shishikura). Wellness or functional beverages are the fastest growing beverage category in the United States, as consumers increasingly look for their beverages to provide health and nutritional benefits (Lee). This is great news for the tea industry, with tea being known as a natural and healthy beverage option. Analyzing the Charleston Tea Plantation s role in the tea industry, as well as researching other major players in the tea industry was a key component to seeing where the Charleston Tea Plantation can improve to become a bigger competitor in the industry. Comparing market share and advertising ventures of huge tea brands in America, as well as their methods of

3 differentiation from competition, is pertinent in understanding not only the Charleston Tea Plantation but also the tea industry as a whole. Unilever and Starbucks currently claim the most company shares in the United States Tea industry. Unilever is the parent company of the very popular household tea brand, Lipton. Starbucks is the parent company of Teavana, with products sold premade in Starbucks retail stores, and also in grocery store retailers (Passport). RC Bigelow Inc, the parent company of Bigelow Tea and Charleston Tea Plantation, actually comes in at third place for market shares, but the Bigelow Tea Company is largely separate from the Charleston Tea Plantation s operations, so this does not provide an accurate reflection of where the smaller brand really stands among larger, more common brands. The biggest player in the tea industry in the United States is certainly Lipton. Lipton is the Charleston Tea Plantation s biggest competitor, as it holds 13% of tea market shares (Passport). One of the primary research methods conducted to better understand the tea industry was visiting a local retailer to see the product firsthand. After using the Charleston Tea Plantation website s retail locator, it was determined that the closest retailer of the product is the Gourmet Shop. Located in Columbia s downtown region, Five Points, Gourmet Shop sells food and beverage specialties, so we were pleased to see our product being sold at such a retailer. The tea was very easy to find in their specific tea section (Figure 1). It was the forefront brand at eye level on the shelves. The most easily identifiable competitor was Seattle s Greatest and The Republic of Tea (Figure 2). For the Gourmet Shop to carry all three brands, it can be hypothesized that all three brands are comparable in quality. One box of Charleston Tea Plantation s most popular American Classic tea cost $8.99 for 12 silky tea bags. A box of The Republic of Tea Daily Green tea cost $11.99 for 50 a cup a day tea bags. However, the Charleston Tea Plantation boasts of its local origins, while The Republic of Tea is Fine China

4 tea. The Republic of Tea is also featured in an eye-catching cylindrical package, while Charleston Tea is featured in a typical tea box. However, upon reading the Charleston Tea Plantation box and opening the package, one will read that the Charleston Tea bags are silky sachets, designed to accommodate the larger leaf style for a richer, smoother flavor. The Republic of Tea bags are the typical flat, circular bags (Figure 3). Consumers will most likely reach for The Republic of Tea for the cost efficacy, and cute exterior packaging. However, the tea experience they offer is mostly traditional, with ordinary size tea leaves, Chinese origin, and ordinary tea bag design. Charleston Tea offers a locally produced product, in a silky sachet tea bag, for a smoother taste, in classic exterior packaging, for a slightly more expensive price. Being available only at higher-end retailers limits the Charleston Tea Plantation tea to being available only to those who seek it out specifically. Next, the concern of being Fair Trade is increasing among tea sourced from all different countries, and consumers are increasingly making their decisions based on this labeling (Raynolds). A tea is considered Fair Trade when they make a commitment to aiding the socioeconomic development and well-being of small farmers, (Raynolds). Being locally cultivated with sustainable, environmentally and employee-friendly means makes being Fair Trade a nonissue for the Charleston Tea Plantation brand, as they are fair by default. While in some cultures, drinking tea is a celebration of their beliefs and is a means to uphold their culture and values, it was also found that others drink it for its desirable sensory properties or its probable health benefits, (Lee). A study conducted in 2010 showed that mood impacts both tea consumption and tea purchases. It was discovered that consumers drink more tea when their mood is worse but purchase more tea when they were in a better mood (Murray). Tea purchases were commonly based on mood congruency, or the concept that people respond in accordance to their mood. Tea consumption was symptomatic of mood regulation, meaning that

