NEW DELHI: India's tea manufacturers are up in arms over a
Hindustan Lever television and print campaign that promotes its Taj
Mahal tea brand with the help of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain.
In what is seen as a battle between David and Goliath, the
manufacturers, mainly from Gujarat and Maharashtra, have lodged a
complaint with the Federation of All India Tea Traders Associations
(FAITTA).
They are upset over a statement in the TVC by Hussain: "Find me a better
tea than Taj Mahal and I will stop playing the tabla." Hindustan
Thompson Associates created the campaign. FAITTA chairman P. O. Desai
said: "We all admire Zakir Hussain and we want him to carry on playing
the tabla. However, the smaller players in the market do not have the
muscle to counter this ad but they sell quality products."
