Taylors of Harrogate, a heritage British tea brand, planned a relaunch in the Chinese market, one of the world’s most culturally sophisticated tea audiences.

With the goals of positioning Taylors as a leading global artisanal tea brand, driving social media engagement, and pushing purchase intent, TONG recommended a campaign narrative that would bridge British and Chinese tea traditions, building the foundations of a lasting brand with a more meaningful connection to consumers.

In both China and the UK, tea is more than just a drink – it’s a way of life, and a cornerstone of culture, daily life, and history. The challenge for Taylors was how to stand out in a market steeped in tea culture. Our campaign was designed to show that tea is more than an afternoon refreshment – it’s a ritual with deep cultural roots, with both cultural specificity and a universality that can connect audiences from diverse backgrounds.

After launching accounts on Xiaohongshu (Rednote) and Douyin, establishing a clear brand voice and aesthetic, building out a body of content over several months, and building initial awareness, TONG proposed a two-part campaign to take the brand to a wider audience.

The first half of the campaign involved inviting well-known UK-based Chinese influencers to Taylors’ Headquarters and production factory in Harrogate, UK. Carefully selected for their interests, experience, and audiences who aligned perfectly with Taylors’ target customer profile. Here, the strategy was to turn them into first-hand storytellers, translating British tea heritage into culturally relevant narratives for Chinese audiences.

At the headquarters, they were walked through by the “Tea Master” – an expert tea blender and professional, showcasing Taylor’s commitment to quality. The influencers then captured exclusive, behind-the-scenes content of the local family brand, HQ and factory.

By leveraging the trending ‘溯源’ (origin tracing) campaign format, the brand could quickly build an authentic and credible link to its heritage, through social-first storytelling and earned voices – delivering genuinely localised perspectives on an international proposition. 

The second half of the campaign involved activating Taylors within China’s most significant cultural festival: Chinese New Year.

To embed Taylors at the heart of celebrations, TONG partnered with popular food bloggers from different regions in China to incorporate Taylors tea into the recreation of their preferred regional New Year recipes. Each represented traditional aspects of their region’s cuisine, showcasing the brand’s deep appreciation for China’s diversity and culture, and ensuring relevance to audiences from across the country.

Our chosen culinary content creators showed off their tea-infused recipes for baked pastries, tea-flavoured chicken, pineapple cakes and more on RED and Douyin, combining the recipes with personal storytelling and holiday memories, tapping into the holiday mood, successfully embedding Taylors within a natively Chinese setting, and reaching wide beyond the brand’s own established audience. RED was strategically used for discovery, saves, and lifestyle inspiration, and Douyin for high-reach, engaging short-form video content. 

Click here to watch: Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3

By both highlighting the brand’s British roots and localising for a key cultural moment, a cup of Taylors transformed from a straightforward brew into a ritual infused with emotion, connection and memory.

Taylors of Harrogate entered China as a premium, international challenger brand. Engagement translated into action with high likes and saved rates, consistent purchase-related queries, and clear intent to try or buy the product, indicating a direct link between the campaign and commercial intent. 

The engagement data reflects that: consumers who saved, shared, and asked where to buy are not passive viewers. They are future customers.

This campaign went beyond simply exporting a British brand into China. Instead, it found the point where two tea cultures genuinely meet, and built a strong brand foundation in that gap, bridging two deeply rooted tea cultures through storytelling, and expanding tea consumption occasions beyond drinking, into cooking and lifestyle.