FUZETEA GREEN TEA 12 X 400 ML

Product Information

Fuze Tea is a fusion of fruit flavours, botanicals, tea extracts and other ingredients to create a ‘fresh, contemporary tea taste’ and premium alternative to other iced teas. The brand is already established in 40 markets worldwide including the US and Australia. Over the course of its 136-year history, Coca-Cola has achieved near-total domination of the global soft drinks market, barring the odd hermit state of the likes of Cuba and North Korea. It is the second UK bottled tea launch for CCEP in just over a year, after US brand Honest arrived in December 2016 to challenge Britvic’s Lipton. You’ve got markets like Japan, China and North America, which have very established iced tea categories, where we’ve got good, strong positions and we can see how the future of the category is very strong.”

We really think it’s something which will bring something new and motivating to consumers, but it’s also competitive in the marketplace. I think what the platform does is bring a natural halo to the brand.Coca-Cola European Partners is bringing low-calorie premium iced tea brand Fuze to the UK, boosting the number of the soft drink giant’s products exempt from the impending sugar tax.

However, Fuze Tea has now gained a 14% market share on the continent, and continues to outstrip its competitors on the global scene. Could this then signal the beginnings of a shift in the traditional status quo? Wheen indicates that Made of Fusion will be shaping the brand’s strategic direction for several years to come: “It’s definitely long term, meaning three years plus. We’re looking to move from campaigns, which may have only been six months or a year in nature, to platforms on which we can build year on year, so that consumers have a consistent experience of what the brand is.” This summer’s campaign aims to promote mindfulness and mental wellbeing among consumers, after a survey showed 64% of adults neglect relaxation techniques that take longer than 15 minutes [3]. It includes a TV advert that will run during prime time spots throughout June, which emphasises the importance of taking a moment of calm. The brand will also be running a radio and out-of-home advertising campaign as well as executing geo-targeted adverts to direct shoppers to the nearest retailer selling Fuze Tea, helping to drive footfall and sales for customers. Building a brand into a major new player in an already established and somewhat crowded category would be a tall ask for anyone. But then of course Coke isn’t just anyone, and the tools it has at its disposal simply aren’t available to most other brands. So just how has Fuze Tea managed to shake up the iced tea category, and become the fastest growing brand in the sector? Wheen believes firstly that differentiation is key – as Fuze Tea’s blend of flavours offers something different to the traditional key players – but he has also earmarked the new ‘Made of Fusion’ platform as the tool he believes will really enable the brand to plough its own furrow right through the heart of the market.With the roll out set for 87 markets around the globe, Coke clearly has confidence in the new platform, designed by IPG-owned agency McCann Worldgroup.

In line with Coca-Cola’s sustainability targets for 2020, Fuze is made using 100% sustainably-sourced tea leaves. It is primarily sweetened with stevia and contains about 4g of sugar per 10oml and 14-19 calories. Launched in March this year, ‘Made of Fusion’ marks a complete 180 break with Fuze Tea’s previous marketing outlook.It has definitely rapidly evolved, it’s in very different stages of development around the world,” he says. Fuze Tea contains between 14 and 19 calories per 100ml, depending on the flavor, and is sweetened with stevia glycosides. Containing around 4 grams sugar per 100ml, it will escape the UK’s soft drinks industry which applies to drinks with 5g/100ml and above. Having recently launched a new, global marketing platform, ‘Made of Fusion’, Marketing Beat sat down with Coke’s senior director of brand strategy for tea, George Wheen, to discuss Fuze Tea’s long-term ambitions within the category.