Bannistar worked on defining brand values, building cosmetology theory, defining brand worldviews, brand naming, brand logo, brand statement, product lineups, and packaging for the skincare brand “CELLEF” for Nippon Zettoc Co., Ltd.
Nippon Zettoc Co., Ltd. holds the top shares in the toothpaste market in Japan, and engages in the production of high quality and high-value-added products. Nippon Zettoc has a 64 year-long track record of conducting research on human cells from mouth cells to scalp cells and nail cells. However, when they developed high-performance skincare brands in the past, they had difficulty gaining market recognition, and struggled with conveying their product value to consumers. They began a project to sort out these issues and launch a high-performance brand, based on lifestyle proposals from the customer’s perspective.
The skincare market is very competitive, so it was important to identify the uniqueness of Nippon Zettoc, a company with a foundation in research, and develop a brand strategy for their products to solidify their positioning within the category.
They targeted a mature target audience of age 40 to 60: those who are trend-conscious and in tune with skincare information. They had undergone trials and errors to find the right solutions to their gradually felt skin problems (wrinkles, age spots, sagging), by changing the order of skincare application, or using face masks or special equipment. Their skincare concerns had intensified, and because they were knowledgeable in skincare ingredients and their effects, there was a need to develop a strong cosmetology theory to satisfy these customers.
“Skincare that reveals the future”
Bannistar conducted qualitative surveys for women in their 40s and 50s. From our results, we identified that they desire for beauty serums to effectively permeate their skin, which has various personal skin problems (wrinkles, age spots, sagging). Results also revealed that these women wanted to learn how and why skin cell proliferation/collagen production affects wrinkles, skin firmness, and moisturization, about regeneration of damaged skin, and how to maintain and improve healthy skin. We defined the brand’s values based on the idea of improving health both above and below the skin, and at the cell level to co-create a future of beautiful skin with customers.
We established the brand positioning as “Cell Skincare” from the idea that through aging, skin cells become dormant and less active, and do not work very well in action.
We defined the brand vision as “a way of life that reveals the future” to reflect customer goals of becoming women who revitalize their own cells and pursue a flexible, individual beauty without relying on anything, being uncomfortable, or forcing themselves.
We then moved to the creation of a new brand logo, brand statement, and packaging to accurately convey the new brand concept. The Tone & Manner was based on the four keywords of “comfortable”, “lively”, “simple”, and “supple”. The brand was named “CELLEF” based on the concept of cell skincare, combining the words “CELL” and “SELF”. In order to create a brand logo that is both feminine and represents inner strength, we used a simple typeface to connect the letters of “CELL” and “F (Female)” using the letter “E”. We incorporated a blank space within the letter “E” that expresses a free, comfortable feeling like an open window. This “window” will reveal and represent “the future” of the brand. We designed simple packaging with a rainbow hologram line, based on theme “Luminous—Glow from the inside”.
“CELLEF” has begun internet sales, and the lineup is expanding in succession.
At Nippon Zettoc Co., Ltd., we have manufactured and sold many cosmetics and oral care products with an emphasis on product quality and effectiveness, in order to make customers happy and to make them smile. However, we had been facing a long-standing issue that our benefit was not conveyed to consumers.
Bannistar was involved in our new brand project from the beginning, supporting us in organizing our ideas, building the brand concept based on our philosophy, and represent these ideas through packaging. We believe that we now are able to clearly convey our goals and share them with customers.
Through this brand, we hope to create happiness and a healthy future with our customers.
Nippon Zettoc Co., Ltd. Marketing Planning Department Ms. Manami Sato
