Identity-Led Funnel Architecture for Alibaba’s Global Buyer Strategy

Client:

Alibaba

Service:

Brand Transformation

Field:

E-Commerce + Retail

THE IDENTITY

QUESTION

How might I help the world’s largest B2B marketplace turn passive prospects into engaged participants - without relying on stale funnels or functional copy?

THE CHALLENGE

Alibaba’s ProBuyer funnel had scale, but no soul. The emails were flat. The engagement was weak. Global teams struggled to translate value into excitement. Ahead of a major conference push, they needed more than incremental improvements. They needed a reason for buyers to care - and keep caring.

THE APPROACH

I repositioned the work as narrative design, not copywriting. We weren’t building an email sequence - we were crafting an immersive system of engagement.

I designed three narrative tracks, each aligned to a distinct buyer type and psychological trigger:

Spy Mission Briefings → High-stakes intel drops for action-oriented buyers
Choose-Your-Path RPGs → Interactive adventures for curious, mid-funnel leads
Mythic Trade Allegories → Story-based sequences for global credibility and trust

Each campaign layered emotion, tension, and surprise into Alibaba’s messaging. Behind the words, I built a modular storytelling framework - allowing internal teams to segment by market, localise voice, and deploy campaigns at scale, without sacrificing clarity or depth.

THE INSIGHT

In B2B, attention is won through structure, not volume. When you architect emotional momentum into a buyer journey, you stop asking people to open an email - you give them a reason to return.

THE INSIGHT

In B2B, attention is won through structure, not volume. When you architect emotional momentum into a buyer journey, you stop asking people to open an email - you give them a reason to return.

THE OUTCOMES

Strategic Deliverables

Engagement rates doubled in A/B tests vs. standard ProBuyer emails
Buyers in storytelling funnels were 2.4x more likely to re-engage within 7 days
Developed 3-track global storytelling system for ProBuyer
Produced complete narrative campaigns with modular copy assets
Created tone and messaging framework for internal CRM and brand teams
Built campaign playbooks with localized rollout plans and visual direction
Designed immersive activations aligned to Alibaba’s flagship global conference

Internal Shifts

Shifted internal mindset from transactional copy to story-driven brand engagement
Equipped teams with repeatable systems for emotional messaging at scale
Unified global CRM and content around a shared buyer narrative

“Jack made B2B feel like entertainment - without losing the strategy. We didn’t just get copy - we got a whole new way to think about how we speak to buyers.”

Ready to transform your identity?

Let’s collaborate

Ready to transform your identity?

Let’s collaborate

Ready to transform your identity?

Let’s collaborate