Background

Tea in Pakistan holds a special place. It is the most consumed beverage but from a cultural context tea has a far bigger role. It is depiction of our eastern identity and lifestyle, social glue, conversation starter and ice breaker. Tapal has been the top player in the market but it was suffering from old fashioned and mature image. It was a proponent of the traditional mind-set that was all about the family bonding moments where the tea was always being prepared and served by the woman. It was this kind of stereotyping that was contributing to the image issues Tapal was facing. Tea tray became a symbol of good wife, a symbol of servitude instead of sharing and equality. It also lent credence to the cultural mores where husbands in the kitchen were utterly unacceptable. Thus the brief was to modernize the brand, bring it in touch with the times and regain the market leadership in the process.

Describe the cultural/social/political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

Pakistan is a patriarchal society and has been historically. Women in general and married women in particular have set roles within the family. These roles are the identification of the women and have obliterated a woman’s individual identity. These women are compartmentalized as daughter-in-law, wife and mother. In short, a woman’s identity is the relationships she keeps. This archaic gender representation is then reinforced in the media. Women are home bound even in the higher SECs and the women who are outgoing and working are portrayed as harlots and home wreckers. Society seems to blame these women for the troubles and the ill within the society. As opposed to home bound women who stay in home are deified and revered as domestic goddesses. These are the docile women who are submissive to the societal pressures and bow to the male ego. Outspoken women in Pakistan such as Malala Yousufzai, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Sabeen Mehmood and Quratulain Baloch are murdered or maligned. These are the women who have tried to upset the Male status quo and as evident from their vilification, it is a dangerous thing to do.

Describe the creative idea

We moved forward with the belief that tea should be a symbol of equality as opposed to servitude. It is essential in building a relationship that is balanced, open and ensures an egalitarian household. The act of drinking tea together is a moment of bonding, it builds intimacy and conquers differences. Tapal Danedar capitalized on this intimacy by coining the term “Tum, Main aur Eik Cup Chai” (You, Me and a Cup of Tea!). This phrase is a personal invite from the maker of the tea to the other drinker of the tea to sit together and share a moment of intimacy. A young couple, caught in their whirlwind lives, juggling the professional and personal commitments, these couples are starved of the chance to express their love. So here was a chance for them to say it all with a cup of tea, made by the doting and caring husband.

Describe the strategy

Tea advertising had a definitive formula for tea ads. A woman preparing tea for the household and serving it. She waits on them to approve of her tea while she waits anxiously. Through social media listening we found that woman found these images to be an affront. The younger generation particularly wanted a more balanced household, based on mutual respect and care giving. They longed to be given freedom to be themselves instead giving in to archaic, predefined roles. According to Gallup research, they yearned for a more open and balanced relationship. Tea was a symbol of servitude and represented the sacrifice at the altar of male misogyny. She wanted a change, she wanted it to be a symbol of equal relationship. Thus we identified this insight and chose to redefine and evolve the tea culture. We took tea and made it stand for sharing and equality instead of servitude.

Describe the execution

The execution of the campaign was led by a 25-sec thematic TVC which built on the iconic “Tum, Main Aur Eik Cup Chai” platform of increasing intimacy between couples. Couples usually feel that romance dies out after marriage. This story shows a wife who sees a romantic film on TV and feels that such romance doesn’t exist in reality. The husband is surprised to hear this, makes her a cup of tea and casually asks her if this moment isn’t a romantic one. The wife feels the love that he has put in making that cup of tea and it leaves a smile on the viewer’s face. These were supported by Tactical 7-sec frequency builders that targeted multiple occasions such as Cricket, Weather, Breakfast, etc. The idea was to ensure that the message went across to various cohorts and achieve TOM recall.

Describe the results/impact

The campaign hit the right chords with our target audience with digital conversations between couples pouring out on social media with expressions of love & affection. The tagline became a part of the regular conversation as well. Tapal Danedar witnessed a sudden hike in Sales during the campaign period and considering that tea is a mature category, the high growth numbers speak volumes about the success of the campaign. Sales (FY 18-19) Growth vs. Last Year Q2 - 9% Q3 - 8% Q4 - 7% A similar trend was observed with Market Share and Brand Penetration. Nov-18 Dec-18 Jan-19 Feb-19 Mar-19 Apr-19 May-19 Volume Share (%) 8.8 8.8 8.9 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Nov-18 Dec-18 Jan-19 Feb-19 Mar-19 Apr-19 May-19 Penetration (%) 31.2 31.4 31.9 32.1 32.6 33.2 33.1