There lived a man named Mr Rodney Tang, the (previous) Singapore franchise owner of Taiwanese bubble tea brand…
With 80 outlets across the island and earning an annual revenue of $30 million, there was only more potential that Mr Tang could see with the business itself.
Feeling excited for future plans in store, his excitement quickly escalated into feelings of “betrayal” instead during a business meeting in January 2017 where he learnt that he was uninformed of major company changes.
Despite being able to negotiate more favourable terms under the new contract, Mr Tang decided to take a bold move in starting up his own chain of bubble tea stores.
(Source: Goodyfeed.com)
The start wasn’t easy. Even though both his brand and Gong Cha had similar menus and products with very similar taste, there were many who complained of a less extensive menu. There was also skepticism over the brand’s signature Cheese cheese foam layers on some of its drinks…
However, the brand is indeed gaining success, having secured a third outlet in Hong Kong recently – all within 6 months of its official launch.
Also, its cheese teas have grown in popularity, with some bubble tea stores in Singapore following suit.
Talk about FOAM-O.
By now, most of you have probably guessed whose story this is and yes, you are right. In fact, this is the story of homegrown bubble tea brand, LiHo.
Like every story having a beginning, middle and an end, LiHo’s story tells of these 3 phases in its own way. Namely, problem, solution and success.
So how is this going to convince you of the importance of a story?
For one, it gets people talking about your brand.
If it weren’t for this backstory, LiHo wouldn’t have gained so much recognition this fast, in the first place.
I mean, look at the numerous bubble tea chains we have in Singapore!
Even though the fact that its relation to Gong Cha did play a huge role in it getting heavy media coverage, what else did Li Ho do to get the story of their brand out?
Social media in itself has much power with its great interconnectivity amongst its users that has built an online community in itself.
Therefore, having a presence on social media platforms allows your brand to live in a public social consciousness.
- Tell them what’s happenin’
Prior to their official opening in various Singapore shopping malls, LiHo used social media platform, Instagram to spread the word about their signature products – Cheese Tea.
Despite getting mixed reactions towards their signature drink, it did spread the word fast about the store itself.
LiHo also had a follow up post about its cheese tea from a private tasting session. Unlike the first post, it wasn’t the brand that was speaking for its product. In fact, it was a customer review!
- Make them talk
Aside from having a presence, it’s also good if you get customers to tell your story.
This is one of the most effective ways of broadcasting your brand. After all, if they’re satisfied, they will be more than happy to talk about it!
Hence, it is important to seek and use the product/service experiences of customers in your marketing plan. Basically, it’s encouraging and reposting User-Generated Content (UGC).
This makes your brand and your brand story more authentic and reinforces it.
- Get em’ excited
If people aren’t talking about it, give them a reason to! I’m not saying to start a scene but hosting wall contests or giveaways on social media platforms are a good way to involve individuals to get involved with your brand.
Come on, who doesn’t get excited about free things?
Not to forget, it also gets people talking about your brand when they see others doing so on their Instagram or Facebook feed.
Need help with spreading the story of your brand?
Reach out to us at hello@alto.sg for a free consultation. We’ll be glad to help you out! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]