As one of Hong Kong’s most successful home-grown brands, there are many reasons to put Casetify in the spotlight. Casetify is currently one of the three highest grossing brands in the tech accessories genre, showing no signs of slowing down despite the oncoming recession.

It was founded in 2011 by Wes Ng and Ronald Yeung starting with a simple idea: making Instagram photos into custom phone cases.From there, it quickly gained traction and grew into a fully-fledged brand representing the ultimate phone case maker for everyone with a desire for self-expression.

Following a recent brand refresh, Casetify has doubled down on its core principles of customisation, authenticity and, above all, creativity. The logo, visual identity and packaging come together in a funky medley of vibrant colours and playful elements. They sought to and succeeded in striking the balance between being bold but not outlandish, energetic but not goofy. What they ended up with is a clean brand design system dripping with attitude.

With 1.5 million followers on Instagram, Casetify is well-established in multiple markets across the world with a focus on HongKong, Australia, Japan, Canada, US, and the UK. As a testament to the brand’s pull, Casetify has collaborated with celebrities, fashion brands and retail giants such as Pharrell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Saint Laurent, Thom Browne, Clare V., Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Amazon, AT&T, Lane Crawford and many more.

Casetify is on a mission

Among many other things, valuing creative self-expression is what creates a meaningful connection between the brand and their customers. The desire for self-expression is true to the roots of the brand, and it’s that authenticity which has made millennials the world overfall in love with the brand.

Having a strong, distinct brand supported by a community is definitely an asset which serves the business especially well during the hard times we are now in – and will likely be in for some time to come. But it’s the way Casetify views its own offering which gives the brand versatility.

As founder of Casetify Wes Ng said in a recent interview, “we don’t look at our phone cases as a commodity, it’s a canvas for creativity, a design challenge.” They’re on a mission to add their own DNA to the global culture and as a brand that’s eager to be part of the conversation, the launch of the UV sanitiser case makes perfect sense.

Rethinking the phone case

The adjusted way of living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us valuable things about our preparedness to live in a world of digital interactions. We have never washed our hands so diligently multiple times a day. But did you know that one of the key battlegrounds for germs is actually your phone? It’s an often overlooked carrier of germs, but as many as one in six smartphones were contaminated with bacteria according to a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Cleaning our phones regularly should perhaps be part of a new hygiene regimen. Casetify is helping us do that with the UV sanitiser case which uses 6 built-in UV lamps to kill 99.9% of germs that live on a phone’s surface. Putting your phone in the sanitiser case will also charge it wirelessly if your phone supports wireless charging. And as you can see in video featuring the hero product, you can use the same case to sanitise a number of items such as watches, keys, wallets, earphones, sunglasses and so on. To top it off, 100% of the proceeds go to GlobalGivingand its Coronavirus Relief Fund supporting medical responders and communities in need.

Casetify approached the need for phone sanitisation asa design challenge for tech accessories that add to the global culture. What they came up with is an adapted offering of what they usually do, but it’s still true to the brand’s purpose and mission.

We’re not here to assess the quality of the product, but to celebrate the type of creative thinking that went into Casetify’s development and launch of the new product. The world needs many different things right now, and brands need to find the sweet spot between what they do best and what is needed.

To do so in a way that solidifies your brand’s reputation and doesn’t come off as opportunistic, you need to have a solid understanding of your brand’s core purpose and mission. Not only that, but you also need to make sure your community knows it too by making it the basis of your relationship building efforts.

Authenticity is key. And now, more than ever, is the right time to look inward and ask what your brand’s core purpose is, why you exist, what you offer differently than others, and what is authentically you. These are the first steps in the long process of brand development, and it’s critical you get it right as it colours everything else your brand does now and could be doing in the future.

With a solid foundation at the core, you can always adapt to changing situations while staying true to your brand.