Tea marketer Twinings also felt the backlash of public discontent over changes to its 180-year-old Earl Grey tea in April 2011.

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Parent company ABF, which also owns the Twinings, Ovaltine, Ryvita and Jordans brands, said overall revenue rose 10%, despite problems in its groceries unit.

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Nigel Hollis, a former consumer goods marketer who is now chief global analyst at research agency Millward Brown, says nonconscious indentification may work well for simple, everyday purchases such as a box of Twinings tea, but bigger, more expensive purchases, such as a new car, are likely to involve much more complex decision making.

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