This isn’t the first time that a Signalwriter™ post has started off in one direction and ended up somewhere else. Not the first time I’ve written about beverage marketing, either. Just let me get the rant out of the way first:Attention, brand managers: Don’t mix your metaphors. Even if your customers don’t notice, someone will and make fun of you. (Much like this post.)
Noyu Teas has a sturdy concept for a very crowded category – a whole world of ready-to-drink (RTD) teas brought to America from the leading regional source of outstanding tea: “Joyful infusions of Asian fruits and freshly brewed estate grown whole tea leaves from the mountains of Taiwan.”
This one, the all-natural Mandarin Ginger Oolong Tea, is called Samurai Defender. Samurai = Japan. Product source = Taiwan. A mixed metaphor and a cultural mishmash in six words.
No one’s going to realize it. I know this. You have to dig into the company’s website to understand that the “defender” part of the fortified tea comes from 18 therapeutic herbs and other healthy ingredients that are supposed to aid in immune system defense. Maybe this copy is on the reverse of the PET bottle.
But once I get over the huff of the Creative Purist (that’s a laugh, eh?), I’m charmed by the apparent self-mockery of the website’s headline: I Wanna Noyu. The products are not available in Texas. The company appears to have skipped over mid-continent distributors on its way to New York and New Jersey from the Left Coast.
I wonder if Viet Hoang at Yellow magazine knows about this brand? So listen, Noyu founders. You ever sashay into Houston, I’ll rustle you up a tasting panel. Dad-blamed if we can’t turn tea sampling into a multi-cultural brand experience. Sayonara, y’all.
Thanks to Beverage Spectrum magazine for bringing this brand to my attention. Following its beat is always a treat.
1 comment:
Hi Richard, thanks for an interesting blog post.
Having lived in Taiwan for many years I can attest that the island actually has a rich blend of both traditional Chinese and Japanese influences as many people came to Taiwan from Mainland China and also that the country was under Japanese control for many years.
Taiwan abounds with richness from each of these cultures in food, language, art, martial arts and especially Tea culture. For instance the symbol for tea is the same in Chinese and Japanese and "Cha Noyu" Means "The Joy of Tea" or "Tea Ceremony" in Japanese. So, what we've tried to do is combine the best of both worlds (Chinese and Japanese tea cultures) and then convey it in such a way that it is appealing to a wide range of global consumers who want a super healthy and great tasting product.
Based on initial success with the brand, we seem to be succeeding grandly and always welcome comments and insights from our valued constituents, such as yourself. I certainly hope we will be able to serve the people in the great State of Texas with this amazing new brand soon and have a great Holiday Season! All the best.
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