Can Swiss Coffee Machines Run on Compostable Coffee Balls?

Migros, the Swiss retailer, unveiled a capsule coffee system called Coffee B in Zurich on September 6, replacing plastic and aluminum capsules with compostable brown coffee balls. The outer layer is a colorless, odorless seaweed-based film that breaks down within a few weeks in a compost bin or on land. The matching machine launches first in Switzerland and France, then Germany in 2023.

Capsule coffee grew quickly after Nestle and similar companies made coffee machines common in homes and offices, but the used metal and plastic shells created mounting waste. Seaweed packaging has already appeared in edible water pouches, and Migros is betting the same idea can cut plastic in coffee packaging while keeping brewing convenient.

Tianyan Yuese recently announced that it would remove the English sign "Sexytea" from its newly opened stores and promised that future new stores would no longer use the name, while the English logos of existing stores would also be gradually replaced. The brand explained that "Sexy" was intended to mean "charming," in the hope that customers would feel a surprise in every cup of tea, but because the word has multiple layers of meaning, it sparked controversy, for which it expressed deep apology. The statement also mentioned that the team had already discussed optimizing the English name during its mid-year review, but progress had been slow, and this online discussion served as a wake-up call. In addition, netizens dug up past incidents in which Tianyan Yuese had apologized twice, once for the copy on a mug reading "picking up a bargain" and once for a tea bag saying "Lord, I want it," once again triggering discussion about the boundaries of brand creativity. As a representative of Changsha's local guochao tea drink sector, how Tianyan Yuese can find a balance between creativity and values is worth watching.

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On September 17, Tianyan Yuese issued a statement regarding the adjustment of its stores' English signage, announcing the removal of the "Sexytea" logo used by recently opened stores, and that future new stores would no longer use this English name. After determining a new name, Tianyan Yuese will also gradually replace the English signage of existing stores.

In the statement, Tianyan Yuese said that in the past two days the store English name "Sexytea" had attracted a great deal of attention and discussion. Because the English word "Sexy" itself has multiple meanings, it may lead some netizens to other interpretations, thereby causing widespread attention and controversy online, and the brand is deeply sorry for the misunderstanding caused.

Tianyan Yuese explained that its original intention was to hope customers could gain a surprise from every cup of tea, and that every work delivered into consumers' hands could be distinctive in both appearance and taste, which fit relatively well with the meaning of "Sexy" as "charming," hence the name.

Speaking about the optimization of the English name, Tianyan Yuese revealed in the statement that during this year's mid-year review, the team had already held a round of discussion, but after the review, progress in optimizing the English name was indeed rather slow, so this online discussion sounded a wake-up call for the team, making it more serious and quicker to respond when facing self-breakthroughs.

The sentence in the statement, "In nine years, Tianyan has been continuously iterating and refining its expression of content," seems a bit self-congratulatory, but it is understandable that they cannot achieve "faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance" in translation. After all, they sell tea, not literary talent. Then again, since they sell tea, they should just focus on selling tea well.

After the heated discussion of this incident, some netizens also exposed that Tianyan Yuese had previously used advertising copy such as "picking up a bargain" printed on mugs and "Lord, I want it" written on tea bags.

On the evening of February 19 and the early hours of February 20, 2021, Tianyan Yuese apologized twice on its official Weibo, saying that "the sense of proportion was not grasped well during the creative process" and that the mugs involved had been recalled. It also stated that other products with inappropriate early creative content had been taken offline, and it apologized and actively reflected on the matter.

Founded in 2013, Tianyan Yuese is a well-known local milk tea brand in Changsha, focusing on a guochao ancient-style route. Store decoration is basically themed on Chinese style, and its products and merchandise all carry a strong "Chinese style." The brand logo is a beauty in ancient dress with her hair styled in an ancient manner and holding a round fan, revealing the brand's antique charm throughout and giving people a tranquil and serene feeling, the sense that at a glance this is a place where Chinese people drink tea.

Being able to reflect on and make progress from each incident will bring it closer to being a "brand consumers trust." A Chinese-style tea drink shop determined to win consumers' trust indeed should not have an English name like "SexyTea" with layer upon layer of meaning. It is hoped that it will change to a better new logo and also do better in tea and service.

Being creative in marketing to grab public attention is one of the marketing methods many brands use to move forward, but if they want to win more consumers' affection, creative work is indeed important; however, creativity without boundaries sometimes backfires, and brand trust will gradually be eroded, just as netizens say: grasp the degree, and hold the boundary between humor and vulgarity.

What companies should note is that while trying to win consumers' attention through creative advertising, they must also consider the values conveyed behind it. Communicating the brand's correct values to consumers is also crucial. Only by combining development with responsibility and achieving unity between self-value and social value can an enterprise truly become bigger and stronger. More than creative advertising, consumers need brands and products with healthy values. Brand stores need not only traffic, but also reputation and quality. Do not pick up the sesame and lose the watermelon. Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.