Introduction.
ETTE is a Singaporean tea company that specialises in blends from South East Asia. Since its establishment in 2014, the company has grown into a modern and classic design with a mission to present fine teas to enthusiasts all over the world. Its most popular tea brand is the original Pandan Chiffon tea, which offers an excellent collection of gourmet and artisan tea blends (ETTE, n.d). ETTE’s vision is to become the world’s leading tea seller serving the global population. The company has adopted a series of strategies to ensure that it realises its vision. An example of these strategies is embracing innovation to achieve commercial success during periods that call for adaptability.
Its target market comprises individuals of all age groups with varying income levels. Its unique selling proposition (USP) is that its various tea brands offer health and recreational benefits to its target market (ETTE, n.d). Its tea brands, such as Mandarin red tea, are known for providing blood flow benefits to children and adults as it stimulates the brain to improve the respiratory system. Other tea brands, such as Peach Blossom, are known to provide weight benefits across all age groups as they are made of phytochemicals known for anti-obesity effects (Shang et al., 2021). With its unique and broad tea brands, the company is able to attract a wide range of target markets which strive to experience the different benefits that the teas offer.
The following section aims to present a new marketing plan for ETTE that will see its newly launched products succeed across the global market. The new IMC marketing plan entails advertising and exotic sensory appeals that are recommended for the business to implement so as to attract the target audience. In addition to the advertising and exotic sensory appeals, the new marketing plan also presents appropriate execution channel media.
Advertising Appeals.
Cultural Fusion.
The first advertising appeal recommended is the use of cultural fusion. As the company has expanded its global reach, the need to accommodate other diverse cultures has intensified. Cultural fusion refers to the integration of new information to develop new cultures and traditions. Figure 1 below is an illustration of cultural fusion for enhancing the marketing of a business (Maspul, 2023). Cultural fusion can play a pivotal role in controlling and influencing the sales of tea around the global market where ETTE sells its products. One of its major benefits is that it allows businesses to build stronger networks as businesses connect with more people from different cultures (Lyu et al., 2021). As ETTE expands its global reach, the company gains access to new opportunities for growth.
Another major benefit of using cultural fusion appeal is that it allows businesses to become more adaptable and resilient. The present business world presents a wide range of complex challenges that call for enhanced flexibility. The COVID-19 pandemic is a good illustration of the complex challenges that businesses have had to navigate in recent times. In such periods, cultural fusion enables companies to learn the different perspectives of doing things (Lyu et al., 2021). As the business incorporates new perspectives into its operations, it has become more valuable across different cultures, expanding its reach.
Figure 1.
(Maspul, 2023)
Exotic Sensory Appeal.
Tea and sensory appeals have been biologically proven to have a unique connection that businesses can leverage to improve their sales. A growing awareness of the health benefits of tea is an example of these exotic sensory appeals that ETTE can utilise to market its products. Various tea products, such as the Mandarin red tea offered by the company, have been proven to enhance individuals’ overall health in different ways (Shag et al., 2021). In addition to the health benefits of tea, another sensory appeal that the business can utilise is the enticing aromas of its products. Studies indicate that aroma is one of the essential aspects that are considered when determining whether a certain type of tea is of good quality. According to Yang and Lee (2020), flavourful tea is characterised by light, fresh and soothing fragrances that are largely considered sweet by consumers. ETTE can strive to highlight the key features of its tea’s aromas to ensure that customers are aware of the tea’s quality. Figure 2 below illustrates other different sensory appeals that ETTE can use to entice a new customer base and also retain the existing one.
Figure 2.
(Yang & Lee, 2020)
Advertising Executions.
Digital Storytelling.
Digital storytelling refers to when an entity shares a general sentiment using different tools and platforms. This era of advanced technological innovations has seen more organisations embrace digital storytelling due to its ability to reach a larger market. With the use of digital stories, ETTE will not only interact with a large customer base but also build trust and loyalty as individuals learn compelling background stories of the various types of tea (Barbosa et al., 2022). Through building trust and loyalty, digital storytelling will also enable ETTE to emotionally connect with its target market. Throughout the period of digital storytelling, customers are inundated with marketing ads that are based on real-life events (Nicoli et al., 2022). As customers interact with these ads more, they begin to emotionally connect with the products due to the emotions that the stories have. Figure 3 below illustrates an example of a digital storytelling process that companies can use.
Figure 3.
(Barbosa et al., 2022)
Interactive Tasting Events.
The second advertising execution proposed is interactive tasting events. Tasting events offer a wide range of benefits that ETTE can utilise. Drummond et al. (2020) state that these events provide the company with the opportunity to promote its various tea brands and display the wide range of cultures that it covers. Through these events, ETTE can display its unique style to the target market, allowing it to differentiate its style from that of the competitors. In addition, customers are also likely to experience the quality of tea provided by ETTE through the tasting events (Drummond et al., 2020). Testing tea quality provides customers with a sense of assurance as they experience it firsthand.
ETTE is also presented with the opportunity to showcase its presentation during the tasting events. Coyne (2020) indicates that presentation is an essential aspect of creating visual appeal to the customers. When customers are able to see a company’s presentation aspects, such as packaging, it creates a lasting memory. These aspects allow the company to strongly establish itself within the target market.
Proposed best Execution Channel/Media for the Proposed ETTE Campaign.
