Note: This project focused on brand strategy and narrative development. Creative execution and production were completed by Colenso BBDO.
AsaleoCare, the company behind household tissue brands including Purex, Sorbent and Handee, had a story most brands would envy. Their tissue products were made in Kawerau, New Zealand, backed by genuine environmental credentials and a manufacturing process with one of the strongest sustainability stories in the category.
The problem was that consumers couldn’t see the difference.
The market had become saturated with vague environmental messaging, generic green branding and eco claims that all sounded remarkably similar. Even brands doing genuinely meaningful work were struggling to stand out from the noise.
AsaleoCare needed a clearer, more emotionally engaging way to tell their story.
Rather than starting with traditional research methods, we immersed ourselves directly in the business. We spent time at the Kawerau mill talking with staff on the factory floor, hearing firsthand how the operation worked and what made it different. We also interviewed customers and internal sales and marketing teams to understand not only the functional strengths of the story, but also the emotional nuances behind it.
Our philosophy has always been that if you want to understand behaviour properly, you need to study it in the real world, not in an artificial environment.
That process revealed something important.
The eco story wasn’t lacking substance. It was lacking structure.
There was a huge amount of technical and environmental information available, but without a compelling narrative framework, much of it became difficult for consumers to absorb or remember.
We developed a strategic messaging platform that prioritised the most powerful parts of the story and created a clear hierarchy of communication for the video content. The focus was not simply on listing environmental claims, but on building a narrative people could emotionally connect with.
From there, we worked closely with the creative team at Colenso BBDO, helping guide the storytelling structure using proven narrative techniques including contrast, narration and conflict to make the message more engaging and memorable.
The final result was a beautifully crafted animated video that transformed highly technical environmental information into something warm, distinctly New Zealand and emotionally resonant.
Instead of sounding like another company making eco claims, AsaleoCare ended up with a story that felt authentic, grounded and believable, because it genuinely was.
