BRAND MANAGEMENT

TATA TEA
-Aiman Fatima
(13A1HP089)

1. The ways and means in which the company used its marketing communication to build its
brand equity in general.
When Tata Tea launched the Jaago Re campaign in 2007, it had no idea what it stumbled on to. Jaago
Remeaning Wake Upwas a brand campaign to bring all the Tata brands of tea like Agni,
Gemini, Kanan Devan, under the parent brand of Tata Tea. It was a bid to take on a serious
competitor, HUL. The integration of Jaago Re, a social awakening, and Tata Tea created a case study
for any cause marketing campaign not only because of the scale of the idea but also for its reach.
Sanjiv Sarin, regional president, South Asia, Tata Global Beverages, says, While tea may wake you
up, Tata Tea awakens you. The campaign demonstrated Tata Teas thought leadership in positioning
tea as a medium of social awakening and not just physical awakening.
While the theme matched the angst of youngsters, it also helped Tata Tea reach scale. By propagating
their theme during the 2009 elections, the campaign ensured that it addressed at least 720-780 million
people, those above 18 and eligible to vote.
Harish Bijoor, CEO, Hairsh Bijoor Consults Inc that specialises in brand and business strategy, says,
I think the campaign resonates closely with the latent issue, which seems to touch everyone. The fact
remains India is against corruption, but everyone is touched by it and participates in it as a giver or
taker. They adopted cause marketing and chose their cause judiciously. This is what made Jaago Re a
phenomenal success. The team knew what agendas to strike and which ones to strike out.

2. Analyze the media vehicles it used and also explain how well could the company adopt new
media vehicles.
The media vehicles it has used are:

Social Media

Print ads

Hoardings and boards

Collaboration with NGOs

Television and radio broadcasts

The company has possibly used all media vehicles to capture its audience but its main focus has
been youngsters. The company could also target business magazines and forums which the elderly
population regularly refer to , in order to expand its reach to all generations.
3. Analyze companys ability in combating challenges in new media environment.
Yes the company is capable of combating challenges in the new media environment. Like many
companies it has used the online medium effectively to build its brand equity. The Jaago Re Facebook
page has the image of a large plain white mug with the morning newspaper next to it. The white mug
has no branding of Tata Tea on it, and yet the slogan Jaago Re and Tata Tea are synonymous. Behind
the image lies one of the most successful brand campaigns to have come out of India in the last five
years. This is clearly reflected in the innumerous page likes Jaago Re has.The likes are also a
reflection of how Tata Tea changed the target audience of tea from a middle-aged person to the youth
brigade hungry for change. And it did so without screaming the brand name out.

4. Are the companys IMC programs in tune with their efforts to build brand equity?
Yes, the companys IMC programs are in tune with its efforts to build brand equity. The company has
communicated itself very well as the medium of social awakening and this is how it has built its
brand. The tagline Jaago Re! is synonymous to Tata Tea all over India. It has aligned itself with
NGOs for the same purpose. For example, the campaign set out as a clear-cut issue of participatory
governance. So, the One Billion Votes property was created in association with Janaagraha, an NGO
based in Bangalore that works in the sector.
Together, Janaagraha and Jaago Re set out to register voters over a period of five years targeting the
top 35 cities of India. With Janaagrahas help, an online voter registration form was provided. In one
year, over six lakh voters registered on jaagore.com. Tata Tea did not stop there. Since the online
format would help only those with internet connectivity, it built teams to go on the ground to help
people vote. Talks were organised in over 200 of Indias largest colleges and companies to spread the
message and to organise on-the-spot voter registration drives.
Gradually, the campaign also became agnostic to the medium but loyal to the message. Tata Tea put
its muscle behind every single communication medium: TV, print, radio, online, and even sent
volunteers to places that have no access to these forms of communication. A lot of information which
goes on Facebook are created by thoughts that happen through the TV campaigns. This seamless
integration of communication has clearly made Jaago Re one of the lead campaigns for tea in India.