The launch marked “a fantastic opportunity to provide new, more sophisticated flavours to more people” said CCEP customer marketing director Simon Harrison. Research was conducted by Atomik Research among 2,002 UK Adults aged 18+. The research fieldwork took place between the 10th and the 13th of May 2019. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.

It is the second UK bottled tea launch for CCEP in just over a year, after US brand Honest arrived in December 2016 to challenge Britvic’s Lipton. Building a brand into a major new player in an already established and somewhat crowded category would be a tall ask for anyone. But then of course Coke isn’t just anyone, and the tools it has at its disposal simply aren’t available to most other brands. 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.From a taste perspective, it is a sort of a new sensorial experience, which is very revitalising for consumers.” Coca-Cola European Partners has announced the launch of the globally successful, premium iced tea brand Fuze Tea in GB – a fusion of the flavours of fruits, botanicals and tea, with two low sugar variants.

Fuze Tea contains between 14 and 19 calories per 100ml, depending on the flavor, and is sweetened with stevia glycosides. Containing around 4 grams sugar per 100ml, it will escape the UK’s soft drinks industry which applies to drinks with 5g/100ml and above. Launched in March this year, ‘Made of Fusion’ marks a complete 180 break with Fuze Tea’s previous marketing outlook. Fuze Tea is a unique fusion of fruit flavours, botanicals, tea extracts and other ingredients which deliver a fresh, contemporary tea taste, offering a premium alternative within the iced tea category. It initially launched in 2012 in 14 international markets and saw accelerated growth to billion-dollar status in less than three years. This summer’s campaign aims to promote mindfulness and mental wellbeing among consumers, after a survey showed 64% of adults neglect relaxation techniques that take longer than 15 minutes [3]. It includes a TV advert that will run during prime time spots throughout June, which emphasises the importance of taking a moment of calm. The brand will also be running a radio and out-of-home advertising campaign as well as executing geo-targeted adverts to direct shoppers to the nearest retailer selling Fuze Tea, helping to drive footfall and sales for customers.The drink, which will launch simultaneously across Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe, is already established in 40 markets. Coca-Cola European Partners is bringing low-calorie premium iced tea brand Fuze to the UK, boosting the number of the soft drink giant’s products exempt from the impending sugar tax.

Wheen indicates that Made of Fusion will be shaping the brand’s strategic direction for several years to come: “It’s definitely long term, meaning three years plus. We’re looking to move from campaigns, which may have only been six months or a year in nature, to platforms on which we can build year on year, so that consumers have a consistent experience of what the brand is.” based on Nielsen RMS data for the Soft Drinks category for the MAT period ending 18.05.2019 for the Great Britain total retail market. Coca-Cola European Partners has announced it is bringing its premium iced tea brand Fuze Tea to the UK. Coke’s market domination does not hinge solely upon its flagship beverage. Indeed, the multinational has astutely developed an extensive portfolio of brands, now owning global soft drink powerhouses such as Sprite, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Schweppes and Oasis. Consumer tastes are changing, and we know people are looking for a greater number of options and choice in their drinks,”​ he said. “The launch of Fuze Tea is a fantastic opportunity for our business to provide new, more sophisticated flavors to more people in more places.”​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”.