One of the most common questions I am asked is, “How do you come up with all these BLArticle™ topics?” My answer is this: “I am what you might call a methodically observant person.” That means that I look for lessons in almost everything I do. I look for a lesson through the people I meet, the businesses I consult with, the seminars I deliver, and even the tea bags that arrive at my dinner table.
While in Las Vegas, I got together with a couple of old friends for dinner. This was no ordinary dinner; it was a special dinner reuniting three close friends who had not been together in over 35 years. It was only fitting that we wound up at a very nice restaurant. The staff at this restaurant seemed to take pride in not just what they served, but how they served it. The waiters were topnotch, the ambiance was terrific, and the food was delicious. There was one small product, however, that appeared on our table after the meal, and it made quite an impression on me. It called itself “Earl Gray Tea,” and it was unique.
If you’re a tea drinker, I’ll bet you are well aware of Earl Gray tea. It happens to be one of the most popular teas sold, both here and abroad. It wasn’t the name that made it unique.
It tasted pretty good, but it wasn’t the flavor that made it unique.
Unless I missed something, the hot water looked like any other water I’d ever seen: It wasn’t the water that made it unique.
The teacup looked rather ordinary, as did the spoon, and the sweetener was predictable as well. None of these things made it unique.
What made it unique was the packaging. You may not think that you could creatively package a tea bag, but you are wrong. I’m not even sure you would call this a tea bag; it looked more like a tea pyramid… with a leaf growing out of it! It didn’t change the flavor in any way, but it did do something important. It changed the experience. It made us notice the product. It made us talk about the product. It made us pay more for the product. If we were to come back, it would make us seek out the product again. It even made someone write about the product!
Welcome to the world of packaging. In a product line whose biggest deviation in the past decade has been to create a big traveling box of tea bags that all look alike, the tea pyramid… with a leaf growing out of it, seems to have pushed the envelope. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this cup of tea, with the magic tea pyramid… that had a leaf growing out of it, had a price tag of $7.00.
I know what you might be thinking: “Isn’t this the guy who just told us not to use an analogy of a Cadillac because it conjured up thoughts of unnecessary cost?” I want to remind you of where I found this tea pyramid… with a leaf growing out of it. This wasn’t an IHOP where an entire thermos of Earl Gray tea would be served for a fraction of the cost. No, this was a trendy premium restaurant, in a high-class hotel, on the strip in Las Vegas. Here, that packaging was right for that audience, and it worked!
It worked because the restaurant is well aware of its particular niche, and used this simple packaging approach to offer its clientele something unique and special. Once upon a time, another company took both coffee and tea, repackaged the entire experience, tripled the price in doing it and has become one of the most successful “chain stores” that exist today. That company, Starbucks, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Priceless Blarticle, Rob!! Have never seen that packaging, so clearly I’m not hanging out at the same poch places you are! Glad you enjoyed Vegas. 🙂
Nice Lesson Rob. Good to set packaging in line with the niche served and easier to do so with set conditions chosen. Raises the thought of adapting ones packaging when selling the same product to different niches. As the tea-bag is packaged differently at the IHOP than Spago, knowing the conditions of the niches we want to work with help us make our personal packaging amenable. You felt the tea-bag aligned with the conditions you chose, but I bet it’s tougher to sell you a $7 tea-bag walking in to your turf. Thanks for the mental stimulus.
Rob…as one of the “old friends” to whom you referred (yes, I do forgive you), I was there to witness the tea bag ogling. It is amazing how packaging touches each of in a different. One of the appeals of packaging is the sensory experience and this can happen anywhere: at home, in the store, from a mail order, or even at a restaurant. We have a lot more info on package design and strategy at our site, http://www.shelfimpact.com. Thanks for the write up and especially the opportunity to reunite after 35 years! Let’s stay in touch.
RJ,
This was a very insightful observation. I think you could build on this even further. Because, as you said, you were in a fairly rarefied dining experience your expectations for everything served was heightened. If your tea costs double what you would normally pay then your expectation is that it shouldn’t be just a ordinary product. And it wasn’t. I was surprised that the restaurant Didn’t make the whole tea experience commensurate with the tea product (Nice cup, special sweetners, etc). I would think that if they had done that, as a consumer you would have probably thought after drinking the tea, that that was the Best Earl Gray you’ve ever had! It may have been a purely subjective reaction, but it was conditioned by the environment. I think you have hit on an important theme on all this, call it the Hawthorne Effect of consumer expectations. By raising the level of expectation, in this case the method of presentation, the purveyor raises the level of (hopefully positive)reaction by the consumer, and thus justifying in the consumer’s mind the reason they are paying a premium. What do you think?….cheers, my friend
Rob – another ‘shorter’ way of saying what you just said is……..
“Don’t try to put a square peg – into a round hole”!
Keep up the good work!
John M.
“C.T.”
I have had the pleasure of receiving the same tea bag at finer restaurants. And, yes, I have been impressed by the difference a look can make. Panara Bread has round tea bags and they give me a certain feeling of completeness. The pyramidal shape lends itself to a sophisticated concept of rising to the occasion. The tea bags without tags lack something for me. I always enjoy Mighty Leaf for its silkiness. Lipton has tried to copy it , but it use’s synthetic material…”polyester is not my cup of tea.”
Isabel Einzig-Wein
Vegas..one of my favorite places..the entire city is a lesson in “packaging”..but then..what does this really say about us?..is the tea “experience” really that much better or do we perceive ourselves as better because we drink it.. just a thought..either way embrace the truth..no judgement here..I’ve enjoyed the tea several times..at least it’s not the “Kool Aid”..which gave an interesting presentation to drink for an experience.
(re:Jim Jones for those unfamiliar)