• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, November 28, 2007

Celestial Seasonings, the company that introduced a generation to herbal tea, is breaking its largest campaign in several years--between $3 million and $5 million--and its first by an external creative group.

Four print ads target Baby Boomers, who came of age as the tea company steeped in 1969. "Green and healthy," aimed at reacquainting a generation with the product, is the theme of ads that will run in health, lifestyle, epicure and social commentary magazines, including Health, Natural Health, Prevention, Real Simple, More, Food & Wine, Eating Well and The New Yorker. Their messages center on "crunchy" values, such as conservation, fair trade and wellness. One, for example, touts "health benefits, none of which have to be followed by pages of possible side effects."

Transit ads based on "Zero calorie" target Boomers' kids, ages 22 to 30, and will run as rail cards and backlit station boards on upper-income train lines. They show a latte or a smoothie or a sundae, conveniently labeled "Triple Chin," "Stretch Pants, or just "Fat," as compared to Celestial Seasonings' "0 Calories."

"Our new positioning for Celestial Seasonings is 'tantalizing adventures for the senses,' and our marketing strategy this year revolves around getting that message--and that includes the packaging--out in front of consumers," says Matt Sungy, senior product manager for Celestial Seasonings.

"Fortunately, we're finding that both younger and older consumers care about a lot of the same things: health, taste, social responsibility. Which is what allows these two campaigns to work together in a way that is impactful and relatable for both audiences."

The ads were prepared by TDA Advertising & Design of Boulder, Colo. Celestial Seasonings is the Boulder division of Melville, N.Y.-based The Hain Celestial Group.

The effort is part of a global rebranding--the company's first in its 40-plus-year history--that includes new packaging and a revamped logo, Marketing Daily reported in September. While the new boxes still have the wildly colorful artwork and the quotes, the new packaging will be more focused on what's inside the box, and is intended to reflect a new brand theme.