Nei.Lian.Sheng
Brand Strategy | User Experience Design
Intro.
The goal is to rebrand this oldest handmade cloth shoe brand in China and make it speak to today’s audience. The project includes research and insight, value proposition and design development, which contains 3 brand experiences regarding 3 touchpoints (Product, Digital and Marketing)
“To revive a brand of great heritage in today’s world is not about creating, but about finding and redefining.”
How do we revive a brand of great heritage in today’s world ?
Nei.Lian.Sheng was first established in 1853 and is the oldest handmade cloth shoe brand in China. The traditional “thousand-layer sole shoes” was created by Nei.Lian.Sheng and was selected as Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage. How do we revive such a brand with such a history in today's world? This is the problem I often wonder.
After a while in the States, I started to reexamine the value of this traditional Chinese brand Nei.Lian.Sheng and I think it has very strong appeals to modern day Chinese consumers. There are already efforts from celebrities and fashionistas alike trying to revive this brand. This brand also talks strongly to those born after the 80s and 90s in China. Part of the reason why this brand is able to resurge is because after all the recent developments Chinese society has experienced, the younger Chinese tend to be more nationalistic and they need a brand that not only they can be proud of but also have to be essentially Chinese, which can represent their craftsmanship. It is as their way of saying, hey, made in China can be cool also. Under such timing and circumstances, Nei.Lian.Sheng has found itself a solid market.
From a brand strategy perspective, for such a brand with great cultural heritage and history, to revive it in today's world is no longer about creating another product, but rather exploring and redefining what it already has. The objective of the project is to find and redefine qualities behind the brand and make the brand speak to today’s audience. The project includes brand introduction, research and insight, value proposition and design development, which is including 4 brand experiences regarding 4 touchpoints.
Research and Insight
Product Touchpoints - Timeless N.L.S
“The first task for Nei.Lian.Sheng is to redefine featured product lines to present a clear product and brand image. ”
There are up to 200 styles under the brand. Some styles are exclusive to women and some are exclusive to men. Such many confused options not only give customers a hard decision to make, but also a blurry featured-product image. The first task for Nei.Lian.Sheng is to redefine featured product lines to present a clear product and brand image. There will be 2 product lines：
Classic Product Line: “1853 + White + Wool”
Nei.Lian.Sheng will provide a simple and clear guide for classic products - “No.1853 + White + Wool”, which is 6 classic styles, mixing with 2 classic colors and 2 classic materials. Choose 6 styles as the featured classic styles and make them available to men and women at same time. Name each classic style a series number so that the international buyers can easily pick the right product.
Seasonal Product Line: “N.L.S. + Designer”
China-elements influence international fashion these years. To apply the traditional element in a fashion way is the core guidance todesign Nei.Lian.Sheng's seasonal style. To combine the new material, pattern, design and classic style together, Nei.Lian.Sheng will make its trend and define the future.
Digital Touchpoint - Smart N.L.S.
“Nei.Lian.Sheng is classic, but it doesn't mean it can't be smart. ”
By using the apps, users not only can buy shoes online under a clear classification, but also can find the nearest store with shoe-customizing service information, customize shoes via smartphone application “Sole”, and participate in the charity program “Give” to pass on shoes.
Applications:
- Nei Lian Sheng. : N.L.S. general app.
- Sole: N.L.S. shoe-customizing app.
- Give: N.L.S. charity community
“Scan your feet. Sole your shoes.”
Marketing Touchpoint - Recognizable N.L.S.
“The image was inspired from a stitch pattern of N.L.S.’s famous ‘thousand-layer sole’ cloth shoes. There are over 2000 stitches sewn in one sole and exactly 81 stitches in one square inch, making the sole an impressive feature of Nei.Lian.Sheng’s shoes.”
Also, the component looks like the Chinese character " 人", which means "human" in Chinese. To present " human" in the logo is sticking to Nei.Lian.Sheng's spirit of artisan and humanity.
