With all plans in place to re-launch Lipton Ice Tea this year, Pepsi is making sure it targets the right consumer segment this time. Social media is set to play a big role in building the brand.
“The target group for Lipton Ice Tea is a first jobber or college student in the age group 18-25 who seeks out new experiences. The consumer is well-informed, has an opinion and is keen to try and learn new things. Lipton Ice Tea has made a conscious decision to connect on a platform where the consumer is most comfortable – social media,” says Rashi Goel, Brand Manager, Lipton Ice Tea.
The brand has recently launched its ‘Chill Out’ Surprise campaign in Mumbai where it targeted ‘distressed tweeps’ (twitter users) in the city by giving them Lipton Tea gift hampers. The Lipton Ice Tea India Chill Out Surprise on Twitter has been one of the most successful activations. Goel says the company has the highest engagement percentages amongst brands on Facebook, “which is proof enough that we are able to connect with our audience.”
Early this year, HUL revived its distribution alliance with Pepsi to sell Lipton Ice Tea. Building the nascent category is now the onus of Pepsi. As Goel says, “Ice Tea is a nascent category and is largely restricted to cafes. The challenge of establishing the category is two-fold — creating awareness about the category and educating consumers about the ready-to-drink experience. This is possible through generating trials and sampling. Iced tea is also a differentiated beverage since it is non-carbonated.”
Claiming to be the ‘leading’ brand in the iced tea category, Pepsi competes with Nestle.
“Lipton Ice Tea India is the only national branded ready-to-drink packaged iced tea available and, in that sense, doesn’t have any competition. However, there are other players such as Georgia and Nestea which sell through powder and syrup-based vending. In the powder category, Nestea is the largest national player,” says Goel.