TORONTO—Tea has long been known as a natural remedy for things like sleep, soothing soar throats, and combatting problems with digestion and even anxiety. So it makes sense that Tetley Tea's latest pop-up activation—held Feb. 16-19 at Toronto's CF Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre—served as a kind of wellness pit stop among throngs of weekend shoppers.
The open-concept, multi-sensory experience was created to promote Tetley's newest line, "Tetley Live Teas," which introduces three new flavors: Live Calm (camomile, spearmint, and orange), Live Cool (peppermint and spearmint), and Live Bold (cinnamon, chai, and rooibos). The pop-up at CF Sherway Gardens, produced with FUSE Create, was designed to emulate each tea's emotions—calm, cool, and bold—through three interconnected galleries. More than 4,500 guests visited the pop-up throughout its four days.
The Bold room went, well, bold with a giant glitzy red teacup, mirrors, and shimmering disco balls.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
Each gallery was monochromatic and featured life-sized teacups and multi-sensory stimulants that aimed to create a quiet, self-reflective moment for guests.
"We really wanted to make this experience about making people smile," said Naihely Hernandez, the brand manager for Tetley. "We wanted to give each room a unique personality, just like the blend. The Bold room, for example, when FUSE presented the idea, it was red with glitter and sparkle—and it immediately reminded me of a 'Dancing Queen' moment. It just tied in naturally. Being bold is about saying, 'I got this, and I'm enjoying my most authentic self, and I don't care.'"
One of the most Instagrammable spots at the pop-up was the giant teacup in the Cool room that guests could perch on for the perfect snap.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
The Calm room, meanwhile, was bathed in a shade of yellow with yoga cushions that guests could relax on. "We wanted to allow people to just breathe," Hernandez said. And the highlight of the Cool room was, of course, the giant Disneyland-like teacup that guests could sit on for that Instagrammable moment. Each room also had mirrors and words of affirmation adoring the walls. Tastings were on the agenda as well.
"They were able to have a moment with themselves and not only enjoy the activation, but taste the three different flavors as well," Hernandez said, or take them home to enjoy.
With this activation, Tetley also wanted to tap into health and wellness. "Traditionally, tea is a ritual; it allows you to take a moment to breathe," Hernandez explained. "We wanted to go further with that with this product and this activation. People in the middle of this chaotic shopping mall were actually able to relax and disconnect and fully immerse themselves in the activation."
Each room's walls were also adorned with words of affirmation.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
Activating in a shopping mall has its challenges of course, but Naihely says other event profs are sure to find success if they're true to the brand they're representing and the goals, not just for each touchpoint, but for the activation overall.
"I think consumers, especially now with all of this uncertainty, truly value transparency," Hernandez said. "We created this activation with consumers in mind—to create a positive and mindful experience for them. As long as you're true to what your identity is as a brand and what your end goal is as a product, activation, or brand experience, it will flow naturally. And consumers will be talking about that event."
One final piece of advice? Hernandez said to make sure the brand ambassadors are on board with the goal: "For us, it was key to find people with this energy and vibe that will not just explain to consumers what the product is, but will invite them to enjoy and focus on the mindful aspects of the product and the activation."
Keep scrolling to see key vendors and more photos from the Tetley Live Teas pop-up...
VENDORS
Branded merchandise: Reward Connections
Fabrication: Engineered Arts
Influencers: @z.e.n.e.r.g.y, @raquelbenitah, @blogTO
Marketing: Queue Media
Printing, mailing, distribution: Jenuine Print
Choosing the right brand ambassadors that go beyond explaining what the product is is key to a successful consumer activation, Tetley brand manager Naihely Hernandez said.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
The yellow-clad Calm room featured yoga cushions to help guests relax in the space.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
The three interconnected galleries were monochromatic and created to have their own unique personalities, just like the new blends they represented. Engineered Arts handled fabrication.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
"We created this activation with consumers in mind—to create a positive and mindful experience for them," Hernandez said.Photo: Drew Lindsey/FUSE Create
