When first thinking about changing the packaging of Tic-Tac breath mints one must ask why? The Tic-Tac package is an icon, recognizable by pretty much everyone across not only the United States but North America, South America, and Europe. Think of the classic Seinfeld episode where Elaine gives her co-worker a package of Tic-Tacs so she can hear when he is sneaking up on her. As a brand you know that you have a top position when one of the most successful television shows of all-time bases an entire episode around your product and packaging. With such strong brand recognition and being so well known across the globe it might seem foolish to change the packaging for Tic-Tac Chill mints. However, it is necessary that certain changes be made to the new package design in order to successfully compete and keep up with today’s breath mint market.
Since 1969, when Tic-Tac first came out, the breath mint market has changed drastically. Mints are now typically larger and have much stronger flavors than breath mints from twenty and thirty years ago. Packaging now is also much more flashy and eye-catching than the classic Tic-Tac packaging that has been used since first being started. Since the Chill mints are going to be a more modern breath mint with a larger size than the original Tic-Tac and have a more intense flavor they are going to be competing against breath mints like Ice Breakers and Altoids who both have very distinct and noticeable packaging. To keep up with this competition it is important to update the packaging for the new Chill mints. Since the mints themselves will be larger the package itself should be considerably larger than the current Tic-Tac packaging. Increasing the size of the container by 2-2.5x the size of the one currently used by original Tic-Tacs not only makes sense because of the new larger mint size but will also help the Chill mints get noticed by consumers. The package should also have color to it so that it is not washed out by competitor breath mints that have very bright, shiny, colorful packaging that is already well known. The color should not be as intense and eye-popping as some of the competitions though since the concept of the mint is to chill and relax. By giving the package a softer more muted color it will be able to stand out more and have a different look than other competitor packaging. Both of these attributes will help Chill mints keep up and compete with the competition.
The package itself should still be the basic concept of the original Tic-Tacs with the pop top however, just more modern and sleek to help get the 25-45 “chill” target market. By keeping a similar design and the pop top that Tic-Tac is so well known for consumers will still identify the Chill mints as Tic-Tacs and retain customer loyalty while also adding new customers who are looking to try something different. By also adding the new wide slide top to go along with the pop top Chill mints will stay competitive against mints like Altoids, who offer a large opening, and still retain what makes Tic-Tacs so unique.
Not only do Tic-Tac Chill mints have a different size and come in two new flavors—Paradise Mint and Exotic Cherry—but they also are sweetened with xylitol, an all-natural sweetener, instead of sugar. By using xylitol rather than sugar to sweeten Tic-Tac Chill you are targeting not only diabetic consumers, with whom xylitol has already been proven popular, but also the many consumers who are becoming more health conscious and prefer sugar-free products. Therefore this fact should be clearly advertised on the front of the package so consumers can easily identify Chill mints as being sugar free. This will help attract new customers and keep Chill mints competitive in the growing sugar-free breath mint market. Also promoting this fact on the front of the package will help impulse sales of consumers who are rushing through the check-out line looking to grab whatever sugar free mints they can find.
To test the new packaging of the Chill mints to make sure that the target market is correctly marketed to I would recommend bringing in focus groups from the 25-45 age group and right “chill” demographic to come in and look at prototypes of the current packaging ideas. This will allow you to ask your target market directly what they think about the new packaging idea and what they like about certain ideas and dislike so you can narrow down the best possible design for the new package. A focus group would also be helpful because you would also be able to ask them about competitors packaging and get their feedback on certain things that do a good job of attracting them and drawing their attention. This information would not only help by showing what competitors are doing well but also will help aide in figuring out what not to do by providing information about specific details that put consumers off about packaging. After conducting the focus groups I would recommend test marketing the Chill mints in major cities that have many younger to middle-aged working people who are more hip/modern and fit the “chill” demographic. I would also recommend selecting cities that are in different regions of the country that is being tested to find out what works where and why. For example, when test marketing in the United States I would select cities like Boston, Chicago, San Franciso, and Austin. This way the right demographic from all regions of the country will be in touch with the new packaging and regional differences about consumer tastes can be analyzed.