Consumers & Consumption

The target group of Lipton ice tea are the “16-29 year old urban affluent healthy hedonists, young minded people, who enjoy life but also understand the importance of healthier choices”.

The need for a product arrives from a generic or basic need. A consumer may choose from various categories that may fulfill his/her requirement. For example water, beverage etc. The person will then choose his preferred category and will now start to evaluate various brands in that category. Once he is done evaluating various brands available, he will make a purchase decision based on factors like price, availability, value provided etc. After purchasing and consuming the product, he may buy the same product again or not based on his satisfaction from the product consumed.

In case of my product the process will go as follows:-
Problem Recognition----->   I am Thirsty ! My mouth is dry !

Information Search------->   How can I quench my thirst?. There are various options in front        
                                          of me like water, or perhaps a beverage, maybe something hot,
                                          or should I have something cold?!.

Evaluating Alternatives--->  Ok so Ive decided to have something cold and refreshing.Ive              
                                           got options like Lipton Ice Tea, Nestea, Coke, Pepsi etc. Let me
                                           find out their prices, availability, quantity etc.

Purchase Decision--------> So now that I have evaluated my options,Im going to purchase
                                          Lipton Ice Tea because it meets my requirements.

PostPurchase Behavior--> Am I satisfied with the taste, the quantity, the price of Lipton Ice 
                                           Tea? If Yes then great, let me go and get another one. If No, 
                                           then, Ill buy another brand or category to fulfill my thirst.

Its very important for an organization to understands various aspects of buying behavior of a customer. Its relevant because it helps the brand to strategize and take conscious decisions regarding increasing sales of its product and to provide maximum value to its customers.

Value

The second lecture of our marketing class was focused around a single word of VALUE.

So what is Value?

Before I ‘try’ to answer this Question, let me give you a brief idea about my product.

Lipton Ice Tea is made of tea leaves, real sugar with natural fruity flavors. It promises to refresh your body and soul naturally. Its healthy and a refreshing beverage.

Value is anything that is important, worth, or useful to something or someone.

To an organization, its customers are its value. The goal is to keep its customers happy at any cost. People associate different value with different images. It is highly important for an organization to create, deliver & retain value.

The following is the value proposition of Lipton Ice Tea:-

To a Customer-       Reputed Brand, Strong Heritage
To a Consumer-      Simple to use,Quality of the Drink and the satisfaction derived from it.
To a Retailer-          Good Packaging and Cheaper in Bulk.

Lipton Ice Tea is a part of the health & wellness portfolio of the Lipton brand.

It wasn’t an easy task for them to enter the Indian market. There were few basic questions that needed answering, for example, were Indians ready for such a beverage?. We perceive tea to be something hot. It had initially launched in 2004 but was ‘ahead of its time’. There was a gap between intent and action.

At a cost of Rs.85 for a 250g powder pack, Rs.75 for a tetrapak, and Rs15 for a sampler pack, Lipton Ice Tea was providing good value to its customers in terms of price.

The Customers of this brand are satisfied and content the quality and quantity it provides.

Lipton Ice Tea

-Get Ready to Taste the Sun
                       Taste the Fruit
                       Taste the Bright side

  I remember when i was around 7 years old, my elder sister had joined an informal drawing classes, most of which happened in our house. Students used to come to our home and learn various drawing skills from a teacher named Mrs. Seema. This was the year when the world was waiting for the consequences of the y2k bug.

 Mrs. Seema, back then, introduced me and a few others to a product named Lipton Ice Tea. Every class she used to get everyone a can of that drink. That drink fascinated me, it was something different, it felt good and refreshing. I really started to enjoy those drawing sessions.

Fast forward 15 years, and I have now joined SIMC’s MBA course.
My Marketing Management Professor Mr. Chandan Chatterjee, gave us an interesting assignment to write a Marketing Diary on a product of our choice. For some reason I was having a hard time choosing my product. One day, me and a few friends were sipping on some ice tea bought from the local store. Turns out that the answer was right in front of me .

LIPTON ICE TEA. PERFECT !

So now that I found my product, what next?.
I have to relate whatever has been taught in class with my product.

In our very first lecture, we discussed the fundamental question. What is Marketing?
Its all about creating, generating & maintaining demand for a product. Its is very important to maintain the Brand value of the product and the organization throughout. And I believe Lipton has been very successful in achieving the above.

Lipton is a brand of tea which was introduced in 1890, named after its founder Thomas lipton. It has a strong legacy and a worldwide presence.

Lipton has leveraged its brand image to launch various products including Lipton Ice Tea.

Coming back to the basic question, has Lipton Ice Tea managed to create, generate and maintain demand?, an absolute Yes. Me along with millions of others are a living proof of that!