Yorkshire Tea has teamed up with The Gruffalo to promote a pledge to plant one million trees over five years.
The ‘Yorkshire Tree’ campaign, which launched today (6 March), will see the company invest £500,000 in hitting the target over a five-year period. The first 100,000 trees will be planted in the UK next week in partnership with The Woodland Trust, with the rest split between the UK and Kenya, one of the countries where Yorkshire Tea sources its produce.
The partnership with The Gruffalo will involve a themed microsite, interactive game and other downloadable assets, while the company will invest at least £2m over the five years of the campaign in associated PR and an on-pack promotion due later this year.
“The Gruffalo really brings to life the rationale for the tree planting and the story of our pledge,” said Yorkshire Tea brand manager Tom Blair. “The Gruffalo lives in the deep dark wood and his wood, like many others, is disappearing. Through the power of this story we hope to engage consumers in Yorkshire Tea’s passion for trees as well as drive brand consideration.
“Despite Yorkshire Tea being the only major tea brand in the UK to buck the trend of declining standard black tea sales, consumers tend to stick to traditional habits when it comes to the tea aisle. Shoppers buy the tea that they know best and very rarely consider switching. That’s where the Gruffalo brand will help bring something brand new to the category that make shoppers look twice at Yorkshire Tea.”
The Gruffalo had been a ‘cherished brand’ for 15 years,” said Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light Pictures, which owns the Gruffalo licence.
Sales of Yorkshire Tea were flat last year at £76.8m, while the tea category shrunk 2.3% to £600.8m [Nielsen 52 w/e 11 October 2014].
No comments yet