Over the years Tata Tea has come to stand for trust coupled with a strong and credible plantation tradition. This mega brand typifies the beliefs and commitments of the company and the meganess of its 'bush to cup' vision. It sends out the message that the tea in a Tata Tea packet is from the company's own gardens — providing better and consistent quality. It reflects the tremendous amount of research invested by Tata Tea in understanding consumer preference on one hand and growing top quality product on the other.

Tata Tea is a 'natural' blend, in that it captures the vigour and strength of upper Assam teas, thick and flavoury strains from gardens in Jorhat /Golaghat and the brightness and briskness of North Bank teas. This is the core strength of the brand and has made Tata Tea India's largest selling branded packet tea. "A brand cannot occupy the number one position for so many years without something being exceptional about it. People who have discovered its unique taste —  Tata Tea's great taste, have given this brand the edge it has over others in terms of consumer loyalty," says Homi Khusrokhan, managing director of Tata Tea Ltd. He attributes the great taste to the selective plucking of quality leaves nurtured expertly in Tata Tea's own plantations.

What Makes Tata Tea Number One
"Tata Tea's leadership position is the result of years of complete control over the entire 'bush to cup' process. Constant consumer and customer feedback traking, has enabled us refine our manufacture, selection and blending processes to ensure we maintain a competitive edge in satisfying their evolving taste preference across markets.

This is instrumental in establishing Tata Tea as the No. 1 brand in the Indian tea market," said Percy Siganporia, deputy managing director, Tata Tea. The brand enjoys strongest mind-share among tea labels (2001 ET-ORG survey) and has the highest penetration in various markets (2001 IRS survey). It is therefore the nation's first choice in every sense of the phrase.

The Communication Cascade
Talking about the new communication campaign, Vivek Mathur, Tata Tea's vice-president (marketing), said, "The recent revamp in the brand's communication has been enthusiastically received and is working well in establishing the meganess of the brand. The advertising seeks to bring out the width and depth of the Indian consumer's relationship with the taste of Tata Tea.

The new communication endeavours to define and add meaning to the company's 'bush to cup' vision. It emphasises on the detailing and the R&D efforts to ensure the finest quality by portraying vibrant, youthful and modern user imagery. While it cues upper middle class personality to build stronger aspirational values, it still retains an essence which is relatable by the cross-section of its varied-users.

Customer Focus
Tata Tea delivers a great cup of tea at a reasonable price to millions of consumers across the nation. Its top quality gardens span the length and breadth of Assam and North Bengal and cut across agro-climatic zones. This enables the company to create a superb tea blend, consistent at the core but customised to different geographical taste preferences. Tata Tea's general manager (marketing), Pankaj Dant said, Tata Tea takes care of the diversity of the Indian market in terms of taste.

The brand is available in different regional blends, at appropriate price points, to satisfy consumers in each market. "As the nation's most preferred choice in branded tea we cater to regional preferences in taste and give our customers in all parts of the country, the exact taste that he wants in his cup of tea," he said.

Ongoing Process ...
To further strengthen the Tata Tea platform, the packaging construct has been significantly upgraded for better barrier properties. This keeps the tea fresh for a longer period of time. The package graphics have been modernised and up-dated to relate better to the contemporary consumer. Pertinently, Tata Tea revolutionised branded tea retailing in India by offering the country's first poly-packed tea in the mid-eighties.

The consistency in the taste of the tea is a result of continuous improvement in the company's plantation operations, blending and packaging processes that ensure delivery of consistent customer specific formulations in the blend. Improved packaging with enhanced barrier properties ensure that the product formulation is then delivered in pristine condition, to consumers.

Tata Tea's continued focus on consumer feedback allied to its research and development at its three R&D centers in Assam, Munnar and Bangalore, leading to the delivery 'customer specific quality production' will ensure the company will consolidate and strengthen its leadership in the future.