Celestial Seasonings Brings a New Sense of Adventure to the Tea Drinking Experience

A cleaner, more modern design retains the signature artwork and quotes that have helped make the packaging iconic, while placing increased emphasis on the tea's premium ingredients.

21/09/07 Celestial Seasonings, a leader in the specialty tea category known for quality, innovative, all-natural products and a lasting brand personality, embarks on a brand reinvention this fall. Beginning this month, Celestial Seasonings is introducing new packaging, a bold new logo and an exciting new approach to how it delivers tea.

"We are proud to begin a new chapter in the Celestial Seasonings story, which will be evident in our future endeavors, from packaging to new products to consumer programs," said David Ziegert, acting general manager at Celestial Seasonings. "We hope to strengthen the strong emotional ties people have to Celestial Seasonings by remaining true to our brand essence, and forging relationships with new tea drinkers by bringing a sense of adventure to their tea-drinking experience."

A cleaner, more modern design retains the signature artwork and quotes that have helped make the packaging iconic, while placing increased emphasis on the tea's premium ingredients. Celestial Seasonings' fanciful art has been modified to be more realistic yet imaginative, indicative of the worldly nature of the ingredients and their ability to invigorate the senses with extraordinary tastes and aromas. Consumers can expect the same great taste from its teas, as the innovative ingredients and recipes have not changed. Because Celestial Seasonings has always worked closely with farmers to ensure sustainable harvests and fair trade wages, a special "Ethical Trade" logo now appears on the packaging to communicate this important principle to consumers.

Following are examples of changes made to some of Celestial Seasonings most recognizable box art:

-- Though raspberries remain the focus on Raspberry Zinger Herbal Tea, they no longer hover above soaring tea cups; instead, plump, glistening berries spring from the ocean horizon over a blooming hibiscus patch.
-- Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea has traded a warrior for freshly cut lemons and thick, lustrous honey coasting down a gentle river that flows from a mountainous Asian landscape.
-- Chamomile Herbal Tea features the familiar countryside scene and its charming cottage, but flavorful chamomile flowers now sprout from the edges of the box, replacing the lady in pink.

Though the many flavors and varieties of Celestial Seasonings have a dominant presence on store shelves, extensive research revealed that consumers found it difficult to recognize the brand's entire selection of products. The new packaging features consistent positioning of the flavor name and logo, along with a uniform design structure that enables easier product identification. Artwork focusing on flavor elements to increase appetite appeal and a distinctive color band helps consumers identify their favorite flavors and varieties, such as herbal, green, black, white, red and chai.

Celestial Seasonings creates unique packaging art for each flavor of its tea, making the package re-design a significant undertaking that required the evaluation of more than 90 individually designed pieces of tea box art. This is the most comprehensive packaging re-design since Celestial Seasonings started nearly 40 years ago. The new packaging continues to use minimal material, including omitting strings and tags, which saves more than 1,650 tons of waste from entering landfills each year. In addition, Celestial Seasonings maintains its commitment to the environment by using a biodegradable, 100 percent recyclable carton.

The new packaging design is just one way Celestial Seasonings conveys its new positioning of "tantalizing adventures for the senses," which will be at the core of all future initiatives, including exciting new product introductions and integrated marketing programs. This direction communicates the differentiating product attributes that most resonated with consumers, according to research conducted by Celestial Seasonings. These attributes include high-quality ingredients, variety and uniqueness of flavors, and the tea's inviting aromas and tastes that engage the senses.