Imsdal Iste – Citrus Flavoured Green Tea

Agency: JDO, UK
Client: Ringnes
Project Type: Commercial
Location: Norway

Off the back of the success of the Imsdal Iste iced tea launch last year, JDO Brand & Design has again partnered with Carlsberg owned Ringnes, this time to extend the range with a new flavour variant.

The initial launch comprised two flavours, peach and lemon with a black tea base. The new addition to the range is a citrus green tea variant.

Imsdal is Norway’s leading bottled still water brand. Launched in 1994, it extended its water portfolio in 2007 to include Imsdal Aktiv, a sports water, which has the same active ingredients as the market leading sports drinks but is a healthy alternative that has no artificial additives.

With the rise in popularity of iced tea in Norway, Ringnes saw an opportunity to extend the Imsdal range further and to bring the Imsdal brand to a new, younger audience. Imsdal is synonymous with naturalness and purity and has a strong Norwegian identity. A growing health trend in Norway has prompted consumers to look for iced tea products that are more natural and don’t use as much sugar or artificial sweeteners as most popular brands. Building on this trend, Ringnes identified Imsdal as the perfect brand to bring a healthy iced tea drink to market in Norway without any compromise on taste. Post the launch in 2015, Imsdal Iste has stolen significant market share from competitors such as TINE and Nestea.

JDO was briefed to keep the original Imsdal Iste identity at the core of the new variant design and to develop a different label communicating the refreshing citrus taste of the additional flavour variant. The colour palette needed to be differentiated from the current black tea designs to avoid confusion but also to sit comfortably within the existing range.

The resulting design retains the strong characteristics of simplicity, purity and honesty that have become the guiding principles of the core Imsdal brand. The Iste graphic icon illustrating the fusion of two droplets remains, this time representing the authentic green tea base and natural fruit flavours in new lighter colourways enhanced by the hue of the liquid. The contemporary icon is both memorable and has great stand out on shelf and adaptability off pack.

Paul Drake, JDO co-founder and creative director said, “We’ve tried to give the new design it’s own personality whilst staying true to the core Imsdal Iste master brand. While our focus has been the citrus variant, we’ve been mindful that the new green tea sub range should be flexible enough to allow for potential new flavour variants in the future.”

Karine Blystad, brand manager at Ringnes, added “JDO has created a design with a perfect combination of existing core Imsdal Iste brand equities and new and unique green tea and citrus flavour cues. This new design is intuitive and communicates the brand proposition and flavour variant clearly. A refreshing citrus green tea that provides pure enjoyment and a healthier option for consumers.”

The new citrus flavoured green tea packs are now being rolled out across Norway.