Kusmi Tea & Mariage Frères: A similar Communication approach

MARIAGE FRERES

Mariage Frères never launches any advertising campaigns. Kitti Cha Sangmanee, one of the directors says that he doesn’t want to transform Mariage Frères in an industry. He wants to control everything to preserve the brands privacy as well as the quality and tradition. That’s the reason they never advertise.
But how did they become one of the world’s most appreciated tea brands? Of course they have tea emporiums, tea salons where you can also eat dishes made with tea and tea museums, but those establishments increase their visibility, but how do they communicate? Well, by their favorite means of communication: word of mouth & luxury partnerships.

Since they have a very specific target market, they are very well appreciated by the fashion industry. This gives them some communication opportunities that not every brand can afford. In London, Mariage Frères tea is served at fashion shows. In Milan, they are associated with Vogue, a high end, worldwide recognized fashion and lifestyle magazine. In France, they are the official supplier of l’Elysée. What better way to get known by fashionable consumers that spend a lot of money? But not only…

QueenElizabeth2-MariageFreresTea-2014-06-07-5-PhotoPaulDelort-MairieDeParis-1050x700.jpg
Queen Elizabeth II receives tea from Anne Hidalgo
In 2013, Paris asked Mariage Frères to create 3 types of tea that represent the city. These three teas were given as an official gift by the major of Paris Anne Hidalgo to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited France. What better way to get known? They have really accomplished to have a luxury positionning. Even when you are not situated in their target market, you want to buy Mariage Frères tea, because you want to drink the same tea as the Queen of England, or one of your favorite celebrities. It seems that everyone drinks Mariage Frères tea.


In a nutshell, Mariage Frères doesn’t need to advertise. It is done for them throughout their partnerships, their ambassadors that drink tea because they like it, not because they are paid to do so. Which is a luxury that not every brand can afford.


KUSMI TEA

Just like Mariage Frères, Kusmi hasn’t bought any advertising spaces in magazines, they don’t have a print campaign...YET. Unlike Mariage Frères, this choice is not initially a strategic choice, they didn’t do it because it is too expensive.
However, in 2013, they launched their first advertising campaign, 3 spots, a trilogy called “the beauty of blends” shot underwater were the merge of the blends is represented by people that come together.

Besides that campaign, they more or less use the same means of communication as Mariage Frères. They plan a lot of events such as Kusmi Tea parties for the christening of the stores, but also special events for influential bloggers, they target a “boho-chic” clientele.
Since the target market is not the same, their partnerships are not the same as Mariage Frères. Kusmi Tea builds events with upcoming brands such as Paulette magazine, a 100% feminin magazine.

In a nutshell, the most important for both brands is word of mouth even if neither their positioning nor their target market is the same.

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