Bittersweet, that's really me? - The Execution

Now that Vita's has aired another TVC to promote its Ceylon Lemon Tea, we can have a better grasp of both the idea and style of execution by identifying the common denomintors between the two. This post will discuss each of these notable commonalities one by one.



Going back to the basics
The most important commonality we can find is without a doubt the rap song that goes from end to end. Like most rap songs that emphasize the lyrics, the melody is not the main part is virtually unidentifiable. But the problems is the lyrics are not any better. Most of the song was just a rap version of the taste, which was a functional benefit, of the product. When you spend most your time talking about your functional benefit, like what they did with their Ceylon Lemon Tea TVC, you are going back to the basics. It mentioned bittersweet and linked up with attitudes and stated it was the choice of teens. However, the connection cannot be clearly and easily seen.


The fake bling-bling
Talking about the background and other factors, it becomes even more weird. You see behind MC Jin a "lemon girl" and a "tea girl"... I just can't understand what they are for... And then there are the flashy clothes and decoration. Just from the look of it, you can tell they are real gold and diamonds. Cause they look so ridiculously cheap. More likely just some reflecting paints or cheap things like that. I cannot feel any hint of true bling bling hip hop from the ad, even they try very hard to do so by having lemon girls wearing pseudo-bling tube tops in virtually every shot of the ad.


A non-infectious viral video
Above you see a so called "viral" video posted by a user called bittersweet88888888 on youtube. Just in case you don't know what a viral video is, viral advertising is a relatively new kind of advertising that is intended to be shared among friends and even become the talk of the town. It does so be pretending to be real public-contributed content that is of news value. It is a new way to beat ad avoidance and thus get the message out in the cluttered marketplace.
Now we come back to Vita's video. The title of the video says it's a quarrel between MC Jin and Wan Kwong, the two spokespersons. It's ok, not bad, still somewhat worth to have a look. But the execution of the video was as worse as it can be. How come the video is shot even before the quarrel has begun? How come the quarrel rooted from just the two of them ran into the other? How come there's wasn't any sense of anger between the two? It's easy to spot the two are acting according to a script. And the problem extends to the author's name, bittersweet88888888, disclosing its own identity by its name... Not even a touch of realness. (Covering the "foul words" with sound effect doesn't help but makes it even more fake and processed, a perfect demonstration of the Chinese saying of 畫蛇添足) Poorly thought out. It's probably the worst intended "viral" campaign I have ever seen. If people know the video is an ad, they are much less likely to watch and to share it. That's why, unsurprisingly, the video gets less than 24000 views only.

And most importantly, do all these executions reflect the idea -- Bittersweet? I cannot draw any connection between Vita's to bittersweet aside from MC Jin stating it directly. The flashy clothes, the lemon lady, the lyrics of the song, all of these feel so fake. I do not think the idea of bittersweet is well supported and well communicated.

Bittersweet, that's really me? – The Spokespersons

Following my last blog post on the proposition of the recent Vita’s Lemon Tea campaign, I would like to go further to discuss the two spokespersons they use. Spokesperson is always an important part in an ad. You may choose not to use one. But whenever you have one, you make sure he/she's the right one.

Rap is not for Hong Kong
To better illustrate the idea of Bittersweet, the campaign found a rapper, MC Jin, to sing a jingle. Rappers from the US have always had an image of having a bittersweet and a life full of difficulties. When you picture one of those rappers, you see a black American, with tattoo all over his well-built body. He may wear extravagant accessories depending on his style. However he looks, there’s one thing you can be sure of: You cannot find one in Hong Kong. This is of course related to Hong Kong’s relatively economic prosperity which was covered before. For the same reason, rap music has never been popular in Hong Kong, not to say mainstream. Try this, when was the last time a rap music was included in top 10 of a music award ceremony at the end of the year? Still remember LMF or its member MC Yan? What are they doing today? Still contributing to the music industry I guess, but definitely not a success. And when you compare to their counterpart in the US, who are making millions of US dollars, you know the difference. The failure of LMF and friends is telling only one thing: Rap and Hip hop is not for Hong Kong.


