One of the most popular Facebook Pages in Sri Lanka belongs to Dilmah Tea. Dilmah's Facebook page reiterates the brand's philosophy of making business a matter of human service..... The company claims to have a passion for tea and ethics and asks people to join them on Facebook if they share a similar ardour. With over 12 lakh likes, Dilmah has used its online presence to display its global reach, showcasing its international partnerships, organising global events with world chefs and exhibiting them in the online realm, bringing in mixologists to create tea inspired treats at specific occasions and parading them on Facebook.

Dilmah has further used its online presence to position tea as a beverage which can be savoured by individuals at any time of the day. The company has successfully circulated the health benefits of tea, which make it a preferred beverage globally. Dilmah regularly organises Competitions to celebrate the art of tea and capturing the timeless tradition of tea within the contemporary urban landscape. By using social media, Dilmah has hence been successfully able to build engagement with potential customers.

Dilmah conservation is Dilmah's venture, focussed on environmental conservation, which aims at mainstreaming sustainability and conserving the ecosystem.

Dilmah has used its social media presence to build support for its conservation initiatives and the engagement generated by the online presence of Dilmah tea has supported this endeavour. As part of its endeavours to build learning towards saving the environment, Dilmah's business model centres around a commitment to humanitarian service the environment. Dilmah recently launched a book called the 'Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka', a book about 246 butterfly species. Dilmah used its online presence to publicize the event and was successful in reinforcing its stand as a socially responsible brand committed to the wellbeing of the flora and fauna.

Dilmah started the Dilmah School of Tea which was popularised using YouTube. The Dilmah School of Tea aimed at inspiring passion for tea amongst hospitality professionals, tea aficionados and consumers. Dilmah has successfully leveraged social media to propagate the versatility of tea and promote the concept of tea mixology by engaging tea enthusiasts and fans.

Using the online domain, Dilmah has successfully promoted the state-of-the-art training facility, complete with a model T-Bar and the comprehensive tea training programme, meticulously developed, intelligently executed and smartly promoted.

Questions

1. Create an online marketing plan for Dilmah Tea. Objectives of the plan should include consumer engagement and acquisition of new customers. The plan should also be oriented towards building mass customer support for Dilmah's philosophy.