Monthly Archives: April 2013

Note: The article was published in Deccan Herald by Kusum Kanojia on April 25, 2013. It features findings from a category research done by MavenMagnet.

Tea lovers and the health conscious it appears, have finally acknowledged and woken up to the goodness of green tea. A research conducted by MavenMagnet concluded that Indians love green tea today more than ever.

The result was based on an analysis of over 9000 conversations from the social media space in the past one year. And, it came out that 78 per cent Indians have a positive take on green tea with the Southern region topping the list. The flavours, however, vary on the basis of region.

Ice cool it, brew it with fruits or serve it piping hot – green tea emerges a winner. Best enjoyed without milk and sugar, green tea does wonders even when simply brewed in boiling water. For those who are not so calorie conscious, a small dollop of cream should do.

Tata Global Beverages, which analysed the research, informs that north Indians relish and rely on green tea with lemonade while amla ginger tea works best in searing summer of the Southern region. The Eastrners enjoy mango flavored green tea while central India beats the heat with jaljeera flavored green tea. As for the West, it experiences green tea with aloe vera flavor.

Green tea leaves undergo minimal oxidation process. The antioxidants, therefore, in green tea prevent damage to healthy cells and tissues caused by harmful UV rays.

Dr Karuna Malhotra, a homeopath physician, says: “Oligomeric proanthocyanidins is one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature and the high levels of the same are present in green tea. It helps in slowing down the premature ageing process thus leaving your skin youthful.”

“It also reduces blood fat while detoxifying the body and suppressing untimely food cravings,” she adds.

The flavors preferred work best as per the weather conditions of these regions. Living in the hot plains of the north India is no less than a challenge given the extreme weather conditions. With this, come problems like heat strokes, nausea and acute dehydration.

While colas provide temporary relief from the heat they are high on unhealthy acids sugar content that do more harm than good. Green tea comes as a relief as it contains antioxidants that help in coping dehydration better.

The south essentially experiences a tropical climate . The hot and humid climate makes one sweat, lowering down the water content in body. Amla tea is good for summer season as amla berries are a natural source of Vitamin C, which helps in building immunity system and improves resistance of the body.

Summer in central India is hot, dry, and windy where temperatures easily touch above 40 degrees and plus. The cooling properties of green tea with jaljeera flavor work great against the temperature of the region.

East India blends the benefits of unripe mangoes with the goodness of green tea. Mangoes with green tea extract help in replenishing essential body nutrients and salts along with improving body’s metabolic rate.

Vikram Grover, Vice President (Marketing), Tata Global Beverages, says: “This survey helps us in understanding that green tea has been positively spoken about and people are adopting the habit of drinking it for wellness purpose. It means it is no longer viewed as a lifestyle beverage. So when you have an interesting blend of health and taste, there’s no excuse.”

Identity is something that defines you. It’s what you stand for and what people expect from you. It is important for everyone to create an identity and be true to it. The same holds true for a business.

Why is it that important to have an identity? The reason is quite simple. You cannot be everything for everyone. You need to define your niche. The one thing you are great at doing. The one thing you do better than everyone else.

Take entertainment industry for example. Most successful individuals as well as businesses in this industry have an identity. Aaron Sorkin, the guy behind TV shows like The West Wing and The Newsroom, has an identity. His shows focus on the what goes behind the scene, whether it’s how the people behind the President runs a country (The West Wing), or how a great anchor does news (The Newsroom), or how a live sketch comedy show is put together in a week (Studio 60 at the Sunset Strip). He is great at it and has stuck to the same pattern even when doing movies like Moneyball (how a perfect baseball team was put together with limited resources) and the Social Network (what went behind creating the biggest online social network).

Same is true for successful businesses. Disney has an identity of being the perfect place for wholesome family entertainment which ranges from a dozen TV channels to movies to theme parks. They are always true to it and you as a consumer have perfect sense of what to expect from them.

It all seems to simple and straightforward. You find your niche, understand what you are good at and stick to it. So why does everyone not have a strong identity? There are a couple of reasons for that. First is greed. You think you can do everything and can be the best at everything. This is rarely true and leads to losing the identity. Second is lack of focus. It is hard to be really good at one thing and build an identity.You got to have good focus and stick to that one thing. It takes time and effort at building the identity and many people get lost in between.

We at MavenMagnet have defined an identity and are true to it. We do market research leveraging the power of online conversation and are great at it, better than everyone else.