Jenny, Brand Marketing Manager of Melixir

Hi Jenny! What do you currently do at Melixir?

I am in charge of brand marketing, or more specifically, I am in charge of making decisions on how Melixir, as a brand, is introduced to the public. My job involves coming up with creative methods to communicate the appeal of Melixir and its products to current and potential customers. 

Could you go into detail about your responsibilities? 

On the job, I create content in the form of videos, articles, or photos,in order to increase customer awareness and engagement with the brand. My work in brand marketing can be divided into content and public relation (PR). 

For content, I take stories related to the brand, products, or the people to create videos or posts that align with the brand voice and style of communication. These videos and blogs are then posted on our blog and social media platforms. In our posts, we try to cover all the different facets of Melixir, with topics ranging from our brand philosophy, to the process of developing clean and sustainable products, or to our Sustainability Campaign. We basically create everything that you see or read about Melixir online and in-person.  

For PR, my work consists of reaching out to influencers for collaborations, handling media coverage of our company performance and products, as well as work on brand alliances.    

What goal are you currently working towards?

My goal is to successfully build a close relationship with the public so they can easily recall Melixir when they look for healthy, vegan and sustainable skincare products. I want Melixir to become a brand that pulls customers in at first glance and maintain a strong appeal for current customers. When visiting our website or Instagram in search of a specific product or just out of plain curiosity, I want everyone to feel the confidence our team members have in our products. I want customers to trust the quality of our brand and the effectiveness of our products. I hope the content we put forth allows our customers to simply feel confident in our products instead of explicitly being told to do so. The most difficult part of creating a single brand identity is having to accommodate the differences between each individual customer.  

As a brand marketer, how would you define what is a good brand?

I believe that a good brand is one that adds value to people’s lives. Melixir’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life by introducing healthy alternatives that they can easily incorporate into theirevery day routines. This could be a skincare or body care product you use daily, a service that recycles cosmetic containers that are difficult to recycle, or tips and tricks on living a mindful life and teach you how to better take care of yourself. 

This is why our social media feed does not just contain posts about our products. Since our goal is to create a community that fosters healthy habits, we try to incorporate the idea of being mindful of not only our physical health, but our mental health and our planet’s health with the stories we generate. 

I also believe that a good brand is one made by members who share the same core values and missions. Therefore, I have been consistently trying to live a healthy life, making sure my body and mind are taken care of. A healthy lifestyle isn’t just about caring for your physical health, but also learning to love all the different facets of your daily life. 

I’d love to know the reason you chose to work at Melixir. 

I’ve always been interested in products or services that add value to my life when I use them, whether they are apps or physical products. I like brands like Apple, Marshall, and Patagonia with a clear brand image and their own unique characteristics. 

Among the companies that provide products or services I enjoy using, I wanted to work in a place where I had a foundation to work with. When I first looked through the Melixir website, it already had a clear and unique message it was conveying to its audience, so I applied without hesitating when I saw a brand marketing job advertisement. 

How did you become interested in marketing? 

I think the appeal of marketing comes from being constantly in touch with the customers and understanding things from their points of view. As someone interested in the habits and inclinations of people, this was perfect for me. Those working in marketing are always studying what the public is interested in, what they are concerned about, or what they want more of. They also focus a lot on how other brands interact with their customers and learn from their results. With social media so prevalent nowadays, people share their lives on the internet all the time, allowing marketers to gain insights into customer preferences. On another note, I’ve always wanted to work in a role where I help the make known the benefits of a particular product or service. Even up to this day, I still think that marketing/PR is not only the job that fits me the best, but something I also enjoy doing as well. 

As a brand manager, what kind of brands do you like? 

First of all, I think I am drawn to brands like Apple,IKEA, and Melixir – brands that are more “reticent.” These brands make you, as a customer, feel directly in touch with the products themselves without physically interacting with it. If you take IKEA for example, the instructions to assemble furniture only contain pictures rather than words, which is surprising given how easy it is to make a mistake if the directions are not clear enough. As for Apple, their attention to even the smallest details on the interfaces of its product, in a way, excites you since you know the product you are buying received such attention and care.   

