Altoids: HALL OF CURIOSITY

Credits & Description:

Category: Online Digital Design

Advertiser: WRIGLEY

Product/Service: ALTOIDS

Agency: ENERGY BBDO

Chief Creative Officer: Dan Fietsam (Energy BBDO)

Executive Creative Director: Kevin Lynch (Energy BBDO)

Art Director: Ryan Stotts (Energy BBDO)

Copywriter: Andrei Chahine (Energy BBDO)

Account Supervisor: Emily Kane (Energy BBDO)

Media placement: Hallofcuriosity.com - website - October 27, 2011

Media placement: Ebay Auction - ebay.com - October 27, 2011

Media placement: Scrappy Artifacts - Chicagoland area - November 1, 2011

Media placement: Tin Liners - Packaging - November 15, 2011

Media placement: Curious Story videos - youtube.com - December 21, 2011



Describe the brief from the client



During the 90s, a combination of strong flavours, unique packaging, widespread distribution and distinctive communication quickly elevated Altoids to the no.1 position in the Mints Category.



Fast-forward 2 decades later and Altoids has lost its social cachet. While still solidly commanding the no.2 position in mints, Altoids couldn’t just be about 'strong' in a category where products with strong flavours were no longer difficult to find. What's more, the entire category (along with budget and media) was shrinking, and Altoids needed a new way to re-engage people.



Our charge: Get people curious about Altoids again.



Describe the challenges and key objectives

After remaining unchanged for decades, the original Altoids tin liners became wallpaper. No matter what flavour was purchased or when, it was the same experience: a brief, factual history of the brand and list of all the available flavours. There was no longer anything in the experience to delight our consumers and prompt them to engage with the brand.



So, our objective was simple: spark consumer curiosity and conversation, and strengthen brand engagement by leveraging the Curiously Strong equity and sophisticated wit of Altoids in a fresh, relevant way.



Describe how you arrived at the final design

The Altoids tin has barely changed since 1780. Therefore, we looked to make the experience inside something new and engaging without departing from its timeless design. We devised stories of its trademark curious strength through tongue-in-cheek historical anecdotes. Then, as people finished their mints, they’d discover a 'Curiosity’ underneath. Sometimes the Curiosity offered a clever (and silly) way to use the tin liner. Other times, they posed a challenge for people to upload online. To this day, our tin liners are posted by Altoids fans on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media.



Give some indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The Tin Liners were part of a broader holistic effort which included the Altoids Hall of Curiosity, which garnered 4.5m traditional media impressions and 4.6m social media impressions, far exceeding our 500K benchmark. The Altoids Facebook page saw a 91% lift in monthly active users, including those posting their completed tin liners and adding 'Curiously Strong Facts' of their own. By coincidence, national sales for the end of 2011 were on the rise.



Altoids, Curiously Strong and all affiliated designs are trademarks of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.