Ethical tea brand Clipper has launched a new nationwide initiative, the Clipper Tea Shop Awards, to champion both the wide variety of tea shops and the great experiences that those in the out-of-home market deliver to customers and has brought in Kirstie Allsopp, self-confessed tea lover and TV personality, as a judge.

Clipper, the Fairtrade and organic tea brand owned by Wessanen UK, is inviting any relevant food service outlet that serves Clipper Teas to submit an entry via a dedicated area on the Clipper website from now until August 11 2017.

There are six different categories to enter: Traditional Tea Shop, Quirkiest Tea Shop, Contemporary Tea Shop, Cosiest Tea Shop, Coastal Tea Shop and the Tea Shop that provides the Best Afternoon Tea.

Clipper will pick the top six entries – one from each category – with the help of Kirstie Allsopp. Each shortlisted entry will win a bundle of bespoke Clipper prizes and will then go through to the next stage, which will be a consumer vote.

Once the shortlist has been announced, the awards will be opened to an online public vote in September to decide which tea shop will ultimately be crowned the Clipper Best Tea Shop in the UK.

Clipper is investing in dedicated social media and consumer PR activity, amplified through its relationship with Kirstie, to raise awareness amongst consumers and encourage more votes. Voting consumers will also have the chance to win afternoon tea at the winning Tea Shop with Kirstie.

The well-known TV presenter will visit the winning establishment and present them with the prestigious Clipper Cup, a cash prize of £2,000 and a range of Clipper products.

Kirstie Allsopp says: “I’ve been a Clipper fan ever since the brand launched and I am honoured to be part of this competition. Tea Shops are an old and exquisite tradition here in the UK and I am excited to see where the awards will finally take me for an amazing cup of tea. I usually take mine with a dash of milk and no sugar.”

Adele Ward, Clipper Teas brand controller at Wessanen UK, adds: “The UK has some of best and most unique tea shops in the world. From the traditional to the quirky, we want to celebrate our nation’s finest tea shops and reward those who work so hard to provide a relaxing and enjoyable space to savour a cup of Clipper tea.”

All the top-rated tea shops which enter will also be included in the definitive Clipper Tea Guide which will celebrate the UK’s best cups of Clipper.

Tea shops can submit an entry via an online entry form, available at www.clipper-teas.com/tea-shop-awards/

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Fairtrade green tea brand Clipper Teas is running a ‘New Year Revolutions’ integrated campaign with outdoor and transport advertising and a ‘money back’ promotion to encourage consumers to ‘turn over a new leaf’ in 2016.

Clipper Teas, owned by Wessanen UK, wants to attract both new green tea ‘considerers’ and existing green tea drinkers to the brand.

The two-pronged campaign will feature a heavyweight outdoor and transport campaign together with a playful online video shot using hidden cameras inside ClipperTeas’ very own ‘Truthful Green Tea Shop’.

Throughout January, consumers will be able to trial Clipper’s range of green tea packs with the reassurance of a ‘tastes great or your money bank’ promotional guarantee. The brand’s extensive promotional activity aims to ensure that new green tea drinkers become Clipper Teas drinkers this January.

The outdoor campaign will reach 90% of adults across London and the South East during January. The YouTube video, which light-heartedly questions some of the processes and ethics behind other green teas, will be shared extensively via bloggers and social media. Clipper Teas expects over 1 million people to watch the video during 2016.

The planned activity aims to attract new green tea ‘considerers’ as well as existing green tea drinkers to the Clipper Teas brand, capitalising on the annual sales uplift that is typically seen within the green tea market in the first month of the year.

Green tea has long been ClipperTeas heartland. 2015 saw the company add another 100,000 new green tea consumers and grow its total green tea penetration by 15%, according to Kantar Worldpanel figures.

“The green tea market has seen considerable growth over the past three years as healthy living continues to rise up the consumer agenda. But consumer concern over bitter-tasting green tea still remains,” said Rebecca Vercoe, Clipper Teas brand controller at Wessanen UK. “We’re looking to address this by introducing an even wider audience to the distinctively light and fresh, Clipper green tea taste profile.”

A recent Clipper Teas research study found that the single biggest barrier to green tea adoption was the perception that consumers were not going to like the taste. The company’s acquisition campaign looks to challenge this with a range of creative activations focused on taste.

Vercoe explains: “We believe that the more natural the tea, the more natural the taste. Clipper uses only young leaves and works closely with experienced growing partners to delicately process these, with nothing artificial added along the way. This means light, delicate and refreshing tea, with no bitter after-taste. The last thing we want is for new green tea drinkers to buy a green tea and then be put off forever, either because it doesn’t deliver on taste or it has a nasty after-taste due to poor processing, artificial flavourings or fortification.”

The new outdoor campaign has been created by Big Fish. The Truthful Green Tea Shop was conceived, produced and filmed by Exposure.

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