Tata Tea commemorates its silver jubilee with 'Soch Badlo'

The brand dedicates its new campaign to the women of India, its target audience.

Tata Tea, the tea brand from the house of Tata Global Beverages, completes 25 years of its existence in the country. In an effort to strengthen its bond with its target consumer for decades -- the woman of the house -- the brand has extended its old promise of 'Jaago Re', to 'Soch Badlo'.

Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, the new television commercial is titled Soch Badlo. It has a pessimist husband, who discusses newspaper headlines with his wife, and how the nation suffers disgrace with numerous scams. The wife, on the other hand, responds with optimism.

Talking to afaqs!, Vikram Grover, head, marketing, Tata Global Beverages, says, "Tata Tea, as a brand, has worked for the last 25 years towards changing people's perceptions. It first began when the tea brand was launched in poly packs, at a time when tea brands were either available loose, or in cartons. The category went through a revolution for the next 15 years, with various tea brands going for poly pack packaging."

According to Grover, the next change came when the company completed the Tata Tea brand portfolio, ensuring that there was something available at every price point. The portfolio included Premium, Gold, Agni and Life.

"The third game-changing moment came when we launched the 'Jaago Re' concept, which created a strong connection between the brand and the thought, and also changed people's perceptions towards issues such as corruption and politics. This time, we thought of taking the idea ahead with 'Soch Badlo', as the nation has matured from the time when it was fashionable to talk about bringing about change to citizens who demand change."

Amer Jaleel, national creative director, Lowe Lintas, elaborates, "Each time, we picked up various themes like politics, corruption, and voting to talk about the need to change. This year, we thought we'll celebrate the change-maker, the woman of every Indian household, who shares a very strong bond with Tata Tea. The woman of the house tells many things, and at times, provides a new approach to look at things. For example, in this ad, she takes a look at all the negativity that is around with a new perspective, and feels it is better that finally, the truth unfolds, and makes way to usher in change."

Apart from the television campaign, Tata Tea will also launch a host of other activities, including a digital campaign.

Taking a leap

The TVC draws mixed reviews from advertising professionals; while the concept is appreciated, the execution seems to lack in creating an impact.

Calling it an insightful ad, Ryan Menezes, chief creative officer, Percept/H, says, "The TVC puts across an optimistic message without being preachy. The performances are great, especially that of the long-suffering wife, who deftly uses the brewing of tea to silence her whining, impatient husband, and all the naysayers amongst us. It's a nice way to celebrate 25 years, while saluting the nation."

For Suraja Kishore, national planning director, Publicis Ambience, the new TVC will be loved by women, as it is a social commentary made to their husbands about the way the nation is shaping up.

"Execution-wise, it is great. It integrates the process of making tea to that of making a nation. But, strategically, I think marking 25 years of Tata Tea could have been done in a way that was true to the brand, as it's a brand that's identified as an awakening agent of India. The role of the brand has been to shake people out of apathy towards a certain issue. Each story of 'Jaago Re' had an awakening moment that came as its high point. This one has no awakening moment, no cause to rally around. The story ends with 'Soch Badlo', which is just another expression of Jaago Re. But, it does not say what one should change," he adds.

According to Divyapratap Mehta, vice-president, planning, Grey, the TVC has some tones of the Hindustan Times campaign.

Mehta explains, "The campaign is a bit of a deviation from its activist tone in the earlier ads. Therefore, I feel it dilutes the attitude of the brand. It has lost the strong tonality that one expects from Tata Tea communication. Nevertheless, it also carries an interesting thought of awakening from the perspective of Soch Badlo. Also, the analogy of Desh Ubal Raha Hai is interesting."

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