Changing Lives One Cell at a Time

We have collaborated with New Zealand-based wellness company leading the cellular health revolution, MitoQ, to transform its business and brand to transcend the commoditised world of functional performance supplements. The work has pioneered a new category of cell health for MitoQ helping unlock new sources of value beyond product. It answers the desire of people seeking support to live optimally and make a positive impact on others and the world around them, and it responds to a growing need for trust in brands to do good in an increasingly uncertain world.

As the pioneers of the world’s first mitochondria-targeted antioxidant that directly combats cell stress, MitoQ wanted to escape the low value, low cost world of functional supplements for athletic performance. Originally developed to support people with medical conditions such as Parkinsons, the brand had edged into a space of high physical performance. MitoQ wanted to better manifest the highly innovative benefits the MitoQ molecule delivers to support people in overcoming cell stress and enhancing general health, as well as physical performance. With the support from Born Ugly, MitoQ was able to uncover the opportunity to move beyond the world of supplements supporting people in their quest for self-actualisation and self-transcendence. Cementing its ambitious vision to change the world for the better – one cell at a time – the organisation’s focus has become to shift from product to experience, enabling MitoQ to identify and unlock new opportunities for value and growth.

The Strategy

Through a collaborative, agile process, Born Ugly was able to support MitoQ to identify its vision and purpose, through a process of business and consumer insight generation, strategy development, brand definition, brand creation and design, and brand activation. At the heart of the work was the shift of the brand’s purpose from supporting consumers to ‘power through life’ to ‘empowering their purpose’ through products and experiences. The approach needed to overcome cultural differences across its key markets, US and China.

A unifying mindset was identified that could connect the different audiences rooted in a deep human truth that when people feel their best, they can have a positive impact on those around them. This connecting mindset became known as ‘Positive Selfism’, which is rooted in the insight that everyone needs positive energy to serve themselves, but also to ensure that their exchanges with others are as positive or beneficial as possible. By taking care of oneself it empowers one to take care of other people.

The brand’s new purpose helped unlock the opportunity for MitoQ to build and support a global community of healthy, energised and empowered individuals who are passionate about living full lives and making the most of every moment on their terms. To enable them to start with small incremental changes from the inside out that amount to creating a positive impact on themselves, their family, community and the planet. A resonant purpose for today’s uncertain world, supported by a product truth that MitoQ molecules penetrate deep inside human cells to help them get the energy they need to function at their best.