Celestial Seasonings
The calmest tea brand takes on the most chaotic month in sports.
Strategist | Campaign | October 2025
Problem
The Sleepytime tea brand is stuck in the evening.
Celestial Seasonings is best known for Sleepytime, an herbal tea synonymous with rest and winding down.
While Sleepytime can provide calm at any time of day, the tea, and Celestial Seasonings by extension, are associated almost exclusively with nighttime. With only 2.4% of tea’s market share compared to category leaders Lipton and Arizona that reach consumers throughout the day, Celestial Seasonings has reason to show the importance of calm in broader arenas.
Challenge
How can Celestial Seasonings become relevant beyond bedtime?
Research Findings
Finding a need for calm in March Madness, an unexpected arena.
March Madness has turned from college sports to cultural moment.
Over 3 weeks, billions are gambled. Millions are watching, and brands jump in to fuel the energy even further.
Our initial hypothesis was that fans needed moments of calm to help carry them through the chaos. But when they pushed back, we asked a different question: What about the people who didn’t ask to be part of the frenzy?
Target Audience
Fans of the Fans.
The tournament celebrates exhilaration. But not everyone experiences the tournament as excitement. The partners, friends, and family of fans, navigate the chaos because their loved ones are living in it.
20M+ Fans of the Fans manage the fallout of the madness.*
Behind the Insight:
Interrupt your dad’s game to explain why Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea aren’t interchangeable.
Ask 24 “sports widow(er)s” for their most effective March Madness peace-keeping rituals.
Spend 3 days doomscrolling through the most reactive tweets about bracket busters
1:1 Interviews | Social Listening | Survey Design & Analysis
*Audience size based on one loved one for every fan of the men’s tournament.
First Round: In-the-Moment Stress
“I think it is stressful sometimes. To see someone so worked up over something they don’t have any control of.”
Elite Eight: Greater Hope at the Risk of Greater Frustration
“Sometimes the energy can be very intense, whether that is excitement or deep frustration… their energy may be directed towards you as well.”
Championship: Relationships Put to the Test
“[It’s] like being a [third] wheel. ”
Insight
These loved ones are fans by association,
but they’re surviving the madness, not celebrating it.
Brands feed into the frenzy of March Madness, but no one serves the people most in need of calm.
Strategy
Bringing Calm in the Chaos.
The Campaign
March Mindfulness
Tea’s Tip-Off
Introducing calm before the frenzy. Celestial Seasonings anticipates the chaos with calming OOH in the cities that are home to high-attendance universities like UConn, UMich, and Tennessee.
Sideline Sereni-Tea Kits are gifted to the loved ones of fans already showing reactivity, encouraging organic sharing. The kits become broadly available on Selection Sunday, giving Fans of the Fans the chance to purchase for themselves or fans to purchase as gifts.
Bringing Cups to the Court
Creating a safe haven for Fans of the Fans at the tournament’s peak. The Sipport Line, Celestial Seasonings’ hotline, offers calming but playful moments for space and in-the-moment relaxation.