5 people try to manage their mood with sensory pleasing rewards and actions (Murray). It s no wonder many people reach for a nice hot cup of tea after a stressful day to help unwind and relax. In another 2010 study, different brands of Sri Lankan tea were compared to see which differentiating characteristic would be the most effective in getting ahead of the competitors. Many tea brands reached for the cost advantage strategy, pricing their tea at a lower point than others. However, other brands reached for characteristic differentiation advantages (Herath). An unidentified brand owner claims the success of their brand is dependent largely on consumer trust, confidence on its freshness and quality. Other unidentified CEO s attributed their brand s success with maintaining close contacts with customers and their families, (Herath). Through various studies and research methods, it is clear that tea brands take different tactics to differentiate themselves in a very competitive industry landscape. Brand Review The Charleston Tea Plantation is the only working tea plantation in the United States, and South Carolinians have the ability to call the plantation a part of their community. Located on Wadmalaw Island in Charleston, South Carolina, guests have to traverse a small bridge over Church Creek to step foot on the beautiful, historical area. The Bigelow Tea Company officially bought the Charleston Tea Plantation in 2003, but Charleston Tea Plantation remains its own brand and product. The Bigelow Tea Company does not manufacture any of their larger brand teas using Charleston tea leaves ( Charleston Tea Plantation ). Therefore, using The Bigelow Tea Company annual public reports would not provide solid insight into the workings of the Charleston Tea Plantation itself. Charleston Tea Plantation s products are sold under their own name, only in more upscale regional grocery stores. Using a simple Google search was perhaps a

6 better means to gaining insight on the Charleston Tea Plantation, given the lack of public sales reports of the brand. The official Charleston Tea Plantation website described the various attractions of the plantation for the public, and retail availability of their products. Viewing the Charleston Tea Plantation social media gave a better insight on the target audience of their products and plantation tours, as well as to gauge how well they do with engaging with consumers. The target audience mostly consists of people who put a high value on locally grown ingredients, and who value spending time with their families and friends. It was discovered that the previous sole owners of the plantation, the late Mack Fleming, and Bill Hall, who are still heavily involved with the plantation even under the new Bigelow ownership, highly regret their lack of advertising and budgeting. The Factiva article, U.S. Tea Grower is Under Hot Water, cited Hall saying the two owners were confident that the novelty of a homegrown brand would virtually sell itself, and neither him nor partner Fleming, put a lot of money into advertising. Hall said, the company found it hard to lure consumers away from the brands their mothers bought (Stringer). This is a huge revelation for the ex-owners of the plantation, which is vital information when approaching the advertising for the brand. However, in more recent news, the World Tea News article, Charleston Tea Plantation, quoted current tea maker, Mike Kennerly, as saying, our customers are getting a taste of Wadmalaw, my home, which proves the homegrown aspect of the Charleston Tea Plantation truly is a selling feature for consumers (World Tea News). Their main tea, American Classic also helps draw not only a local vibe but incites a feeling of national pride with its name. Viewing the official Charleston Tea Plantation site is also paramount in getting a better feel for the brand. The site mentioned that although they conduct tours year-round, winter is definitely the tea growing offseason, but consumers are more likely to buy hot tea products in the winter.

7 So, while plantation tours are dwindling during the colder seasons, the product sales are increasing. Upon viewing Charleston Tea Plantation s social media presence, there was a huge lack of tagged photos on Instagram. This means that visitors of the plantation have not posted anything with Charleston Tea Plantation as the location. It should be noted that the average response time for inquiries on Facebook is around one day, which is good for a smaller company, and there are around 16,000 followers of the brand on Facebook. Trip Advisor states that visiting the Charleston Tea Plantation is the number one activity to do in Wadmalaw, and the average trip rating is 4.7 out of five stars ( Charleston Tea Plantation, Facebook). It s evident that consumers are pleased with their experience with the Charleston Tea Plantation, but there needs to be a larger advertising and social media presence to reach more consumers. The rarity of American grown tea, along with the ability to visit and see the entire production process at the actual plantation facility, are factors that are paramount in differentiating the Charleston Tea Plantation products from competitors. Target Audience Admittedly, the first target market that was considered was young people, as analyzing social media presence seemed to be the most promising source of information, considering the Charleston Tea Plantation is a privately traded company. However, our research and survey results proved that young people should not be the primary target of the brand. A survey was conducted via a link on Twitter to help bring insight into the ideal target market of the Charleston Tea Plantation. A large portion of the data was taken by the age group years old, simply due to the fact that demographic that could be easily reached fall into

