Long delayed Ceylon Tea promotional campaign to kick off in April
„Promotional fund to be used in full „Campaign to be executed over four years „5 – 10% growth in each target market by end of campaign „Eyes China to make up for lost markets
The long delayed global marketing campaign for Ceylon Tea is slated to kick off in April 2017, providing the local tea industry the opportunity to showcase itself on the international stage and regain its due status.
The global marketing campaign for Ceylon Tea is said to be materialising after issues on various levels being ironed out. Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake expressed confidence in the once struggling tea industry witnessing positive times ahead with prices improving with the mega campaign being realised. The Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) initially aimed to kick off the global campaign in mid 2012. But it was put off to October 2013, and then towards the end of January 2014 due to the lack of a suitable promotional partner. By Shabiya Ali Ahlam
Having finalised an advertising agency to conceptualize and implement the global Ceylon tea campaign, the exercise was hit with further delays with the tweaking of the marketing plan and later due to the directive of the Finance Ministry urging the money in the promotional fund being handed over to the treasury.
Minister Dissanayake said that it is has been unanimously agreed that the global marketing fund collected by way of a cess imposed on exports will remain with the Plantations Industries Ministry and will be used in full for the promotion activity. The fund of over US $ 50 million collected from exporters will be used in the campaign that will be executed over a span four years.
“The campaign will use the entire fund for the plan which is for four years. It will be staged out though. We are targeting individual countries and we hope by the end of the campaign to witness a growth of about 5 – 10 percent in each of our target markets,” said the minister.
Earlier it was shared that the campaign will be carried out in two phases, where coming under in the first phase will be the USA, UAE, UK, Japan, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Germany, China, Australia and India.
With Sri Lanka having lost its presence in key markets in the Middle East due to the ongoing turmoil, and Russia due to the depreciation of the rouble, the Minister pointed out Sri Lanka is eyeing China to make up for the loss.