Social media marketing is an example of an execution channel that best suits the proposed marketing campaign of ETTE. Social media marketing refers to the use of different social media platforms to build a company’s brand. According to Drummond et al. (2020), social media marketing entails a wide range of components, including profile optimisation, posting engagement, advertising, and measuring. These processes enable businesses to complete a wide range of tasks vital for business success (Drummond et al., 2020). For instance, posting is an essential component of social media marketing that allows companies to share stories, photos and videos with the relevant target audience.
Aside from social media marketing, another relevant execution channel that best suits the proposed ETTE’s marketing campaign is influencer marketing. According to Leung et al. (2022), influencer marketing refers to a marketing approach that involves the use of endorsements and product placements from influencers. Recent advancements in technology have enhanced the importance of influencer marketing. Influential individuals such as celebrities present significant value to marketing campaigns as they have the ability to attract their followers to support a certain brand (Leung et al., 2022). Similarly, influential organisations also present significant value to marketing campaigns as they have huge followership that can enhance an organisation’s brand while also improving sales.
Podcasts are also another recommended execution channel that best fits the proposed ETTE’s marketing campaign. Podcasts have gained immense popularity in recent years as many people have expressed how they enjoy listening to them while doing other things. Podcasts are important for businesses as they allow them to communicate their value to the target market (Scott, 2020). For instance, in ETTE’s case, they can communicate the different benefits of the types of tea that it offers. These vital pieces of information can be accessed by customers at their own convenience, as podcasts are often pre-recorded and posted across different platforms.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing.
Social media marketing presents ETTE with a range of benefits as well as drawbacks. For instance, ETTE can create engaging imagery as an advertising execution. Social media marketing can allow ETTE to create organic content for its target market, which is unique and appealing. This organic content can create a lasting impression on the consumers’ minds, guiding them to interact with the business (Aspel et al., 2020). In addition to creating engaging imagery, ETTE can benefit from access to a larger target audience. ETTE can be able to find more leads that want the products through the different social media platforms. Businesses are able to adjust whether they want to reach local or international clients first. Additionally, social media marketing also allows businesses to connect directly with their audiences. When ETTE posts a product on different social media platforms, consumers respond with their feedback, allowing the business to know them better.
Despite the benefits of social media marketing, it can also present certain challenges to the business. One of these drawbacks is that negative feedback from clients can have more detrimental effects. Whenever customers post a negative review on a product, other potential buyers are likely to see this review and avoid engaging with the business. In addition to the effects of negative feedback, social media marketing also is associated with privacy and data security concerns. Companies can be victims of cyber crimes through social media marketing as cybercriminals constantly find loopholes. Data breaches can have far-reaching consequences, especially in jurisdictions where there are strict confidentiality rules (Coyne, 2020). The constant maintenance required for social media platforms can also be time and resource-consuming. ETTE might have to utilise a significant amount of resources as well as time to run the social media platforms effectively.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Influencer Marketing.
One of the main benefits that ETTE is likely to experience from adopting influencer marketing is increased brand awareness. TikTok influencers, for instance, have the ability to enhance a brand’s awareness across different age groups as they interact with a large number of followers regularly. In addition to enhancing brand awareness, influencer marketing can allow ETTE to gain credibility and trust across different cultures. According to Zhou et al. (2021), influencers are often trusted by their followers as they have a good reputation for endorsing quality products. Thirdly, the business can also benefit from breaking into new markets. Influencers have followers from different parts of the world. Their presence around the world presents the business with the opportunity to crack into new markets.
Despite the benefits of influencer marketing, it also comes with various disadvantages. One of its drawbacks is that it lessens the amount of control a business has over its operations. Businesses that use influencer marketing have less control as the influencer’s reputation can have a major impact on outcomes. In addition, influencer marketing is also costly. In order to work with the most popular influencers, businesses are compelled to spend huge amounts. The huge spending can have negative financial outcomes, especially when the business does not realise expected returns. Additionally, it is difficult to find the right influencer, depending on the product. Therefore, companies are exposed to the risk of partnering with the wrong influencer as it is easy to misinterpret based on followers.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Podcasts.
A major advantage of using podcasts as execution channels is that they expand communications offerings. Unlike other channels, podcasts present businesses with engaging ways to get their message to the target audience. ETTE can tailor its messages creatively in podcasts to ensure that a broad range of customers are reached. In addition, podcasts open opportunities for partnerships as the different information offered in detail can be attractive to other stakeholders (Nicoli et al., 2022). Thus, the business can benefit from collaborations, which are also key to gaining new customers. Further, as more clients have become more health conscious today, podcasts serve as an important channel for providing on-demand content. Customers seeking healthy diets are able to access information on the different types of tea at ETTE through podcasts.
Despite the benefits of podcasts, one of the major disadvantages that they present is the increased likelihood of loss of interest by customers. Without constantly reinventing the messages in the podcasts, customers are likely to lose interest, leading to a loss of target audience. In addition, the accessibility of podcasts heavily depends on the internet. Potential customers who do not have access to the internet may not be reached by the podcast episodes (Barbosa et al., 2022). Lastly, measuring the effectiveness of podcasts is often difficult as they are characterised by inconsistent or inaccurate metrics. As a result, it can be difficult for the business to gauge the success of the channel.
Conclusion.
In summary, this proposal presents appropriate strategies that ETTE tea company can use to navigate today’s market challenges and ensure that the new products introduced are successful. These strategies offered in the IMC marketing plan offer both short-term and long-term benefits. By incorporating the recommended approaches and channels, ETTE tea company stands to expand its reach around the globe by penetrating new markets. In addition, this proposal highlights the potential challenges the business may face while adopting the various channels. With the challenges in mind, the company can develop appropriate mitigation strategies that ensure the business makes the most of the benefits.
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