Imagine your Monday morning involved staring at a tea bag and wondering how to turn it into a national conversation. Someone at PG Tips did just that. And if you run a business or market you really need to see how they pulled it off.

Pour yourself a hot cuppa, take a few minutes out and we'll take a closer look at a campaign with the potential to change how you see marketing forever.

The key, it turns out, wasn't just about using the brand to start a conversation but to also influence not just WHAT people were talking about but WHY.

Let's Talk Tea

Depending where you live, the fact that 'tea' is a slang word some of our kids use for 'gossip' isn't entirely relevant here. But it is a very happy coincidence.

See, someone at PG Tips realised a great cup of tea is - of course - about conversation.

But the magic happened by PG Tips taking that realisation further to acknowledge that conversation is about human connection. How, then, to create human connections for the right reason?

It's simple (and brilliant): a campaign not just driving conversations about loneliness and mental health but one in which people address how they connect with others AND one in which the brand itself talks to individuals in the audience about their wellbeing.

Here's how it worked...

-A #CuppasTogether social post asks the audience to tag and share a story about a memorable moment shared with someone over tea.

-A separate post challenges people to combat loneliness by reaching out to a friend, relative or neighbour with some simple chat and company.

-A fundraising partnership with the Samaritans was promoted.

And, crucially…

-Social posts where someone responding has talked about their own isolation receive an empathetic, conversational reply from PG Tips. In some cases the social media team can even be seen to be encouraging the person to DM to be put in touch with campaign partner organisations who can help.

Marketing for Good

Now, we all know the set-up of the campaign will also have a grounding in sound digital marketing theory and will also be about conversion as much as it is about conversion. It'll have a solid foundation based on data, goals for social reach and so on. The creative is, of course, simple and beautiful.

But, just for today, let's enjoy how someone in marketing at - or for - PG Tips made the connection between the value of just talking as well as the good the brand can do by driving WHY people talk.It's not just a campaign, it's a movement those who brewed it can be proud of. A small step for the better in a society more about tweeting than talking.

It has changed how we see PG Tips forever. It is, in short, a campaign so good it brings a shiver to our spine and lifts our hearts a little.

Now that is marketing.