The products weren't the problem. The language was.
We tied every ingredient and term to the concerns a Western audience was already searching for, so TCM became legible to them without being watered down for the people who already knew it.
ROLE
Art Direction · Copywriting · Brand Strategy · Creative Direction · Social and Influencer Content Direction · Shoot Direction · Line Production · Edit and Music Oversight
Company
YINA, Consulting Head of Brand Marketing, in-house
SCOPE
Brand strategy · Tagline · Brand guide · Web & Social films · Influencer · Iconography
THE CHALLENGE
YINA is a holistic beauty brand rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, founded by two experts in it. The products were extraordinary. Most US consumers did not understand TCM terminology or its benefits, and that gap was the single biggest barrier to growth.
WHAT I DID
Built the brand language, embedded with the founders. One of them based in Singapore. Founder interviews, category research and a competitive landscape review produced ownable positioning, brand attributes, and messaging for every product, which shaped the brand guide, the briefs and a growth opportunity plan. Out of that came the tagline: Skin care, that's Self care.
Then made the work myself. The content operation was me and one in-house creative. For the routine videos I concepted, scripted and storyboarded, sourced a crew including a cinematographer, directed the shoot, ran line production, oversaw the edit, and sourced a composer for original music.
IMPACT
Best Skincare Brand 2023, USA and Canada, plus eight Beauty Shortlist Awards
A new tagline. Skin care, that's Self care. Five words carrying both halves of what the practice does.
Skincare routine how-to videos. Built to surface against the skin and wellness concerns people were already typing into a search bar, then explain how and why to use the product that answers them.
Divine Sheet Mask influencer campaign. Influencer superfans who already used it, cut together with press accolades and our own footage.
Gua Sha campaign. Media coverage of the tool was already building, so we used it, and explained what the thing actually does.
Iconography. The most important product facts at a glance, for someone deciding whether to trust the brand.
