Tea trade associations, research institutes, tea boards, tea brands, and the United Nations Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG/Tea) are organizing to promote #TeaPower on May 21, International Tea Day.
The online and event-based marketing program heralds the benefits of including tea in every high-energy fitness regimen, from organized sports and cycling to nature walks and solo ascents. Messaging targets youth, but the findings on dietary benefits and hydration are science-backed and essential to healthy living.
Shabnam Weber is president of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada and co-chair of the United Nations IGG Working Group on Tea and Health, which developed the program. She says #TeaPower is “the perfect pitch for younger generations looking to increase their performance and energy levels while staying healthy.”
Sharon Hall, CEO of the UK Tea & Infusions Association, writes, “There has been a global increase in consumer awareness of a healthy lifestyle, and dietary habits are changing in response to known linkages between diet and health. However, many promotional campaigns focus on health benefits that address the concerns of older generations, heart health, bone health, etc., topics that the younger generation does not relate to. To successfully target younger consumers, a unified global campaign will link tea drinking to benefits relevant to that younger audience.”
Weber explains that hashtags connect the whole conversation. “If we share the same hashtag, we’re all sending out the same message,” she said.
"Well, the beauty of this campaign is that it is whatever you want to make of it. That means putting together this package that we’ll deliver to all the IGG members. Then, every member will roll it out however they want to,” said Weber.
“This is an opportunity to demonstrate the power of speaking with one voice. Our messaging might be slightly different, depending on the market, but everyone needs to understand how critical this is to the industry,” she said.