There are brands we are loyal to because it makes us feel included in the type of lifestyle the brand embodies and promotes. There are also other brands we are loyal to simply because we love them. For me, I think the effectiveness of the product is the most important factor when we choose to purchase something. Let's take over-the-top media services (OTT) for example. While these OTTs have good brand value and offer a lot of interesting content, you won’t want to buy it again if the experience you had was not good. I like brands that stick to the basics. If the product or design is good, you inevitably become attracted to it. I think that’s what Melixir is like for our customers. Once you start buying the products, you can’t go back… To be honest, I don’t think there are many brands like that. If a brand does a good job producing products that work properly and represent its mission, I will definitely be willing to spend money on it. 

On the other hand, I don’t really like brands that don’t have a solid foundation. It’s very disappointing when you realize the product you bought was not at all worth the amount you paid for it. I think companies should stick to their word and give the customers the benefits that the products are promised to offer. I believe that as long as brands have good fundamentals, they can acquire the trust and loyalty of customers. 

How do you spend most of your time when you’re not working? 

I usually spend my spare time browsing through different types of promotional content other brands post. By following various brands on social media platforms like Instagram, I can pay close attention to how they create engaging content to interact with customers. I also spend time on YouTube learning the kinds of content or aesthetics people are into these days. On weekends, I read through all the newsletters that I didn’t get a chance to look at during the weekdays. The newsletters is another resource I look towards when trying to identify trends. 

Other than that, I watch a lot of daily vlogs and travel videos. One of my favorite travel YoutTubers is “여락이들.” Recently, I watched a video about a tart shop in Proto, Portugal, which made me want to travel there as soon asCOVID dies down. When I get the chance to meet up with my friends, I usually spend time drawing, playing music and attending book club meetings with them. 

You mentioned “becoming a person you would want to work with” as ​​your interest these days. What kind of person do you want to work with?

People I want to work with have two specific traits: responsible and good at communicating. No matter how talented or skilled someone might be, if they don’t know how to communicate, they won’t be able to make their point without someone misunderstanding. I think that everyone has their own unique way of speaking which makes it hard to fully get your message across. It’s kind of like sending 100 different packages, but only 30 arrive at its destination. 

Something I realized to be important is being considerate of your listener. To make sure they are on the same page as you, you need to check in with them every so often. This demonstrates your sense of responsibility, since you are putting in effort to make sure your message is understood correctly. 

On the topic of responsibility, I want to become more responsible at work. I’ve learned a lot from my fellow team members who I would say are much more responsible than I am. They have their own roles on the team and keep each other going. There are people who are friendly, considerate, and encouraging and there are people who act as the glue of the team with their bright, positive energy. There are also people who only want the best for you and the company, being critical of your work and pointing out things that you might not have noticed. 

If I remember correctly, you’ve had experience working at other companies. Is there anything different or special about Melixir? 

Something that is unique to the Melixir working culture is giving each individual member the freedom to take charge of projects by themselves. As an overly cautious person, I tend to overthink and end up quitting before I even try. However, here at Melixir, there is a culture of trust that allows members to take on projects by themselves. As a result, no one wastes time worrying because they trust in their colleague’s abilities and potential. If you are in charge of a project, you are expected to carry it out, analyze the results, and if you don’t get satisfactory results, try again without making the same mistakes. I think being on a project shows your responsibility and love for the company. Melixir is a place with a lot of freedom, fostering proactiveness among its team members. 

Do you have any personal goals or plans for the future?

The goals I set for myself are very much health-oriented. Recently, I’ve allocated 30 minutes each morning to stretch and exercise. Since I’ve neglected my body for so long, I wanted to tune in to my body’s needs and give it the attention that it deserves. I’m doing my best to maintain a healthy body. Another goal of mine is going on a vegetarian diet. It is considered one of the easiest things individuals can do to reduce their carbon footprints. Since I don’t really eat meat to begin with, I think this might be relatively easy for me. The last thing I want to work on is being independent and part of that consists of getting my own space. I really enjoy decorating rooms and I think it’d be great if I had a space of my own to decorate. Also, with a space of my own, I can take care of my cats, Leo and Cheese, without my parents complaining. 

Last, but not least, what is the future you see for Melixir?

In the future, I see Melixir developing and producing products that are of even higher quality. I think the industry that we are in, skincare, has a big impact on a person’s self-esteem and confidence. I wish more people could enjoy the benefits Melixir products provide. For that to happen, I’d have to work harder right (laughs)? In the future, I will do my best to inform domestic and international customers of clean and sustainable alternatives to their favorite skincare products. With our customer’s input and help, I am confident we can develop quality products.