sensus
sensus is a new, Korean-born brand for Europe. Committed to challenging preconceived ideas and distorted perceptions, with a roadmap of product launches through multiple industries worldwide.
Their first product, sensus Skincare, offers a clean, plant-powered, pre-ageing skin care routine that reduces waste, removes toxic stereotypes, and promotes self-care for a healthier outlook on life.
Brief
Build a brand that can live above its first product whilst allowing for further product launches.
Soft launch a lean, DTC skincare product to western markets to get investment.
Overcome traditional thinking in the beauty industry, particularly in plant-based skincare, pre-ageing products, a typical 12-step Korean skincare regime and binary norms in beauty.
Build awareness and hype around a tribe that encourages feedback loops and conversations.
Create a seamless e-comms experience with a bridge to physical retail.
Solution
Position and build a proposition for the brand. With long- term vision, but with short-term capabilities for quick turnaround and lean product launches.
Work with the client to build a messaging framework. With the intention to hype and excite, as well as educate and build understanding around the brand.
Build an identity that speaks directly to the consumer, taps into the current penchant for Korean skincare and embodies the brand values.
Build high volumes of content for use across multiple touchpoints and in a variety of ways, with consistency across channels.
E-comms means digital, so effective motion and sound branding are key. We control our environment, so let’s own it.
Ulltimately, this job was not completed with full client interaction. Towards the end, the client backed out due to the pandemic, but we pushed on with the idea because we believed in it so much.
Services
- Audience & Landscape
- Persona development
- insights & Positioning
- naming
- Voice & Messaging
- Visual Identity
- Motion identity
- Sonic identity
- packaging systems
- brand film
- key visuals - static & Motion
- social media content
Results
- Increased engagement of external stakeholders
- Raised €250k in funding
- 10k+ on the pre-register application for soft launch
- maintained steady social growth month on month
Brand values and storytelling
Working collaboratively with the client, we meticulously weaved the brand narrative into a sensory representation, translating the key foundational elements that form the backbone of this brand identity.
1. Removing toxic stereotypes around skincare for a non-gendering world
2. Removing the stigma of plant-based being less effective, to plant-powered being highly efficacious
3. Shifting the perception of anti-ageing products being just for old people, to empowered self-care at any age. Prevention over cure.
content powerhouse - distinctive assets
It was important to amplify the sensus vision into a sensory overload of content. Helping them land the most crucial and important aspects of the job. Unlocking impossible ideas and bringing them to life, helping them communicate complex ideas in an elegant and easily digestible way. Creating worlds that go beyond a single image, can be very cost and time- effective in the long run. Free from the principles of photography, we can bend and even break the rules in the content we create.
Packaging Design
Whilst the rest of our world is hyper-engaging and emotionally intense, the packaging design needed to serve a different purpose: a more functional one. Education.
We needed to teach a simplified Korean skincare regime to people who might not realise how to use the products. The pack design needed to reflect this.
A discovery element was added to the inside of the pack to highlight the potency of the natural ingredients and add that social media ‘shareable’ moment during the product reviews on YouTube and TikTok.
activation - marketing
Seamlessly integrating the creative idea through clear communications to activate consumers, through stimulation, trial and error, education, and ultimately loyalty.
motion identity - effective motion
In 2023, if you’re not using motion, what are you doing? It’s not enough to ‘just make it move’ anymore. Anyone can make it move. We obsess over the details to translate brand DNA through motion ensuring integrity and stand-out in a world of blah.
More than just throwing motion at everything, we design motion with intent — used here to communicate benefits. It acts as another communication device to build longer- lasting memory structures for the brand experience, and provides a consistent, distinctive style.
The shoot - Produced and completed with the help of 15 team members from 6 countries. inc 6 models, 12 outfits, 3 sets in 2 days.
From the beginning, we all knew it wasn’t enough to challenge perceptions through an outward expression. We also needed to live and breathe it through our partnerships. This extended to the designers, models, make-up artists, photographers, videographers, and more.
We partnered with Knaphouse to produce the shoot in Amsterdam. Knaphouse is Queer Culture consultancy. Providing research & insight on Queer Culture and help brands to be LGBTQIA+ inclusive.
Listening to the powerful voices and creativity of queer people on set led to some amazing insights and strong outcome. They worked tirelessly with us to make this happen and ensure we were representing queer culture and diversity on set.
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