8 this age group. Out of the 51 survey respondents, 84.3% fell into the age category. The second largest group, years of age, came in at only 11.8%. Because of this, the results of the survey were skewed, showing mostly the habits of younger age groups, and leaving the results of older age groups up to interpretation (Figure 4). It became clear that the age groups older than consumers put a higher importance on the origin of products when making tea purchases, as the majority of the results showed the importance of a product s place of origin ranking closer to not important than very important (Figure 5). It can be hypothesized that, had the majority of respondents been above the age category, the results would reflect placing a higher importance on a product s place of origin. It is interesting to note, however, that the score for How likely are you to spend more for a locally produced product? leaned further to very likely (Figure 6). The majority of respondents, 37.8% ranked this question with a three, the very middle score. More respondents (21.6% in total) ranked this question with a five ( very likely ) than on the previous question. This is an interesting distinction between the questions, as the results hint that consumers are either more willing or more neutral, on the subject of spending more for a locally sourced product versus simply taking the place of origin into consideration. Most people reported that they are the ones responsible for purchasing tea products in their household. However, those who reported another individual being responsible for the purchasing of the tea products in their household all reported a female. Responses included Grandma, and Mom (Figure 7). This hints at the idea that the majority of tea purchasers are women. 86% of respondents reported never having heard of the Charleston Tea Plantation (Figure 8). Even out of the 14% of people who had heard of the Plantation, 100% reported never having visited (Figure 9).

9 Finally, 54.9% of the respondents were female, while 45.1% were male (Figure 10). Considering the typical tea purchaser in respondents households were women, it is surprising to see that not a single person had ever visited the Charleston Tea Plantation. Most people do not seem to care about a product s origin but being the only producer of a product in the country is an important aspect of the brand that should be emphasized. A large majority still seemed to care about a product being locally produced which could benefit our brand, and according to a study, three out of four people believe buying American is important (Marotta). The survey revealed that another target audience could potentially be middle-aged women since the majority of the people that took the survey were women, and some of the male population claimed that their mothers or grandmothers were the ones purchasing the majority of tea products in their household. Younger women, around ages 20-35, had to immediately be taken out of consideration as the primary target audience, even before the survey. Despite the fact that the survey showed women as the primary buyers of tea products for their households, women who are pregnant are usually to avoid caffeine of any kind, which would eliminate their need to purchase and consume tea (Shishikura). Reviewing the Charleston Tea Plantation s social media presence was very telling in who may be the biggest opportunity in target audiences. The lack of Instagram reach and interactions with the public showed, again, that Millennial audiences were simply not the ideal target market to attempt to reach, as Millennials are the biggest users of Instagram. However, the prevalent Facebook presence showed that older, middle-aged people are a better bet to attempt to reach, as most of the interactions and posts between Charleston Tea Plantation and the public were with middle-aged Facebook users.

10 As mentioned previously, differentiating a tea brand from others is largely dependent on developing customer trust and confidence, not only on freshness and quality of the product but also in the brand itself. Being a smaller, local brand with complete transparency in their tea cultivating processes at their plantation, allows for the ability of customer confidence and trust to grow heavily by positioning the brand as family oriented and honest product production. The smaller brand allows for close contact with customers and their families to be created, especially within the boundaries of the plantation s home, South Carolina. Furthermore, with mood being a factor in both consumers consumption and purchasing habits of tea, developing a campaign that evokes warm feelings, reminding them of family closeness and pride in one s country (and state!), is paramount to making customers feel good about and during their purchasing of Charleston Tea Plantation products.

