303 MullenLowe is taking Tetley on a new journey to reposition the global teabrand as a social drink for a new generation of Australians, 18-35 yeas of age. 

The new Spill the Tea campaign taps into the need for connection and being ‘in the know’, presenting tea as a catalyst for uniting over a cup and exchanging gossip, secrets, personal confessions, controversial opinions, or exclusive news. The campaign, that covers film, outdoor, radio and social, aims to tackle the fact that consumers aged 18-35 often don’t view tea as an option – choosing coffee, craft beers and non-alcoholic drinks instead.

303 MullenLowe chief creative officer Bart Pawlak, stated, “Our brief was to take Tetley by the string and unceremoniously yank it out of an arguably stuffy tea category, moving the brand away from the familiar world of wellness, tea cosies and quaint hill country plantations. And, in the process, reimagining tea’s role for a new generation.  

“Positioning Tetley as a catalyst for the type of connection that, if online habits are anything to go by, younger Australians love to indulge in most – sharing hot gossip, scintillating secrets and eyebrow-raising revelations – in a way that is perhaps more present than what coffee or alcohol can offer. Best of all, we had a ready-made brand platform, entrenched in the target audience’s current vernacular. All that was left for us to do was spill it.”

303 MullenLowe creative Leads Katie Moore and Nick Sellars, explained, “Our inspiration came from real, trending Instagram and Facebook posts. We held up a mirror to our audience and reflected the O-M-G moments that matter to them; then we flipped the switch on how these moments are spilt. In our film and poster work our irreverent approach was designed to compete for our distracted audience’s attention and convey the power of tea to totally immerse those sharing it, in the moment. TL;DR — no matter what’s brewing, we made Tetley synonymous with spilling the tea.” 

 “The fact is, unlike alcohol which comes with a spectrum of consequences increasingly shunned by younger Australians, or coffee which is used more as an accelerant while on the go, tea has the unique power to make people pause, be more present and let the conversation start flowing.  This is something we identified in the strategy development as a growing need among a generation that’s ironically feeling more disconnected than ever and knew it would form an important consideration in the creative,” explained 303 MullenLowe managing director, Joanna Gray. 

Tetley Tea appointed 303 MullenLowe Sydney as lead integrated communications partner as part of a brand rejuvenation in 2022. 

Divya Shrivastava – TATA Head of Marketing, ANZ, stated, “The challenge for us was to find a way to reinvigorate the Tetley brand and in doing so reposition the entire category in the minds of younger audiences – without alienating our loyal 55+ customer base.  The result is a brand platform with a tonality that is unfamiliar in what can sometimes be a conservative tea category, and as such it quite effortlessly elevates Tetley out of the clutter.  And it will no doubt see more Australians Spill the Tea with Tetley.” 

Credits: 
Client: TATA Consumer Products 
Head of Marketing, ANZ: Divya Shrivastava 
Country Head, ANZ: Scott Wackrow 
Marketing Assistant: Nidhi Gupta   

Agency: 303 MullenLowe
Chief Creative Officer: Bart Pawlak 
Creative Leads: Katie Moore & Nicholas Sellers 
Senior Art Director: Steve Lorimer 
Senior Copywriter: Steve Straw 
Managing Director: Joanna Gray 
Group Business Director: Troy Parsonson 
Senior Business Manager: Johanna-Maria Kallaste 
Chief Strategy Officer: Jody Elston 
Head of Strategy: Smiljka Dimitrijevic 
Head of Design: Alby Furfaro 
Head of Production: Skye Lanser 
Senior Broadcast Producer: Honae MacNeill 
Social Media Director: Harry Meech 

Production Company: Scoundrel  
Director: James Dive  
Executive Producer: Adrian Shapiro  
Editor: Adam Wills 
Post Production: Illusion CGI 

Music & Sound Company: Sonar Music  
Sound Designer: Tim Bridge