Watawala Tea Ceylon’s Ran Kahata to the fore at Effies 2016 with a prestigious Gold

Watawala Tea Ceylon Limited (WTCL), the consumer arm of Sunshine Holdings saw Ran Kahata, Sri Lanka’s most economical quality tea brand, come up tops to win Gold at the recently concluded International Effie Awards 2017, held at Water’s Edge Battaramulla.

Ran Kahata bagged the prestigious metal, beating several leading brands in the ‘David vs. Goliath’ category at 2016 Effies, conducted by Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM). The winning campaign titled ‘One Spoon, Two Cups’ (Eka Hendai Koppa Dekai) was deemed effective by the jury panel whose selection criteria was accountable and effective advertising. The campaign was conceptualized and developed by WTCL’s advertising agency partner Trumps Solutions.

Expressing his comments about their latest win, Group Managing Director of Sunshine Holdings, Vish Govindasamy stated: “I am thrilled to hear about Ran Kahata’s huge achievement at the 2016 Effie Awards and would like to congratulate the entire Ran Kahata team on this remarkable achievement. This recognition is a testament of the campaign’s effectiveness and creativity in communicating Ran Kahata’s core message – best value-for-money tea pack in the market – to all Sri Lankans. ‘One Spoon Two Cups’ campaign has been able to engage a number of consumers across the country and the way it was brought to life helped Ran Kahata become a a popular household name.”

The judging process of the Effie Awards is considered to be very stringent as judges are asked to evaluate specific criteria in scoring each marketing case’s overall effectiveness, and provide four separate scores analyzing specific attributes of the work. The four criteria are strategic communications, challenge and objectives, bringing the idea to life (includes the creative and media strategies and the work itself) and results. The Effie juries are comprised of senior industry leaders, who evaluate the entries on all aspects of each campaign’s effectiveness.

Bandara Karunarathna, Brand Manager of Ran Kahata said, “Effies are known to be one of the most renowned global accolades for effective marketing communication and best brand development efforts across the industry. Through this strategic campaign, we have been able to positively engage with our beloved customers and strengthen Ran Kahata’s presence in the country as the brand which gives the best value for its money for Sri Lankans.”

Winning a globally recognized award is not just a result of a few people’s efforts; it is the result of clear direction, excellent adaptation and implementation and commitment of all related parties. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the tremendous contribution of our beloved consumers in bringing this award to our home. 2017 is the year which Sunshine Holdings celebrates its 50th anniversary and we feel proud to win this award, as it was the first Effie to be won in the history of Watawala Tea Ceylon” stated Farman Nizar, General Manager – Marketing.

Known as one of the prestigious awards shows in the marketing and advertising industry among agencies and advertisers, The Effie Awards recognize any and all forms of marketing communication that contribute towards the success of a brand. Launched by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) in 2008 in collaboration with the Global Effies, the Effie awards has transformed the local advertising fraternity into a creative force in the region, empowering them to effectively communicate the core values and deliver invaluable results for a particular brand.

Watawala Tea Ceylon Ltd. is the largest branded tea company in Sri Lanka. It has the highest market share in the tea category with three brands: ‘Zesta’, ‘Watawala Tea’ and ‘Ran Kahata’ catering to three distinct market segments.  Having built a strong foundation locally, the company has embarked on an expansion programme to capture selected international markets by launching ‘Zesta Connoisseur’, an extension of Zesta to cater to premium international customers. The company is the exclusive tea supplier to Shangri-La chain of hotels, servicing 100 luxury hotels spread across 22 countries. Watawala Tea Ceylon is a joint venture between Sunshine Holdings, Tata Global Beverages and Pyramid Wilmar (Pvt) Ltd