11 Part II: Creative Strategy & Rationale Creative Strategy The research conducted allowed for a clear creative strategy to be uncovered. Overall, the biggest characteristics of the Charleston Tea Plantation product that separates themselves from the competitors is the fact that it is the only tea plantation in America, and the smaller, local business evokes warm feelings of good times, and family through both the product and plantation visiting tours. All advertisements and components of the campaign were to emphasize and evoke feelings of national and statewide pride, as well as support warm, family-oriented values and emotions. Prior to conducting in-depth research on both the Charleston Tea Plantation and the tea industry landscape and major players within it, the knee-jerk reaction was to create a campaign that would reach young hipster Millennials who may see tea as an interest or hobby. While this could be a valid secondary target audience to consider in the future, it would be difficult to inspire this group to visit and buy Charleston Tea Plantation products, because it is such a small, niche market. As the survey results previously discussed showed, the age group typically buy tea products infrequently or not at all. Reaching this target audience would be comparable to Pavone s 2010 campaign for Yuengling s Lord Chesterfield beer, in that the target audience was scattered, and the brand had to determine how to make the old product seem new again to attract the audience. The creative strategy we chose for our campaign is focused around middle-aged women and the purpose is to inform them that our brand is the only American grown tea. In order to accomplish this goal, we needed to focus on the idea of family and find the best method to reach the people in our audience. Connectivity with the consumer should be a primary concern. We

12 want the customer to feel comfortable contacting our brand and we want ease of access to be a focus. The Charleston Tea Plantation is the only tea plantation in America, and they provide a wide range of tea products which is the focus of our campaign. Our brand is unique because we are the only tea sold in America that actually comes from America. Facebook was the ideal social media choice for our target audience. Instagram and Snapchat tend to have a younger audience, and many parents are on Facebook which helps them connect with their family. This platform also provides easy and direct communication with all customers. A contest is another effective method that could be used to increase social media presence and further spread brand awareness. Contests get people involved with the brand and interaction is always important. The point-of-purchase display is another very beneficial method for reaching our audience. The display will be placed next to other tea products and will show the image of a house. The words will read, Tastes like Home which will resonate deeply with our audience who believe in the value of family. The point-of-purchase display method was chosen to reach our audience and entice them to try a money-saving coupon. Direct mail is one way to personally reach out to potential customers and let them understand that our brand cares about the importance of home. The package will include a bookmark and a sample of the tea. This allows the customer to test the product before purchasing which gives them more of an incentive to actually seek out the product in stores. Hosting an event was a potential strategy that was dismissed considering the busy schedule of our target. Middle-aged mothers are working constantly to keep up with the needs of their family and children while also having jobs in some cases. A contest would not be a successful technique in this market.

13 Part III: Creative Brief The Client: The Charleston Tea Plantation offers bagged tea (their most popular item), bottled teas, and tours of their physical plantation. Founded in 1888, they are the only tea plantation in America, and call Charleston, South Carolina, their home. Target: The target audience is middle aged women with families, who put high value on both family closeness and locally sourced products. They are the primary purchasers of common items, such as tea, for their entire household. They value saving money, because of their familial expenses, and have pride in using and supporting American made products. Target Insight: They don t know us yet, and those who do know us, think of the products as being too expensive or out of reach compared to other more generic brands. They are unsure of why they would bother considering us over their typical tea brand. Competition Insight: Generic tea brands, such as Lipton, are the main competition. The lower price point and familiarity with Lipton are the driving forces behind our audience s support of the competitor. Traditionally, tea purchases require low involvement and hardly any thinking from the consumer. Goals: The goal is the bring national and state-wide awareness to the brand and to grow sales by 20% in the upcoming fiscal year, in order to claim a larger market share in the tea industry. Big Idea: Charleston Tea Plantation is the embodiment of American pride and family values. Support: This family-run business is the only tea plantation in America. They offer complete access and transparency of the plantation and harvesting methods via tours that also show family-oriented values. Their most popular product is tea named American Classic that emphasizes the locallygrown spirit of the product. Tone: Warm, family values, patriotic, national/ local pride

