Client
New Roots Herbal
Industry
Healthcare
Tags
Brand Management, Performance Marketing, E-commerce Activation
Accelerating Market Entry and E-Commerce Performance through Integrated Search, Social, and Influencer Campaigns
Localised Brand Asset Production
Introduction
New Roots Herbal, a Canadian natural health and supplements brand renowned for its premium formulations and scientific research foundation, sought to set foot in expanding into the Korean market. Despite being backed by a strong brand reputation in North America, the brand’s visibility among Korean consumers remained limited due to fragmented marketplace presence and a lack of locally adapted content.
To address this, expand k partnered with New Roots Herbal to design and implement a full-funnel digital commerce strategy encompassing Naver and Coupang marketplace setup, search advertising, social media management, and influencer collaborations. The shared objective was to build a sustainable e-commerce infrastructure and ensure high conversion through locally relevant digital activation.
Challenges & Objectives
Korea’s nutraceutical market is defined by strict advertising compliance, high consumer scepticism, and overwhelming domestic competition led by established pharmacy and beauty-wellness brands. For international entrants, success depends on navigating both regulatory and cultural barriers - including product claim restrictions, platform-specific ad policies, and strong trust dependence on verified user and influencer reviews.
New Roots Herbal’s goals centred on three key priorities: to secure compliant product certification and marketplace entry, to build visibility across Korea’s closed search ecosystem, and to cultivate consumer trust through consistent storytelling across organic and paid channels. Achieving these meant developing an operationally sound, performance-driven framework that could convert awareness into long-term brand equity.
Activities
The initiative began with end-to-end marketplace activation across Naver Smart Store and Coupang Brand Shop, covering storefront design, product listing, and logistics integration. Simultaneously, expand k executed a structured PPC programme through Naver Shopping Ads and Coupang Ads, encompassing keyword research, ad copy development, bid optimisation, and ongoing performance tracking via Looker Studio.
To drive upper-funnel engagement, expand k produced fully localised product description pages (PDPs) tailored to Korean consumer reading preferences and visual standards. Complementing commerce operations, a multi-channel digital marketing campaign launched across Naver, Google, Meta, and Kakao, combining paid performance with brand storytelling. expand k also teamed up with a hand-picked set of 46 creators including nutritionists, fitness influencers, and athletes across Instagram and Naver Blog - to engage the brand with authetic interest groups and drive social proof.
Results
The campaign effectively transformed New Roots Herbal’s position in Korea from an unlisted foreign supplement brand into a credible digital retailer with active consumer engagement. Within the first operational cycle, brand-related searches and marketplace visibility rose significantly, while influencer-driven campaigns expanded awareness among health-conscious consumers.
expand k’s integrated search, commerce, and influencer framework enabled the brand to convert awareness into measurable retail traction and repeat purchase behaviour. Beyond initial performance metrics, the project established New Roots Herbal’s long-term operational blueprint for Korea - combining compliant infrastructure, data-driven optimisation, and sustained market storytelling.