A drive to win tourists

Not only is Japan one of the world’s largest in-bound tourism market, it also has a rich gift-giving culture associated with it. The tradition of Omiyage—buying local produce and gifts for friends and colleagues when returning from traveling—originated in history from pilgrim trips to temples, but is a widespread tradition in Asia, even if it can go by different names.

Tapping into this rich tradition, Lipton wanted to win share of the tourist market, with a new product series targeting not only tourists looking for the perfect souvenir, but also a domestic audience who love localised products.

Crafting packaging with cultural meaning

How do we make a quintessential English brand not only “local,” but loved by locals as well? We created “Lucky Amulet Teas” based on the Japanese tradition of omamori—lucky amulets one gets from a temple, blessed with good luck. We shaped each tea bag like an omamori, with a variety of patterns inspired by Japan, featuring motifs such as kimono patterns, Mount Fuji, or woodblock waves, and complete with an omamori “knot” on top.

A sharable message of care and blessings

Matching the variety of prints, each tea pouch when unfolded reveals a message of blessing, from “You can do it!” “Good Fortune,” to “Be Yourself” etc, all designed in Lipton’s design tone and manner. By leveraging on an existing consumer behaviour, the product became a hit not only for tourists, but for anyone wishing to gift a message of blessing and good luck to loved ones, turning a quintessential English brand, into a beloved Japanese one.