esg strategy

Shon Unisex Fragrance

SCENT OF A HUMAN

Overview

Deliverables:
· Brand identity and naming direction
· Inclusive visual design system
· Sustainable packaging concept
· ESG-aligned communication strategy
· Tone of voice and campaign messaging
· Influencer marketing structure and activation plan

#beauty brand storytelling agency #launch strategy for niche beauty brands #visual identity for beauty products #brand strategy for beauty startups #luxury fragrance branding

THE CHALLENGE

How do you position a gender-neutral fragrance in a market still ruled by “for him” and “for her”?
SHON approached us with a bold concept: an everysex perfume inspired by traditional Japanese olfactory rituals, reinterpreted for a global audience.

The challenge was to create a brand identity for an inclusive beauty product that avoided clichés, retained luxury appeal, and embedded sustainability at its core.

We needed to:
·Break traditional fragrance segmentation without diluting exclusivity
·Blend heritage-inspired scent design with a progressive visual language
·Speak to a conscious, diverse audience while delivering a premium brand perception
·Design a sustainable packaging experience that aligns with ESG priorities and sensorial expectations

The branding was first about building a fragrance brand with cultural relevance, aesthetic depth, and global readiness.

STRATEGIC INSIGHT

In today’s fragrance market, identity is everything, and binaries are outdated.
Consumers want brands that reflect who they are becoming, not just what they wear.

The opportunity with SHON was clear:
position “The Scent of a Human” as a symbol of mindful, inclusive luxury, anchored in ancient Japanese craftsmanship, but expressed through a modern, minimalist aesthetic.

We shaped a strategy built on:
• Fragrance storytelling for luxury beauty brands that avoid gender tropes
• ESG communication frameworks that are felt, not just stated
• International positioning for inclusive products ready to speak across cultures and continents

With a leading beauty influencer as brand face, strategic storytelling became essential—not only to resonate with early adopters, but to build long-term legitimacy in a hyper-saturated market.

THE IDEA: FROM PERFUME TO PERSONAL STATEMENT

We built the SHON identity as a reflection of the wearer—evolving, neutral, intimate.
The naming, “The Scent of a Human,” set the tone: simple, raw, deeply universal.

What we did:
• Developed a brand identity system rooted in Japanese restraint and European clarity
• Designed packaging using sustainable materials, built for tactile engagement and visual purity
• Defined a verbal tone that carried softness, calm authority, and symbolic relevance
• Created an ESG-aligned communication strategy for campaigns, influencer assets, and brand rollout
• Positioned SHON as a fragrance brand where identity, values, and aesthetic merge

TAKEAWAYS

• Fragrance branding today must reflect identity, not prescribe it.
• Genderless doesn't mean generic but means culturally fluent.
• Inclusion it’s a system of language, ritual, and relevance.

ESG Strategy: A New Cornerstone for Brand Communication

In today’s hyper-connected world, trust is no longer a soft metric—it’s a critical asset. Investors, regulators, and increasingly informed consumers are paying close attention to how companies position themselves in terms of sustainability, ethics, and governance. This shift has transformed ESG strategy from a financial reporting requirement into a powerful lever for brand value and communication. While ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance, its significance goes beyond compliance: it represents a framework for how a company behaves, communicates, and builds long-term equity. For those preparing to launch a new brand or product, ESG strategy is not a “nice to have”—it’s a foundational tool that informs positioning, narrative, and trustworthiness from the ground up.

Brands that embed ESG thinking early tend to build stronger reputations, better anticipate stakeholder expectations, and reduce long-term reputational risk. This is especially important in emerging markets or sectors where consumer scrutiny and regulation are evolving rapidly. Communication plays a central role in this process. How a brand speaks about its environmental impact, its supply chain transparency, its approach to inclusion—these are not just HR or CSR topics. They are now central to marketing, brand identity, and consumer choice. An effective ESG strategy enables alignment between operations and communication, creating coherence that audiences today can see—and demand.

The Anatomy of an ESG Strategy in Brand Communication

An ESG strategy tailored for communication relies on a mix of market research, stakeholder mapping, materiality assessment, and narrative development. Unlike traditional branding exercises that focus primarily on aesthetics and storytelling, ESG-driven branding begins with measurable commitments and risk analysis. What issues matter most in the sector? Which ones are material to business performance and reputation? What gaps exist between values, actions, and public perception? These are the questions that inform a brand’s ESG strategy.

Building this strategy requires interdisciplinary thinking. It demands not only the creative expertise of communication professionals but also collaboration with legal, sustainability, finance, and HR departments. A meaningful ESG strategy translates operational facts—such as energy use, diversity metrics, or supplier audits—into a compelling brand architecture. This process often includes scenario planning and reputation modeling, identifying where ESG-related issues may emerge and how the brand should proactively respond.

For product launches, ESG strategy can offer an additional lens to define key differentiators. For example, in sectors like fashion, beauty, food, or real estate, an ESG-aligned positioning allows brands to resonate with a growing base of ethical consumers and institutional partners. Importantly, this strategy also guides internal alignment: employees need clear narratives and tools to communicate their company’s purpose, and ESG provides the vocabulary and structure to do so consistently.

Why ESG Strategy is a Growth Lever, Not Just a Risk Shield

ESG strategy is often mistakenly viewed as a compliance requirement or a defensive tool for damage control. In reality, when integrated into communication, it becomes a proactive growth strategy. The most forward-thinking companies now use ESG frameworks to inform product innovation, tone of voice, content planning, and even influencer partnerships. ESG is not the opposite of creativity—it’s the terrain where the next generation of creative brand thinking will happen.

In terms of brand equity, ESG adds tangible value. Companies that embed ESG principles in their communications often see higher engagement rates, stronger employee advocacy, and longer customer lifecycles. This is particularly crucial when entering competitive or saturated markets, where claims of “quality” or “innovation” are no longer enough. A brand that can articulate its contribution to the broader world—not just in values, but in verifiable actions—will stand out. From packaging to press kits, from digital content to investor relations, ESG strategy ensures coherence across all touchpoints.