3D Model
Colgate Tent Card kids Profile
🧵 Client Snapshot
Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd.
• Industry: FMCG / Oral Care
• Category: Kids Toothpaste
• Retail Context: General trade + Modern trade counters across India
• Category: Kids Toothpaste
• Retail Context: General trade + Modern trade counters across India
A category leader in oral care, Colgate wanted to create engaging Point of Sale Marketing Material (POSM) for their kids range
— one that could stand out in cluttered retail environments while being cost-effective and scalable.
⚠️ The Problem
A great visual idea… that failed on-ground.
Previous POSMs featured lights, sound, and bold branding — but they came at a cost:
• Bulky installs were expensive to produce and ship
• Counter real estate was hard to negotiate with retailers
• Low reuse rate meant POSMs were often trashed after one cycle
• Wastage was high, and ROI per unit kept declining
• Bulky installs were expensive to produce and ship
• Counter real estate was hard to negotiate with retailers
• Low reuse rate meant POSMs were often trashed after one cycle
• Wastage was high, and ROI per unit kept declining
🔍 The Turning Point
That single sentence reframed the entire design brief.
Our team decided to skip the boardroom and go straight to the shop floor.
Through firsthand conversations with kirana store owners and local retailers, we hit the core truth:
“Simple works. We don’t want big displays. We want something easy, small, and reusable — that doesn’t get in the way.”
Through firsthand conversations with kirana store owners and local retailers, we hit the core truth:
“Simple works. We don’t want big displays. We want something easy, small, and reusable — that doesn’t get in the way.”
🛠 Our Intervention
Sterling Arcus re-engineered the concept of POSM with a clarity-first, cost-conscious lens
• Material Shift: Replaced acrylics and foam with thick, foldable paperboard
• Design Logic: Small footprint — held only 4 toothpaste tubes intentionally
• Shipping Efficiency: Flat-packed for mail delivery, cutting transport costs by over 230%
• Assembly UX: No tools, no training — a shopkeeper could set it up in seconds
• Design Logic: Small footprint — held only 4 toothpaste tubes intentionally
• Shipping Efficiency: Flat-packed for mail delivery, cutting transport costs by over 230%
• Assembly UX: No tools, no training — a shopkeeper could set it up in seconds
We designed for behavior, not just aesthetics.
🌊 The Ripple Effect
It wasn’t flashy. It was functional. And that’s why it worked.
• 🏪 Retail Adoption: Widely embraced due to compact size and reusability
• 🧾 Lower Costs: Major reduction in logistics and fabrication expenses
• 🌍 Sustainability Win: Zero acrylic or foam = recyclable and waste-free
• 🏆 Internal Recognition: Rated as one of Colgate’s best POS innovations of 2018
• 🧾 Lower Costs: Major reduction in logistics and fabrication expenses
• 🌍 Sustainability Win: Zero acrylic or foam = recyclable and waste-free
• 🏆 Internal Recognition: Rated as one of Colgate’s best POS innovations of 2018
🪞 Reflections
Most brands obsess over visibility. But in retail, viability matters more.
This project was a masterclass in bottom-up design thinking — where user empathy, material logic, and real constraints led to a breakthrough. At Sterling Arcus, it reminded us that sometimes the smartest solution is the simplest one… when it’s built for reality, not just for pitch decks.
“Designing for shopkeepers — not just marketers — is what made the difference.”