case study
finalist · AdVenture 2025
Taylors of Harrogate
Experience the present, one sip at a time.
An insight-led integrated campaign concept for Taylors of Harrogate, developed for the AdVenture Student Competition. The idea reframed tea from a familiar beverage into a simple ritual for slowing down, reconnecting, and returning to the present moment.
Context
Taylors of Harrogate is a British tea brand with more than a century of heritage, built around quality, authenticity, and a premium product experience. The challenge was to make the brand more relevant to a contemporary Bulgarian audience without weakening the tradition and credibility at the heart of its identity.
Rather than communicating tea only through taste, origin, or product quality, we explored a more human role for it: a familiar ritual that can interrupt the automatic pace of everyday life and bring attention back to the present. This became the foundation of a campaign designed to help people step out of “autopilot” mode.
Challenge
How could a heritage tea brand gain contemporary relevance without behaving like a brand it is not?
The opportunity was not to change the product, but to expand the meaning it could hold in people’s lives. Tea was already associated with comfort, calm, and tradition, but not always seen as an intentional choice for a fast-paced modern lifestyle.
The campaign therefore needed to preserve Taylors’ premium character while creating a more contemporary emotional reason to choose it.
The proposed six-month campaign set targets of building awareness among 150,000 people and inspiring 50,000 purchases from the Taylors “Classics” range.
Research
To ground the direction in real audience behaviour, the team combined primary and secondary research. We conducted a survey with more than 920 respondents and 15 in-depth interviews, exploring tea-drinking habits, attitudes, and the emotional role of tea in everyday life.
Secondary research provided additional context on premium tea consumption, wellbeing, mindfulness, and the growing demand for products that combine functional value with a meaningful experience.
A recurring theme emerged across the research: people often move through their days and routines without fully experiencing them. Many were looking for small, accessible ways to slow down and reconnect.
This allowed us to reinterpret tea not simply as a source of comfort, but as a practical trigger for attention, reflection, and human connection.
Audience
We focused on urban adults aged 35-45 with above-average incomes, active lifestyles, and an interest in quality, authenticity, wellbeing, and intentional choices.
The creative brief described them as informed and socially aware consumers who value brands aligned with their principles and may already practise activities such as yoga or meditation.
WHO ARE THEY?
Urban, active adults with above-average incomes who value quality products and meaningful experiences.
WHAT MOTIVATES THEM?
A desire to live more intentionally, take care of their wellbeing, and choose brands that reflect their values.
WHAT GETS IN THE WAY?
The pace of everyday life can turn even restorative habits into automatic routines without genuine attention or presence.
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
Simple, accessible rituals that create calm, focus, and a stronger connection with themselves or others.
Strategic Direction
Insight
The research shifted the campaign from tea as a product to tea as a moment.
Rather than leading only with taste, origin, or quality, the strategy connected the product with a deeper human need: a simple interruption that helps people notice and experience their lives more consciously.
“Making tea helps me switch off autopilot mode and start being present in my life.”
This is where the idea begins.
Strategic direction: Position Taylors of Harrogate as a brand that helps people experience everyday moments more intentionally through the simple ritual of tea.
Core message:
Every cup of tea can become a small moment of reconnection with the present.
Tone of voice:
Warm, thoughtful, encouraging, and unobtrusive.
Role of the brand:
To be a companion in the moments when people choose to slow down, reflect, and be present.
Communication territory:
Mindfulness, intentional living, personal rituals, and small but meaningful pauses.
The Big Idea
“Experience the present, one sip at a time”
The idea turns every sip into an invitation to notice the moment.
Reflective questions, personal responses, and participatory experiences move the audience from passive exposure to active involvement. Instead of simply seeing the campaign message, people are encouraged to experience it, respond to it, and contribute to it.
Creative Solution
The campaign was designed as a connected system of physical and digital experiences.
Each touchpoint translated the abstract theme of presence into something people could do: answer a question, share a thought, try the product, begin a conversation, or pause for a moment.
Reflective Question Cards
The Paradox of Now is a set of physical and digital question cards inspired by the passing of time and, more loosely, by Zeno’s paradoxes.
Instead of relying on direct product communication, the cards invite personal reflection and meaningful conversation. They turn the tea ritual into a pause with a purpose.
Experiential and BTL Activations
Life-sized tea-cup heaters and Taylors-branded zones at winter markets, book fairs, and art festivals bring the campaign promise into the physical world.
The activations offer warmth, tea sampling, and a natural setting in which people can engage with the reflective question cards - turning the idea of presence into a tangible brand experience.
Interactive Kiosks
Interactive kiosks placed in high-traffic urban locations invite people to answer a reflective question in their own handwriting on a digital screen.
After submitting their response, each participant receives a sample from the Taylors “Classics” range and a printed handwritten answer from another participant. The exchange creates a small and unexpected moment of connection between strangers.
OOH
Selected responses from the kiosks become the campaign’s outdoor creative, supported by bold product imagery and the distinctive colours of the “Classics” range.
By placing real handwriting and personal thoughts at the centre of the communication, the OOH executions present genuine human voices rather than polished brand statements. QR codes connect the placements directly to the campaign microsite.
Microsite
A dedicated campaign hub connects the physical and digital experience.
Visitors can explore digital versions of the question cards, read and share responses collected through the kiosks, and discover content related to mindfulness and intentional living.
Digital Engagement
Reels, YouTube videos, carousels, Stories, interactive prompts, and seasonal giveaways extend the campaign across digital channels.
Real responses and audience participation create an ongoing content loop, while user-generated posts help the campaign travel beyond the brand’s own media.
Media Logic
The media plan follows a staged journey from awareness to immersion, product trial, and continued engagement.
OOH receives 40% of the proposed budget to build visibility in high-traffic urban environments. Digital advertising receives 30% for targeted reach, interaction, and retargeting. Experiential activations receive 20% to encourage participation and product trial, while PR receives 10% to build credibility through trusted media and lifestyle coverage.
The kiosks and microsite connect these channels, allowing the audience to move between public communication, personal participation, digital exploration, and product experience.
The planned evaluation framework covers four areas: awareness through OOH impressions and digital reach; engagement through activation participation and social interactions; conversion through performance of the “Classics” range; and sentiment through follow-up surveys and interviews.
My Role
Media & Strategy Director
As Media & Strategy Director, I contributed to the strategic and channel logic of the campaign - from interpreting the audience opportunity and clarifying the role tea could play in the idea to mapping the customer journey and identifying the touchpoints through which the campaign could become a participatory experience.
My focus was not only on what the campaign should communicate, but also on where, when, and how people would encounter it, interact with it, and move towards product trial.
The campaign was developed collaboratively by Team Charitage:
Selin Mehmed - Account Director
Hristina Tsankova - Media & Strategy Director
Polina Drumeva - Creative Director
Iskrena Dimitrova - Art Director