Brand Strategy & Cultural
Narrative for a Chinese EV Pioneer
Entering the Western Imagination
The Challenge
S01
Horwin wasn’t just launching a new bike - they were making a leap: from tech-led EV company to cultural force. With Tron-like designs and global potential, the product impressed. But the brand lacked cohesion, emotional pull, and cultural fluency - especially entering Western markets without a clear sense of what “cool” truly required.
The Approach
S02
I reframed the challenge as cultural, not cosmetic. Horwin didn’t need another campaign - they needed a belief system.
We began by decoding the gap between East–West brand expectations, and grounding the work in deep audience research across multiple buyer archetypes. From there, I repositioned the brand as a philosophical futurist: not just selling bikes, but shaping a worldview.
I developed a 60+ page Brand Bible - codifying everything from mission to sonic identity. We created a narrative hierarchy, designed aesthetic direction rooted in vaporwave and brutalism, and crafted campaign concepts designed to scale - from an AI-generated feature film to a virtual mascot. Everything was built to feel cinematic, conceptual, and ready for global rollout.
The Insight
S03
EV and automotive brands often market features. But future-facing brands need mythologies. Horwin’s real power wasn’t in the specs. It was in the feeling their bikes created - the sense that you weren’t just buying transport, but joining a different kind of future.
THE
OUTCOMES
Deliverables and External Results
Delivered a 60+ page Horwin Brand Bible to anchor global strategy and design via strategy, narrative, aesthetic, product frameworks, and more
Repositioned Horwin from EV manufacturer to cultural futurist
Refined messaging across digital, social, CES, and launch platforms
Developed visual and sonic identity frameworks
Built naming conventions, influencer playbooks, and content hierarchy
Crafted scalable creative concepts, including a virtual mascot and AI short film
Internal Shifts Behind the Scenes
The founder saw his vision externalised for the first time
Team language shifted from technical to conceptual and strategic
Agencies previously struggling to interpret the brand adopted the Brand Bible as their foundation
Buy-in increased across departments as every decision could now anchor to a shared system
