Since its founding in 2019, Kin has never followed the herd. With a virtual headquarters, it embraced flexible working long before the pandemic instigated the new norm. And from the get-go, Kin selected clients based on their commitments to their values—hence relationships with cause-minded Ben & Jerry’s and the Nature Conservancy.
How Kin is helping brands drive social change through marketing
“We see our company less as an agency and more as a platform for social change,” as the agency puts it.
That strategy has paid off, with Kin last year signing on new client Uber. The shop, which was founded by advertising veterans Kwame Taylor-Hayford and Sophie Ozoux, also works with Mailchimp, Netflix and Delta Air Lines.
Revenue more than tripled last year to $7.1 million, with another bump expected this year as Kin forecasts 2022 revenue of $10 million.
One campaign helping to drive change is Kin’s work for KINLÒ, the direct-to-consumer skincare brand developed by Naomi Osaka for consumers with melanin-rich complexions. To launch the line, Kin debuted “The Way We Glow” to remove misconceptions and myths around skin and sun protection. Osaka appears in the 60-second anthem film, which urges consumers to be proud of the things that make them different—such as skin color.
KINLÒ recently brokered a national retail partnership with Walmart, where it will sell in more than 2,500 stores.
Kin is also working with the Nature Conservancy on “We Are Nature,” community-focused marketing that puts humans at the center of the nonprofit’s work for climate change to foster better engagement with younger generations.