We’re proud to announce that TONG Global has been awarded Bronze in the Social Media category at The Drum Awards Marketing APAC 2026, one of marketing’s most respected accolades in the region.
The winning work involved a campaign that answered the question, what happens when two of the world’s great tea cultures finally meet?
About the Campaign: 'Steeped in Both'
The campaign was built for Taylors of Harrogate, a heritage British tea brand relaunching in China, one of the most culturally sophisticated tea markets on the planet. So, the approach had to be more considered, finding the bridge between British and Chinese tea traditions, and thoughtfully building the brand’s presence there. This required planning beyond commercial thinking, as it was a culturally complex project that needed careful strategy.
The campaign unfolded in two stages. In the first, the focus was English heritage, so we invited UK-based Chinese influencers, carefully selected for their expertise in artisanal drinks, lifestyle, and tea culture, to Taylors’ headquarters and production factory in Harrogate. There, guided by the brand’s Tea Master, they experienced how Taylors is made, from selecting leaves to perfecting flavour. The influencers translated British heritage online to Chinese audiences, allowing the brand to build credibility through trusted voices rather than paid messaging.
After exploring the English heritage side of the campaign, the second stage focused on Chinese tradition – we partnered with food creators from across China to incorporate Taylors tea into their own traditional New Year recipes. From tea-infused pastries, to pineapple cakes, to tea-flavoured chicken and more. The brief was to create calming recipes to balance the bustle of the holiday, and audiences responded – the save rate across the campaign ran at more than double the platform average on RED, a strong signal of genuine purchase intent, alongside the consistent stream of comments and direct messages to both influencers and the Taylors account asking one simple question: where can I buy this?
What This Means to Us
The Drum Awards are highly competitive, and recognition at APAC level, judged on planning, execution, and results, means a great deal to the team who worked on this.
More than the award itself, the work for Taylors’ storytelling and localisation helped build a campaign that resonates while staying true to the brand and respectful to audiences.
Congratulations to the TONG team involved, and thank you to our partners at Taylors of Harrogate for working with us and trusting us with such a considered and culturally nuanced brief.
Credits
Qing Zhang, Senior Activation Manager, TONG Global
Ziwen Zou, Activation Executive, TONG Global
Gabriel Nicklin, Managing Partner, TONG Global
Xuan Wang, Managing Partner, TONG Global
Jack Porteous, Commercial Director, TONG Global
Hang Su, Senior Activation Executive, TONG Global
Fei Zhang, Graphic Design Lead, TONG Global
Zhiyang He, Senior Activation Executive, TONG Global
Carly Murphy, Senior Brand and Activation Manager-International, Taylors of Harrogate
Elle Tehrani, Digital & Communications Specialist-International, Taylors of Harrogate
