FUZETEA GREEN TEA 12 X 400 ML

Product Information

It is now being launched across Western, Central and Eastern Europe this month as part of Coca-Cola’s strategy to offer consumers more choice. It has definitely rapidly evolved, it’s in very different stages of development around the world,” he says. 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. The blends were developed at The Coca-Cola R&D centre in Brussels to appeal to evolving consumer preferences.

In June, Fuze Tea partnered with actress Joanna Lumley to encourage consumers to be more calm on their journeys to and from work. It included a digital video of the star surprising communicators with a book reading but was primarily a sampling campaign supported by out-of-home advertising, social and digital. Launched in March this year, ‘Made of Fusion’ marks a complete 180 break with Fuze Tea’s previous marketing outlook. The ad shows the world freeze as a man takes a sip of a Fuze Tea in the middle of a busy street. The voiceover encourages consumers to pause when life gets hectic, ending with the tagline: “Serve yourself a little me-time”.

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. Hinting at the brand’s further expansion, Wheen tells us that Fuze Tea is indeed working on a number of new products. We can assume that an expansion of the brand’s portfolio – which currently consists of Mango Camomile and Peach Hibiscus – may not be too far off. The drink, which will launch simultaneously across Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe, is already established in 40 markets. Coca-Cola is launching the first TV campaign for its iced drink Fuze Tea as it continues its push to diversify beyond fizzy drinks.

Fuze was initially launched in 2012 and achieved its status as one of Coca-Cola’s billion dollar brands in less than three years. The tea extracts in Fuze Tea come from 100% sustainably sourced tea leaves, contributing to Coca-Cola’s global aim to sustainably source 100% of its key agricultural ingredients and raw materials by 2020. Fuze Tea is also low in calories – between 14 and 19 calories per 100ml depending on the flavour – and sweetened with stevia in response to consumers’ increasing demands for different products. Simon Harrison, operational marketing director GB, Coca-Cola European Partners, said the time is right to broaden the reach of its portfolio and take advantage of a ‘significant opportunity for growth’. With a relatively undeveloped global marketplace in comparison to other soft drink sectors, Coke has pinpointed the iced tea category as a targeted area for rapid growth, which Wheen himself has already witnessed in his 15 years with the firm. 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.”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? We’re excited to launch burst two of our campaign and introduce our first UK TV spot, which continues upon our insight and encourages people to switch off as they commute home.”