14 Works Cited Charleston Tea Plantation, 2018, Charleston Tea Plantation. Facebook, Graham, Harold M. Green Tea Composition, Consumption, and Polyphenol Chemistry. NeuroImage, Academic Press, 25 Feb. 2004, Herath, H.M.U.N., and S. De Silva. Strategies for Competitive Advantage in Value Added Tea Marketing. Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Tropical Agricultural Research, 2010, Lee, Jeehyun, and Delores H. Chambers. Factors Affecting the Levels of Catechins and Caffeine in Tea Beverage: Estimated Daily Intakes and Antioxidant Activity. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Wiley-Blackwell, 6 June 2007, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/ /j x x. Marotta, David John. Is Buy American Un-American? Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 15 Apr. 2013, Murray, Kyle B., et al. The Effect of Weather on Consumer Spending. NeuroImage, Academic Press, 9 Sept. 2010, Raynolds, Laura T., and Siphelo Unathi Ngcwangu. Fair Trade Rooibos Tea: Connecting South African Producers and American Consumer Markets. NeuroImage, Academic Press, 24 Mar. 2009, Shishikura, Yoko, and Santosh Khokhar. Factors Affecting the Levels of Catechins and Caffeine in Tea Beverage: Estimated Daily Intakes and Antioxidant Activity. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Wiley-Blackwell, 5 July 2005, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/ /jsfa.2206.

15 Stringer, Kortney. U.S. Tea Grower Is in Hot Water --- Charleston Tea Plantation Struggles to Brew Up Enthusiasm for Brand. Dow Jones Factiva, The Wall Street Journal, 13 Sept. 2000, global-factivacom.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/redir/default.aspx?p=sa&an=j dw9d00ndt&cat=a&e p=ase. Tea in the US. Passport, Euromonitor International, Feb. 2018, World Tea News. Charleston Tea Plantation. World Tea News, 23 Sept. 2013, worldteanews.com/tea-estate-and-garden-profiles/charleston-tea-plantation. Walcott, Susan M. Brewing a New American Tea Industry. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Wiley-Blackwell, 28 Aug. 2012, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/ /j x. Charleston Tea Plantation, 2018, Charleston Tea Plantation. Facebook, World Tea News. Charleston Tea Plantation. World Tea News, 23 Sept. 2013, worldteanews.com/tea-estate-and-garden-profiles/charleston-tea-plantation.

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21 Charleston Tea Plantation Sarah Harkness Creative Brief The Client: The Charleston Tea Plantation offers bagged tea (their most popular item), bottled teas, and tours of their physical plantation. Founded in 1888, they are the only tea plantation in America, and call Charleston, South Carolina, their home. Target: The target audience is middle aged women with families, who put high value on both family closeness and locally sourced products. They are the primary purchasers of common items, such as tea, for their entire household. They value saving money, because of their familial expenses, and have pride in using and supporting American made products. Target Insight: They don t know us yet, and those who do know us, think of the products as being too expensive or out of reach compared to other more generic brands. They are unsure of why they would bother considering us over their typical tea brand. Competition Insight: Generic tea brands, such as Lipton, are the main competition. The lower price point and familiarity with Lipton are the driving forces behind our audience s support of the competitor. Traditionally, tea purchases require low involvement and hardly any thinking from the consumer. Goals: The goal is the bring national and state-wide awareness to the brand and to grow sales by 20% in the upcoming fiscal year, in order to claim a larger market share in the tea industry. Big Idea: Charleston Tea Plantation is the embodiment of American pride and family values. Support: This family-run business is the only tea plantation in America. They offer complete access and transparency of the plantation and harvesting methods via tours that also show family-oriented values. Their most popular product is tea named American Classic that emphasizes the locallygrown spirit of the product. Tone: Warm, family values, patriotic, national/ local pride

22 A True American Classic When you hear America what comes to mind? For us, it s apple pie, baseball, and American Classic Tea. American tea grown on American soil. Harvested in historical Charleston, South Carolina since Tea that tastes like home, because it s grown at home.

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24 Save $2 on your Charleston Tea Plantation purchase Tastes Like Home x 10.4 x 15.2 Tabletop Display

25 Win a Trip for 2 to Show us your #TasteofHome by sharing where you drink your American Classic Tea on Instagram and enter to win a trip to America s only tea plantation.

26 Charleston Tea Plantation Our tea doesn t take any planes, trains, or boats to get to your cup. Dump the Foreign Tea. Sometimes the best things were right in front of you all along since 1888, to be exact. Don t search far for your tea when you can get it down the street. Tastes like home, because it s grown at home.

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28 Sales Promotion- POP Display 20.2 x 10.4 x 15.2 Tabletop Display