Koto

Mars required a complete marketing overhaul for the next five years. We worked closely with them to develop a clearly articulated, future-focused strategy that could flex across their iconic confectionery to essential pet care, food, and nutrition. Given the scale and complexity of the challenge, we focused on creating a robust navigation system to create a consistent thread in their long-form animation.In collaboration with TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and Beginners.

Once upon a time in Claynotopia, cute, colorful, and clay-made dinosaurs roamed the lands. They searched for adventure, they danced, they ate snacks, and most importantly they made friends. Just who are these creatures? Meet the Claynosaurz. Some are big, some are small. Some sprint, some stroll. All of them are cheeky in their own way. (Dinosaurs, they’re just like us!) Claynosaurz produce short-form media, create digital collectibles, and cultivate community. All in service of shaping a new future for entertainment. When they came to Koto and showed us the characters they had created, we were like, “Dinos? LFG.” And that spirit embodied our entire time working together on this assignment to build out their brand identity. From getting to know the cast of characters at the company (human and dino), the community, and epic enthusiasm from the collectors of Claynosaurz, every day was a saur-ing delight. So much so that we infused that joy and positivity into the visual and verbal system, creating a colorful and vibrant brand experience that brought to life what makes the world of Claynosaurz so great: humour, adventure, and family-friendly fun. Shoutout to Claynosaurz for all the great collaboration and one of our most imaginative projects yet. We can’t see what comes next for the most epic set of dinosaurs we’ve met in the last 200 million years. And remember: heroes aren’t made—they’re moulded.

How do we approach the first creative share at Koto? Arthur Foliard, our Executive Creative Director, explains the process of selling — and building — brands that are meaningfully different, right from the beginning. Finding the perfect balance of finding a big, bold vision for the brand — a visual and verbal statement, deeply rooted in emotion - and a meaningful narrative that will resonate with clients and their audience. More than color and type, it’s about creating a series of consistent yet compelling experiences that open up the imagination and blend function with form. During Brand New’s First Round in New York, Arthur shared this approach, using Bolt as a case study. To learn more about Bolt, check the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gPu4zsaR

The full story of how we helped to grow the Pairpoint brand now lives on our website. See the full case study → https://lnkd.in/ejtkeaHi

Berlin is looking to hire a motion intern. Join our crew of optimists here in Kreuzberg. The role is full-time, in-person, with WFH one day a week. Send your best work to berlin@koto.studio, or tag others in the comments.

Fitbit Ace LTE is a new kids wearable brought to you by Google. It’s the first ever connected smartwatch designed to get kids off the couch and into the chicken-space-race (yeah, that’s a thing). With 4G LTE and a gazillion games, you’re always close to home, and never far from fun. Google approached us to build a brand system around Ace LTE's four core attributes—Bold, Playful, Weird and Lovable—that speaks to the zest of childhood and the independence they long for. We worked closely with the Ace team to make sure the new brand authentically represented that childhood zeal, while ensuring its seamless integration across all touchpoints. High fives all round to the amazing Ace team—particularly Natalie Beaconsfield, Elliott Burford, and Anil Sabharwal—who have been the most incredible partners since 2022. Massive shout out to the supremely talented external partners who helped make this work come to life: Photography: Tonje Thilesen Device renders: Kühl & Han® ; STEL Design® Campaign video: Kühl & Han® ; Nexus Studios Check out the full case study —> https://lnkd.in/gefbVwE3

RootstockLabs (formerly IOV Labs) is home to some of the most pioneering and purpose-driven people working in Web3. A novel company, almost without parallel, RootstockLabs build disruptive, decentralised technologies that are helping to unlock the fundamental benefits of Bitcoin for people everywhere. A new name and identity is the culmination of a multi-year development mission with Koto to overhaul and improve the identities and relationships of their ecosystem of brands. Find out more about their important work here → https://lnkd.in/eyypi3i7

Trading crypto can be overwhelming. To build trust, and bring excitement back to the category, we partnered with Coinbase to create a fun campaign encouraging people to download the app, and start trading. We developed a character-driven TVC with a quirky narrative: meet CFG—the Crypto Friendly Giant! Accompanied by GIFs and banner ads, the 15-second spot sees the lovably clumsy colossus taking a very hands-on approach to an incredibly simple step-by-step. Full case study there 👉 https://lnkd.in/gsnCKKzq

The Economy of Things. Once a theory, now a reality? Pairpoint’s SIM and Blockchain technology breathes new life into today’s ‘connected’ devices by enabling limitless connectivity, autonomously and securely, between them all. The impact of this could be profound; enabling a host of new revenue models for businesses and ushering in a new frontier of convenience for users. Backed by Vodafone and Sumitomo Corporation, the strategy, name and identity we developed together aims to build comprehension in this novel technology, whilst capturing its sophistication.

What's the role of branding in the early stages? 🧐 Thriving companies are built on three pillars: Product, Growth, and Brand, creating a powerful flywheel—even from the start. At launch, among many competitors, a standout feature alone isn't enough. This is very true in B2B, where a lack of reputation and trust can undermine feature-focused sales efforts. So, what does brand do here? It strategically positions your product, crafts a compelling brand story, and helps you make sense of your customers' pain points and aspirations. It's your way of making a strong statement about your vision for the world. It serves as a crucial boost and relevance check for your product marketing efforts. More on OFF Brand → https://lnkd.in/e9XZPpef