Votary: A personal luxury strategy for an overcrowded category

Charlotte Semler and Arabella Preston, the founders of VOTARY, had created a range of natural cosmetics products for the luxury market. They wanted to launch by the end of the year, but they knew that Liberty’s shelves were crowded with established brands.

So, they asked us to help them identify a brand positioning that would carve out its own space.

It’s the combination of factors that makes a brand unique

We carried out a detailed linguistic analysis of the luxury cosmetics market.

We saw that the language of cosmetics brands is dominated by certain recurring themes: individual Vs. corporate and modern Vs. old-fashioned.When the leading cosmetics brands language was plotted out, it quickly became clear that there was a space which Votary could own. Boutique brands focused on the individual founders – they write in the first person and use colloquialisms. Other brands focus on understanding the science behind the product, suggesting there was a high level of expertise in the product.

But VOTARY could claim both these strengths, because Arabella is both a charming individual and also a recognised expert.

It lead us to a simple, powerful idea: VOTARY should feel like a private consultation with Arabella.

Better than we can say it

4 months after we delivered their brand strategy, VOTARY successfully launched in Liberty, London.

I loved working with Chris, Al and the team at Verbal Identity. They gave us a clear strategy, and they came up with inspirational creative ideas. In just a few months, they helped to shape our vision for VOTARY into a unique and beautiful brand.

Arabella Preston