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In a world where “hustle culture” reigns supreme, millennial workers need a beverage that gives them a rejuvenating boost. Despite offering a ready-to-drink, revitalizing, real-brewed tea experience, Pure Leaf Iced Tea wasn’t on their radar as a solution to overcoming the mid-afternoon slump. To increase brand relevance, Pure Leaf sought to be seen as a cultural leader in revitalization and encourage consumers to take the break they deserve.

A groundbreaking State of the Break report by Pure Leaf revealed three in five American workers struggle to take a break during the workday, with over half feeling too busy or interrupted to recharge -- even though 63% say they feel exhausted when they skip a break. Still, two thirds of workers say a quality break helps them come back feeling recharged for what’s next. As a champion of revitalization, Pure Leaf saw this as an opportunity to intervene and help the burnt-out American workforce experience the power of a midday break. Tea has long been a remedy to burnout. In fact, the “tea break” was first introduced during the Industrial Revolution as a way for overworked laborers to recover from “industrial fatigue.”

Pure Leaf set out to bring that tradition back with modern day relevance - reclaiming the tea break as a vital part of daily life and promoting a healthier, more revitalized workforce.

Pure Leaf's target is high achieving, overstretched American workers, especially Millennial women for whom going above and beyond is the norm. Their generation built a reputation for being chronically overworked–busy bragging, powering through even when they passed their limit. For 1 in 4 of this group, this manifests in working through, shortchanging, or skipping their breaks entirely. As 35% of the American workforce, the largest share of any generation, they wield the most influence in changing workplace norms for the better–not only for themselves, but for Americans overall.

To ground this campaign in real data and human insight, Pure Leaf conducted the State of the Break report to serve as the foundation for a multi-platform push to shift cultural attitudes around taking time to recharge. The report revealed that 3 in 5 Americans struggle to take a proper break during the workday, with more than half feeling too busy or constantly interrupted to recharge—despite 63% saying they feel exhausted without one. Yet when they do take a meaningful break, two-thirds report feeling recharged and ready for what’s next.

To lead the charge on taking revitalizing breaks, we partnered with Lindsay Lohan—a mom, actress, producer, and Millennial icon returning from her own extended break. As our campaign spokesperson, Lindsay authentically embodied the revitalizing power of a reset and invited Americans to unapologetically reclaim their right to take a Tea Break.

Across earned, owned and paid media, we sparked a cultural conversation. On Instagram and TikTok, we collaborated with creators to share relatable and funny tea break moments, highlighted key findings from our study, and promoted the personal and professional benefits of real breaks. We created downloadable tools like “away on a tea break” messages, GIFs, and research-backed tips to help people set better boundaries. We also gave away free Pure Leaf iced tea to encourage participation and boost visibility.

To create long-term impact, we knew we had to go beyond awareness. In partnership with Mind Share Partners - a nonprofit organization that works to change workplace mental health culture - we launched the Pure Leaf Tea Break Grant Program, offering funding to small businesses and nonprofits across the U.S. to implement revitalization-focused initiatives, like wellness salons and trauma recovery centers, to support employee wellbeing—without taking a financial hit.

The Pure Leaf Tea Break campaign sparked a national conversation about toxic break culture. We landed editorial coverage in Access Hollywood, E! News, BuzzFeed, and Ad Age, among other outlets, which resulted in 2.3B earned impressions across 100 media placements and surpassed benchmarks by 130% and 233%, respectively. Coverage drove a 25-point increase in purchase intent, a 17-point increase in sentiment that ‘Pure Leaf helps people take more revitalizing breaks’, a 21-point increase in sentiment that ‘Pure Leaf advocates for improved physical and mental wellbeing.'

Coverage also extended to social channels, with 52.3K organic social impressions, 147.6MM boosted TikTok impressions, and 7.6MM boosted Instagram impressions.

Applications for the Tea Break Grants program came from almost 1,200 small businesses and nonprofits, representing up to 18,000 workers. Experts from Mind Share Partners selected eleven impactful initiatives, and grant winners are already using this funding to drive better workplace break cultures. These revitalization-focused initiatives are now benefiting more than 530 employees across these organizations. From trauma recovery centers to wellness salons, these break-positive efforts are helping shift workplace culture.

Consumers surveyed post-campaign confirmed that credible action, like the grants, built stronger consideration and purchase intent with our Millennial female target audience. Seventy-seven percent agreed ‘Pure Leaf is a leader in promoting better workplace breaks.’