05.16.07
Judging a Book by its Cover
posted by Eric Sternfels | 12 comments
The introduction of tea into the machine of American (and perhaps global) marketing is here. I recently had opportunity to ponder the influence of good design on the marketing of tea and tea related products. Participating in the NYC Coffee and Tea Festival at the end of April, I was interested to see a predominance of new tea products rather than those promoting coffee. And what I also noted was the sophistication of the packaging of these products. There were Rooibos tisanes in custom tins, Matcha green chocolates sublimely wrapped, and delicate Chai almond cookies in exotic boxes. Indeed, the packaging was sophisticated and seductive and the products immediately seemed precious and valuable. And my reaction to the marketing strategy was indeed strongly of two minds.
Part of me still has a hereditary foot in the Depression Era sensibilities of my grandparents: If I'm buying cookies, wouldn't I prefer more of them for my money rather than pay for fancy packaging? But I'm also a late Baby Boomer who ponders existentially: Aren't I genuinely rewarded by the delight of unwrapping a clever and handsomely presented treat (which may in fact be more beneficial to me than the caloric/nutritional intake)? I'm split between these two perspectives and of course there's a third — environmental - spin to consider: If the packaging is special but only to entice the sale of the product, perhaps that's an indulgence I ought to resist. But if the packaging will help maintain and protect a product that may be slowly consumed, or if it may be reused or “repurposed”, than perhaps it is a worthwhile indulgence.
Of course the debate is skewed when marketing targets busy consumers who are also gift-givers. Buying a consumable product that looks like an indulgent gift eliminates the time and effort of gift-wrapping when that product is passed along to someone other than the buyer. And don't we delight in the notion of offering the gift of a special new product in an era when many have been there and done everything? And don't we love both giving and receiving a bit of luxury? Now that I've found great teas, I want to share them with folks I suspect will take the same special delight in consuming superior quality products that I've discovered with the growth of the tea industry. And good design in both product and packaging have value. What do you think?
May 16th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Good morning all, I believe the Time of Tea has arrived. Above the banner on the front page of this morning’s Allentown, PA Morning Call is the caption TEA’S HOT. For those of you who wish to read the a.m. Magazine article, go to http://www.mcall.com. It is in Section “E”….PJF
T Ching Editor’s note: click here to go to the article directly.
May 16th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
You’ve touched a few interesting points about marketing, Eric.
I can relate to all three of your thoughts, although I’ve never actually thought of unwrapping a product from its packaging as a reward (as opposed to, of course, unwrapping a present). Unfortunately, while nice packaging is appealing to most people, it says next to nothing about the quality of the product. If you’re just going “for the looks” (or the fancy, mouth-watering descriptions for that matter), you might end up a pretty disappointed customer.
For tea in specific, I think there is another aspect to the packaging that directly relates to quality. To preserve the aroma, flavor and - most importantly - freshness of tea, the packaging is very important for specialty teas. Ideally, they should be wrapped in an airtigtht and opaque package. Since I personally buy (and we sell) teas loose in bulk, the packaging is of minor aesthetic importance, it is mainly geared to preserve the quality of the tea.
In the last few years, many vendors of high quality teas have changed their packaging to resealable bags, which can be reused for many different purposes, therefore satisfying your environmental concern. We actually have many customers that reuse their packaging for tea: they bring back the original bag and have it refilled with their favorite tea!
Returning to your initial thought about the influence of good design on the marketing of tea, I think that T CHING (and its affililiated store) is a great example of enticing design. It certainly makes you WANT this tea or that teapot, doesn’t it?
May 17th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Great points, Mr. Sternfels! Thoughtful packaging definitely catches our attention and curiosity for the product. Packaging definitely plays a role in the product's perceived quality, collectibility and the justification for its price tag. The tea pictured above in your post is a proper example:
1. The brand logo is that of the Double Happiness (Shuang Xi) Chinese character. It makes a great wedding gift!
2. Within the Chinese character are couples in various sexual positions (the olden day’s manual of sex education, as in the Kama Sutra for the Chinese). Sex sells.
3. High quality carton box, silk embroidered bag, a nice card with narratives about the tea. All these add to the perceived prestigiousness of the item.
4. A numbered certificate. It’s limited to 2500 pieces only (gasp!).
How can anyone resist not getting it for whatever reason it may be?! The packaging entices so much on so many levels. The said tea was sold out in less than 24 hours after it was offered by the vendor at a selling price that is considered very high for a newly released vintage pu'er.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:25 am
What Phyll said was all true.
If anyone do not know, the tea on the picture is Xi-Zhi-Hao 2006 Fall Yi Wu cake made to celebrate the third anniversary of San Ho Tang tea factory. It is (was :-)) available at Hou de Asian Art.
I bought that tea, too. But I did not buy it of it’s packaging, but solely because I already know the quality of XZH products. I tasted its ten-year old product made by the very same leaves and it was an exquisite experience.
