To have a differentiated position on the market, to fulfill customer wishes and to be aware of competitors of central importance, the brand should present the benefits of it’s product or service as clearly and effectively as possible. The main aim of brand strategy and positioning is to reinforce what the brand stands for, how it stands out from the competition, what its strengths are, and to clearly define the target groups. This all should be done in the context of the particular market the brand deals with, and it’s specific competitive environment.
Taiwanese tea market is huge and has hundreds of brands which have to differ from each other. For our research it was important to examine such issue as corporate identity to see how do brands build up their visual appearance in order to remain relevant, differentiated and authentic. We compared four different identities from the brands we have chosen to research on and have found some interesting points. As a rule the color, typography, illustration make the brand visible and unique but each brand finds it’s own way to communicate with customers.
Ten Ren
Traditional brand with a strong advertisement politic. Within one brand there are many marks and visual identities. The price and product quality are intensively represented by the package. The brand established also chain of tea houses called “Cha for Tea”. “Ten Ren” buys tea from their own tea farmers, they own tea plantations. Their potential clients are middle-class companies, which buy it like wholesailers. The shop is situated in the business area of the city.
Wang de Chuan
The fifth generation of a tea house founded in 1862 has successfully restarted the family business by creating a trendy brand targeting customers beyond the traditional senior citizens.
“My family has sold tea for over 100 years, but I’m the one who began building the brand,” said Wang Chun-chin, who opened Wang De Chuan Tea House in 2002. They produce tea pots and grow tea by themselves.
The shop is situated in the area where there are many business centres and expensive shops. On the second floor of the tea shop there is a meeting place for handling with vip clients.
Wang de Chuan tea brand can be considered as a luxurious brand due to it’s visual appearance, quality and price policy. The brand has very strong corporate identity. Red color and pure minimalistic logo are quickly to remember and remind of history, king dynasties, ricness and power. The brand has both chinese and english name and mentions also the date it was founded.
To attract younger generations of customers, the tea house has introduced tea in smaller cans that are easy to carry, and is set to open a “Tea Salon”.
Zenique
With the aspiration of « introducing the goodies of Taiwan to the world », Zenique was founded in Taipei in 2006. Zenique is a modern tea brand using minimalistic design solutions. The word “Zen” is coming from buddhism and means relaxation, meditation and harmony. The “ique” at the end of the word “Zenique” connects brand to the european culture and french language . The brand has few stores and a tea salon which offers a huge range of Zenique tea products and is situated in bohemian area of the city. Another brand shop is situated in an entertainment area of Taipei where there are many night clubs and stores for young people.The shops and tea salon offer desserts to eat (popular french sweets - macarons etc). The brand sets simplicity and nature as the original intentions in life. The black background is coupled with sleek, grey concrete, while the warmth of wood is also introduced. Zenique presents itself as a brand trying to stay true to its initial vision of “respecting the nature and innovating the design”. Only 100% organic tea leaves are used to brew Zenique teas.
Emperor Love
An experimental brand, it has a tea boutique in the centre of Taipei. The shop has also tea cafe. Their main idea is to mix traditional chinese tea with herbs, flowers or european tea flavours. They offer their consumers to smell all teas which is a strong motivation to buy it. The shop is situated in the shopping area of Taipei city with many small designer stores and original cafés.