The Focus
Tata Tea was delving into the detoxifying, wellness-based market with a range of new offerings for the health-conscious consumer
Wanted a distinctive, well-structured visual and packaging system for this range that would enable them to distinguish the brand on the shelf
Needed to take Tata’s larger brand considerations in mind, which required the system to be distinct/defining and integrative/aligning at the same time
The Design
The team at Elephant worked developed a bright, functional system for ‘Care’ – the new brand – whose visual treatment highlighted that it belonged to the larger Tata family of products
A unique, ingredient-focused YET benefit driven system was conceptualized, where the benefits ingeniously served as variant names within the Care range
The visual and packaging system received rave reviews from Tata, who immediately began the process of implementation; signaling more-than-satisfactory delivery on all fronts
The Story
Tata Consumer Products has been dealing with tea and related products on an immense magnitude since the 1980s. Being the second-largest manufacturer and distributor of tea in the world, their impact on markets both with brands like Tetley, Good Earth Teas and Tata Tea is extremely significant. But while we can definitively mark the importance of conventional tea – or chai in India, the green tea story is slightly different.
It is still unclear as to how or when green tea became more widely circulated in India. Trends indicate that a definite spike was seen post 2010, where, a Businessline article marked that green tea consumption was growing by 50% each year. Today, the industry has been estimated to grow by 5-9% per year by various firms like Insight Partners and IMARC. This growth is attributed to an increased demand for health and wellness products, which in turn has been influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic and practices in other industries, from fitness to food.
Tata Consumer Products, having recognized this potential, approached the team at Elephant with a project of significant scope: to create a visual language and subsequently, a packaging system for their range of green teas.
“Tata Consumer Products approached the team at Elephant with a project of significant scope: to create a visual language and subsequently, a packaging system for their range of green teas…Their aim of being a market leader meant that the packaging needed to be distinctive, while also making a strong first impression on their potential customer base. ”
These teas would necessarily be ‘Indian’ in terms of their ingredients which ties in with India’s longstanding Ayurvedic tradition, where herbs with medicinal properties have been utilized for a variety of remedies. Their aim of being a market leader meant that the packaging needed to be distinctive, while also making a strong first impression on their potential customer base. It also needed to ride on Tata’s existing brand perception which is synonymous with reliability, value and a tradition of Indian business excellence.
“The central band is perhaps one of the most important elements. It divides the package into ingredient-centric and functionally-driven sections, with ample space for each. It also contains the variant name – which, in another stroke of ingenuity, is the same as the benefit, or function that that particular variant provides! ”
Fact and Function
After preliminary discussions and research, it was decided that the package would highlight the functional benefits of the green tea, based on the variant at hand; in addition to opting for an ingredient-driven approach.
The team worked within these parameters and interpreted them creatively to develop an ingredient-focused architecture that was unconventional and distinctive at the same time. The treatment for the ingredients is much more dynamic, as opposed to containing them within a vessel or other confining element.
“‘Care’ was the decided brand name for this range, which needed its own treatment. We took the ‘thick-thin’ Didone-style approach for the brand name’s typography and added a simple leaf element, amplifying the cues of naturally-derived, fresh ingredients. The ‘Care’ color is a deep green, indicating its connection to iconic Tata family colors – making callback easy and adaptive. ”
The central band is perhaps one of the most important elements. It divides the package into ingredient-centric and functionally-driven sections, with ample space for each. It also contains the variant name – which, in another stroke of ingenuity, is the same as the benefit, or function that that particular variant provides! For instance, take “Cleanse”. This alludes to the cleansing properties within because of ingredients like Tulsi and Turmeric BUT also serves as the de facto name for this variant, which then becomes a part of a highly accessible packaging system.
This treatment allows us to keep it ingredient-focused as planned, but also does not compromise when it comes to the customer easily identifying the functional, or benefit-driven properties of the product.
The Care Package
‘Care’ was the decided brand name for this range, which needed its own treatment. We took the ‘thick-thin’ Didone-style approach for the brand name’s typography and added a simple leaf element, amplifying the cues of naturally-derived, fresh ingredients. The ‘Care’ color is a deep green, indicating its connection to iconic Tata family colors – making callback easy and adaptive.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
The standing, height-based packaging structure allowed us to dedicate a separate space for the brand name giving it the visibility it needed on both – online and offline shelves.
This ‘care package’ was also given a distinctive touch with the help of playful illustrations that went hand in hand with the benefit. These illustrations are idyllic, hinting at the relaxed, aspirational lifestyle that adopters will opt for, while targeting the different audiences that will opt for this product – from family health-conscious mothers to fitness enthusiasts. The Tata green makes for a contrasting, consistent element amidst an otherwise bright color palette that dominates these illustrations.
Each variant color is bright and inspired by the ingredients themselves to distinguish this range on the shelf. It is also consumer specific, where the Pro-woman variant is predominantly a purple while the classic Tulsi comes in shades of green. A grunge effect on the texture rounds off this entire section nicely, subtly differentiating the package even more.
Elephant’s packaging solution for Tata Tea ‘Care’ was eagerly embraced and adopted, while also being praised for its ability to go beyond the brief. While the packaging is clearly a part of the Tata family’s bouquet of offerings, its’ strong, distinctive overtones enable it to stand on the shelf on its own and attract consumer attention in a highly inundated market – making it a win-win for us!