So even if those cakes are packed in simple packaging, I would buy it.
But the point is right, if an average customer had to choose from two teas, one exceptional quality, one ok quality but in a nice wrapping, same price for both, then s/he would probably choose the nicer packaged one.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:26 am
To Phyll : I forgot to mention, the vendor had 5 (five) cakes to sell.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
(I apologize if my discussion below is off-tangent to the post above)
Alfi, I’m so glad to see you chime in about the Xizihao (Xzh) tea above. Those obsessed about pu’er know that Xzh is widely acclaimed by the tea media and consumers alike for its collectibility and excellence in quality (and aging potential, too, I suppose).
In my humble opinion, to drive the point further:
1. Considering that the 2006 Xzh spring harvest Lao banzhang was available for $60 each (retail) about a month ago, the fall harvest at $140 is quite exorbitant in comparison. I understand that the pu’er market is crazy nowadays, with prices jumping up overnight and especially so for Banzhang teas. Spring harvest usually is perceived to be the better quality, though according to some, fall harvest can be as good if not better. It all depends. In any case, my understanding is that the spring harvest pu’er commands a higher pricing in the market for reasons I still don’t quite understand.
2. Three year anniversary? I might be wrong, but I am not aware of any special significance to the third year anniversary in the Chinese custom. So the packaging seems to convey a special celebration or a special item by signifying that it is Xzh’s 3-year anniversary product. Will they make the 4th year anniversary tea? 5th, 6th,…?
3. “No. 488/2500″. This is quite a tricky marketing scheme, imho. If there were oceans of Lao Banzhang raw material, and only the crème de la crème out of the huge arrays of quality was selected by Xzh, then the fact that only 2500 were made would have a significant meaning. However, Lao Banzhang raw material is very limited in quantity and most probably Xzh was only able to obtain so much anyway in autumn…the competition to obtain Lao Banzhang leaves is fierce, as I understand.
So how can a producer convince the consumers to buy its fall harvest tea that is priced 133% higher than its (supposedly better) spring harvest version? In my mind, the excellent packaging and marketing strategy would work well on the “average” consumer. I am an average consumer myself. I own several of the 06 spring harvest Lao Banzhang, the ones with the exquisite yin/yang calligraphy wrappers.
In no way I am trying to discount Xzh quality. I think Xzh makes great quality tea. I am only discussing its packaging, presentation and pricing.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
In response to Alfi and Jo:
I believe most marketing energies are indeed for first-time buyers and first-time consumers. Getting folks to try our products is the marketers realm, especially when competing products may be sitting side by side. In the minds of the public, perhaps the DESIGN quality of the packaging is a direct reflection of the quality of the unknown product inside. After that first purchase, it’s up to producers to create products whose excellence brings repeat buyers who may no longer need the packaging to “seal the deal”.
Of course there’s an entire second discussion we could have on whether “fancy” or “elaborate” packaging is, indeed, the equivalent of good design. I.e, is the gift more appealing in colorful patterned gift wrap versus a solid color wrap of artisan-made paper? That may say more about the education, culture, and tastes of the individual buyers.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Alfi, I’m sure you meant Lao Banzhang, when you wrote “Yiwu”.
May 20th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
We are surprised and delighted to see our GM (gen. mrchdse) section so active after being open only 2.5-3 weeks! We are finding incredible excitement about all things FINE loose leaf specialty tea. Very rewarding to see 3 years of research coming to life.
If any of you have really unique and lovely items up to $200.00 retail range, you can contact me through Sandy, who has my email, which I would prefer to keep private at this point and he can forward the info on, if he so desires.
May 21st, 2007 at 12:37 pm
To Phyll : Yes, I meant Lao Ban Zhang
And certainly, if there was 2006 XZH YiWu available for USD 80, then it is better to get that plus another great tea than spending the money on one 2006 XZH Lao Ban Zhang for USD 140,
At this point, pu’er prices are extremely high, given that 1997 XZH YiWu was sold for USD 157 and 1999 XZH MengSa for only USD 115 only a few months ago! I am fortunate to have bought 2 of 1997 tea, although the 1999 Mengsa was already sold out :-/
By the way, if you think about packaging - many people brew their tea with bottled spring water - that fact worries me more because so much plastic is thrown away after each tea session…
And, back to what Phyll and Eric said: would I buy that XZH if it is packed with plain paper? Sure!!! But its price should be correspondingly much lower…
May 21st, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Congratulations Team! That is great news to hear that you’ve started off your new venture with a bang. You must all be very excited. I know you have been working very hard getting ready for this so relish the fruits of your labors.
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Thanks, Sandy. I’m headed back up the mtn. Friday a.m. for Memorial Day weekend, the start of the tourist season, so hopefully a wonderful ‘real grand opening’ for us!! Your knowledge here will be an ongoing source of becoming more educated on tea and able to help our customers learn about this beverage and its’ many benefits!!