by Mitori Liu
July 11, 2022
Story brief
The Chinese tea drink chain Hey Tea has become the first brand to partner with the popular IP A Dream of Splendor, to launch two co-branded tea drinks and a series of pop-up stores and activities, providing consumers with immersive tea drinking and offline drama watching experiences.
Story in detail
According to an article on CRI’s official Baidu account (https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1737024072721661438&wfr=spider&for=pc), the names and the production process of the two co-branded tea products both follow the those of the tea made in scenarios from A Dream of Splendor, an ancient Chinese drama which puts an emphasis on Chinese tea-making. Besides, 7 options of the drama-related patterns made by matcha on the cheese top of the tea are available for customers to choose. From June 30 to July 30, several Hey Tea stores are turning to “A Dream of Splendor” themed pop-up stores in multiple cities in China, to allow consumers to further get involved in tea enjoyment while following the popular TV drama.
Implications
The co-branding between a TV drama IP and a brand creates a community for consumers who share the same two interests to further develop their hobbies in an immersive way. While the sales of the co-branded products may soar in the short term as the IP becomes popular, brands should also consider how to maintain the popularity after the drama ends. For instance, brands may introduce stories with similar elements to those in the popular IPs to further catch drama fans’ attention, such as short videos of tea-making in ancient China. In addition, brands may also use AI technology to display the drama episodes inside its store to allow its customers to feel as if they are watching it at home.