Sunshine ad hits screens

Ice tea brand reveals plan for big summer spend

lipton-ice-tea-bottle
The core Lipton ice tea range is available in 500ml bottles

THE company behind ice tea brand Lipton is bringing a ray of sunshine to TV screens this summer with a major new ad campaign.

The £3 million Sunshine Makes It Better campaign is set to run for seven weeks, with a five-week run for the brand’s new TV ad, and includes digital activity, sampling and promotions within venues.

Brand owner Britvic claims ice tea is the fastest growing category in soft drinks, expanding at a rate of 37%.

Quoting Nielsen data that places Lipton Ice Tea as the number one brand in the category, Britvic said this presents a significant growth opportunity for licensees.

Rachel Phillips, out of home commercial director at Britvic, said: “Given that every £7 in £10 spent on ice tea is spent on Lipton Ice Tea, we are confident we can command this space in the foodservice channel.

liptons-ice-tea-serve-suggestions
The Lipton website has a range of suggestions for serves using ice tea as their base

“Five million UK consumers are already buying ice tea and penetration is at 10%, so make sure you display the Lipton Ice Tea core range clearly in chillers to appeal to existing and new consumers looking for a healthier alternative without compromising on taste.”

She added that the campaign should “help licensees capitalise on vital summer soft drink sales – a period when the category thrives”.

Britvic advised operators to keep ice tea in chillers for best serve and Phillips pointed out that the Lipton portfolio is low in calories and falls below the sugar levy, with no artificial colours or preservatives, which she said makes it suitable to help meet the rising health trend amongst consumers.

The Lipton core range includes Peach, Lemon, Mango and Raspberry flavours with an RRP of £1.39 for a 500ml bottle.

Lipton is promoting a range of serves using its ice tea products as a base.

These alcohol-free drinks include Mint Tea Juleps (mixing Lipton’s green tea with fresh mint and orange juice), Pina Tea-La da (the brand’s lemon flavour, mixed with pineapple juice and cream of coconut), White Citrus Sangria (the lemon variant with white grape juice and orange juice) and Triple Lemon Drop (the lemon ice tea mixed with lemonade).