This research paper was presented at the International Conference organized by Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Singapore, 2011.
ABSTRACT
Key words: Tata tea, Jaago re campaign, Public Sphere, Public Opinion, Internet
Tata tea has managed to gain success in terms of both market share and brand value over the years that appeals to large number of audiences spread over all demographics. After achieving market leadership through their initial marketing communication focused on physical and functional aspects the brand like packaging, freshness, taste, energy, etc , Tata tea decided to move on to the highest level of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy i.e. self actualization through their campaign ‘Jaago Re’ (Wake Up).
The paper seeks answers to the questions like: What has been the effect of this campaign on public and whether it is leading to generation of public opinion in the public sphere? Is this discourse leading to any meaningful conversation? Does use of Internet help in reaching maximum number of target audiences? What type of feedback is expected from these public sphere discourses?
Researcher used both Quantitative and Qualitative Content Analysis to analyze content collected from 30 videos downloaded from YouTube. The sampling technique used is purposive and convenient sampling of non-probabilistic sampling designs.
Major findings are that internet; does lead to generation of public opinion in the public sphere whether positive or negative is a secondary issue. Such virtual public discourse is not leading in meaningful direction. Use of YouTube can be useful only in reaching to wider audiences but may not be always useful in reaching to target audiences.
