Example of a Well-Positioned Business - Dilmah Tea

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There’s an interesting article in the latest edition of Wealth Creator magazine about the founder of Dilmah Tea, Merill J. Fernando.

Apart from enjoying a cuppa of Dilmah Tea on a regular basis, I’ve always admired Dilmah as a well-positioned product.

What does “well-positioned” mean?

To me, it means, clearly differentiated from competitors and focussed around a single, appealing idea.

Dilmah’s USP [definition: Unique Selling Proposition] is encapsulated by the tagline, The Single Origin Tea.

Now a tagline alone does not a USP make. Dilmah goes much further, fleshing out their commitment to the perfect cup in myriad ways.

For example, each box of Dilmah tea contains a folded insert that explains the care that goes into the sourcing, packing and delivery of every cup of tea.

The website features some great copy too. Here’s an exerpt:

Dilmah is the product of a lifetime devoted to tea. Founder of Dilmah, Merrill J. Fernando embarked on a quest to bring quality back to tea when in the 1950s, he witnessed the concentration of ownership in the tea industry into the hands of a few large corporations and as a result, the ‘commoditisation’ of tea. As one of the first Ceylonese to have the opportunity to be trained in tea, Merrill harboured a dream since his initiation in the world of tea, to launch his own brand of tea, and to offer consumers the choice of something truly different. His dream took over three decades to come true, and in 1988 he launched his own brand - Dilmah, coined from the names of his two sons Dilhan and Malik. Dilmah introduced lovers of fine tea to the concept of tea ‘picked, perfected and packed’ at origin. Being owned and managed by a tea producer, Dilmah is also a role model for producing countries. Merrill pioneered the concept of ‘Single Origin Tea,’ choosing to remain faithful to Ceylon Tea, acknowledged the finest tea on earth.

Essentially, this is really just “About Us” sales copy - but look at the different strands that are woven together into a captivating product story…a lifetime devoted to tea…struggling against the corporate hegemony to fulfil a dream…the family story behind the name…a model for developing countries…remaining faithful to Ceylon Tea….

This passage oozes with authenticity - so often missing from most marketing communications and something so difficult to convey well. As soon as you try too hard, it slips away.

Almost every day, I’m reminded of how important a strong USP is to the success of any marketing project. A great USP with average execution can succeed, but a weak USP with superb execution often tanks.

To make your marketing work better (without spending any more money), consider re-thinking your USP.

Will

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