Pepsico Pure
Leaf Tea
The Shift
Instead of ingredients
Craftsmanship
The Challenge
Position a product in a crowded space: Creating credible distinction for Pure Leaf premium tea
Consumers thought all tea was equal in the premium ready-to-drink category, so what would it take to elevate one brand above the rest?
The Insight
Every company romances their ingredients, so it was impossible to describe what’s in our tea in a way that mattered. Consumers liked terms such as: real brewed tea, real sugar, real tea leaves, no added sugar, no tea from powder, etc., but these terms did not elevate Pure Leaf over others in the category.
To elevate and differentiate Pure Leaf, we shifted the focus from the quality of the leaves to the craft of making the end product. We focused on what happens to the leaves after they are picked. And elevated the craftmanship involved in making great tea. In doing so, we could create better contrast between the quick and easy, large-scale method of the competition, and the quality and care that goes into making Pure Leaf.
With all companies using flowery language to romance their ingredients, it was impossible to set Pure Leaf apart by describing the quality of its tea leaves.
Instead, we shifted the focus to the care and expertise Pepsi applies at every step to go the extra mile from brew to bottle. A value proposition built on the patient craftsmanship involved in making Pure Leaf conjures an immediate contrast to the mass-production methods of competing teas.
The Result
PepsiCo successfully distinguished good and great tea, elevated the Pure Leaf brand, and helped it strengthen its category leadership.