MC Jin is an ABC while Vita’s is a Hong-Kongese
Having said that, it’s still acceptable they choose to use rappers to deliver the message, as the image really fits, but it’s not a good idea to have MC Jin as the spokesperson. Who’s MC Jin? Frankly, I don’t really know him. But a simple search of his name on google and then youtube puts me into listening probably his iconic song, ABC, that’s me. MC Jin is from the US (that’s why he does his rap), he’s not made in Hong Kong and he was proud of it. Gosh, Vita’s is celebrating its 30th birthday based in Hong Kong and is a truly Hong Kong local brand, and you get a “foreigner” to speak for Vita’s? It’s a mismatch, without a doubt. I do think Vita’s can be better off using other local rappers. Perhaps not as famous (or hyped) as MC Jin, but still made in Hong Kong and talks the language of Hong Kong. I don’t want to make it personal, but MC Jin doesnt appeal even a bit to me.


Wan Kwong can be a double-edged sword
Have any idea about Wan Kwong? He is no doubt a controversial musician in Hong Kong. The teenagers, especially the boys, love him a lot, for his "old school" songs that are so fouled (Watch video above if you don't know what I mean). On the other hand, one can easily imagine, parents and girls dislike him very much, thinking that he is too cheap and fouled. However, no matter you are a kid’s mother or not, one thing you cannot deny is his long lasting popularity among the lower class. Spending some 30 years in the local music industry, he is one of the rarities that remain strong until today. His songs reflect the daily living of Hong Kong society and his popularity spreads across generations among mainly the lower class. These characteristics are almost the same as Vita’s the brand: Local, long history and loved by generations. These have made Wan Kwong the ideal spokesperson of Vita’s. What Vita’s should pay attention to when using Wan Kwong is a possible backlash by the more innocent girls. I see they are having a concert by MC Jin and Wan Kwong. I fear only boys want to go and almost for sure, no ladies would like to go to such concert. I do not think this does any good to Vita’s as it is a casual drink for everyone, not just the boys. Just one more remark, female is the majority in Hong Kong, and the number is still on the rise. That means one is playing on oneself if one’s market campaign does not serve them well.

Bittersweet, that's really me? – The Positioning

Vita Lemon Tea recently launched its new branding campaign “Bittersweet, that’s me” featuring MC Jin and Wan Kwong to celebrate its 30th birthday.

I learned about the campaign through its TVC and instantly had a feeling it’s the topic I wanted to have for my virgin post here on this blog, Ardent Persuader. I am going to start a discussion on this ad campaign that will spread across a few posts and a few days. As I say on the header of this blog, I will be writing and analyzing on different levels of the campaign to fully exercise my skills and knowledge in marketing and advertising.

Vita is a local Hong Kong brand
Let’s start with some background of the brand. Vita Lemon Tea, the flagship product of Vita’s line of beverages, has been one of Hong Kong ‘s favorite casual drinks since its launch in 1979. The very Hong-Kongish Lemon Tea drink and Vita’s leader position makes it a very local brand.

The rich flavor of Vita Lemon Tea is definitely one of the reasons why it has been popular in Hong Kong. It is logical to leverage this product attribute to a way of life, Bittersweet. It is a proposition that no competitors can claim because the other lemon tea products either are too watery or taste only sweet, without an essential bitterness to go with. It helps the brand leap up a level to go beyond physical benefit into some abstract psychological attitude.

Hong Kong teens are not "Bittersweet"
The proposition here seems logical to the internal of the brand but when you look at the audience, it’s not the same case. The campaign’s primary target, Hong Kong’s youths and young adults, are known for their hedonistic and materialistic lifestyle. This is not any new idea. It is well documented with the term Strawberries since more than a decade ago. The situation of youths being over protected has only gone worse over the years. Very few, or almost nobody, among today’s younger generation has experienced real difficulties in their life. Say, how many of today’s youths have to come out to work to support the family when they are as small as 15 years old or earlier? Living a life without bitterness, they do not take themselves as bittersweet and they do not feel proud of themselves having gone through major difficulties. What makes them feel proud are more likely to be owning a LV or Y3 limited edition bag or taking a photo with the Taiwanese music idols, which they can show off in front of their friends. I am very doubtful whether “Bittersweet, that’s me” is a suitable proposition for Vita’s Lemon Tea given its primary audience is the younger generation of Hong Kong.