A cold iced tea is a refreshing crowd pleaser on a hot day. But is it possible to improve on a good thing? Chris Olsen tested a new iced tea against an old favourite at the PNE to show you which one went down the best.
In the beverage battle, tea companies are making a major push. One of the latest new products is Tetley infusions.
"Tetley's trying to excite their brand a little bit," said Joandrea Hoegg, an associate professor of marketing at UBC Sauder School of Business. She says Tetley could have left its name off the product -- but having it prominently at the top of the box reassures consumers about the quality of the product while seeking out a different younger buyer. Also no accident -- the fact that one infusions package mixes perfectly into a 500 ml bottle of water.
"Especially in the summer time when you are out wandering around the PNE or where ever you are you carrying a bottle of water so this is a nice way to be able to create a drink immediately," Hoegg said.
So that's why it's happening -- but you determine whether it works or not by how much you buy.
We put Tetley infusions to the test against a much cheaper iced tea mix from Good Host. And had testers try them in cups marked "A" and "B".
Those who liked "A" said it wasn't as sweet and liked the lemon flavour.
Those who liked "B" noted its sweeter stronger taste
And there were those that couldn't make up their mind
"I like both," said one tester.
"A" was the Tetley infusions and "B" the Good Host
In the end 27 per cent liked the Tetley infusions best and 73 per cent preferred the Good Host iced tea.
We asked those who picked the Tetley if they would be willing to pay twice as much for it when compared to the Good Host half said they would.
Ultimately whether any product survives is up to consumers. Up to 20,000 new products are introduced in grocery stores every year -most fail. Sometimes disappearing before we even notice they were ever there.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen.
