David's Tea meet and greet

On 13th January 2014, a meet and greet event with Carly Rae Jepsen was hosted at David's Tea in Toronto, Canada. The event was launched by healthcare brand Güd in partnership with Jepsen and became infamous within the media for its reported low turnout and underperformance.

## **Event overview**

The meet and greet event was hosted on January 13th 2014 at three David's Tea locations across Toronto, Canada in DT Dundas Square, Church Street, and Yorkdale.  It was described by the company as a 'tea party' and was hosted to promote Güd's beauty care products.  An attendee at the Yorksale event described it was a meet and greet/autograph signing event and stated there was a turnout of around 30 people. As part of the promotion, attendees were given a hand massage with Güd lotion.

## **Background**

#### **Partnership with Güd**

In February 2013, Jepsen signed her first beauty sponsorship contract with Burt's Bees' Güd, appearing in multiple magazines and advertising material for the brand throughout 2013. Güd is a natural beauty and healthcare brand that launched in 2012.

#### **Cup of Warmth campaign**

The David's Tea 'Cup of Warmth' campaign was reportedly launched on January 15th 2014 - two days after the meet and greet event. On the company's website, it stated the goal of the campaign was to raise 150,000 cups of tea for hunger relief nationwide across Canada and the United States.

## **Media reports**

The first media report of the event came from the Daily Mail, the day of the event on January 13th 2014. The publication reported that the meet and greet was a charity event, hosted as part of the Cup of Warmth campaign, with Güd's product promotion coming secondary. The article stated the goal of the event was to sell 30,000 cups of tea, though only 20 people showed up.  The story, as the Daily Mail reported it, is entirely fabricated.

## **References**

1. ↑ @davidstea Hey TO! Come share a cup tomorrow with @carlyraejepsen and @gudhappens at DT Dundas Square (9:30am), Church St. (11am) or Yorkdale (1pm) January 12th 2014 - via Twitter
2. ↑ @davidstea Group shot from yesterday's @YorkdaleStyle tea party with @carlyraejepsen... January 14th 2014 - via Twitter
3. ↑ @davidstea Talking tea and @gudhappens with @carlyraejepsen January 14th 2014 - via Twitter
4. ↑ @carlyraejepsen Tea party @davidstea @gudhappens January 13th 2014 - via Instagram
5. ↑ @carlyraejepsen Come drink tea with me! I'll be @DavidsTea Yonge/Dundas in Toronto in 10 mins :) January 13th 2014 - via Twitter
6. ↑ Prince, Sarah Drinking Tea with Carly Rae Jepsen Hot on the Street Blog, January 13th 2014
7. ↑ Janine Güd Stuff: Carly Rae Jepsen and Why Güd Natural Care Smells Good BeautyGeeks, January 17th 2014
8. ↑ Janine Güd Canadian Girl: Carly Rae Jepsen Hits the Shower for a Beauty Contract BeautyGeeks, February 24th 2014
9. ↑ Sheehan, Kate Carly Rae Jepsen Named Gud Spokeswoman Artist Direct, February 20th 2013
10. ↑ Deb David’s Tea Picks for the 'Cup of Warmth' Charity Promotion Ate By Ate, January 24th 2014
11. ↑ Call Me Maybe? Carly Rae Jepsen draws a crowd of just 20 fans as she hosts event at Davids Tea in Toronto Daily Mail, January 14th 2014