Brand Strategist – Buyer Avatar Research + Full Brand Identity (DTC Supplements, Arrae-level)

I run Lenire, a new Dutch supplement brand for women who get bloated and get cramps around their period. Two products (Unbloat and Ease), natural capsules, sold online at a premium price. I'm looking for one experienced brand strategist who takes the brand from research to a finished brand book: who the buyer is, how she talks, what the brand stands for, and how it looks, sounds and behaves everywhere.

The bar is Arrae ( ---------- ), Norse Organics ( ---------- ), Semaine and Aesop. If you don't immediately see why those brands feel expensive and trustworthy, this job is not for you.

This is a senior role. You have built at least 3 brands end to end, ideally in DTC wellness, supplements, skincare or femcare.

Phase 1 – Buyer avatar (week 1–2)

• Build the full buying persona of a Dutch woman aged 22 to 45 who gets bloated and gets cramps around her period: her day, her month, what she has tried, what she's afraid of, what she says to her friends, what finally makes her buy, and what makes her stay.
• Voice-of-customer research: Reddit, TikTok comments, Amazon and ---------- reviews, Facebook groups, forums, competitor reviews. Not guesses, actual quotes. You deliver a VoC document with 100+ real quotes sorted by pain, desire, objection and language.
• Jobs-to-be-done, buying triggers, objections and the emotional job the product does.
• Competitor and category map: who she buys from now (pharmacy brands, teas, painkillers, foreign DTC brands), what they promise, where the gap is.

Phase 2 – Brand strategy (week 2–3)

• Positioning statement and brand promise, written in her language.
• Brand story, mission, values that actually mean something (not "empowerment" and "self-care").
• Messaging hierarchy: the one-liner, the three core messages, the proof points, the objection handlers.
• Tone of voice guide with do's and don'ts and 20+ example lines for ads, product pages, email s and social.
• Naming system for products and bundles, and how we talk about dosage, ingredients and results without medical claims (EU food supplement rules; I'll give you the claims guide, you make the copy rules).
• Offer and pricing architecture: single, duo, subscription, and how to present them.

Phase 3 – Visual identity (week 3–5)

• Logo (wordmark; we have a direction in a Garamond-style serif, you refine or challenge it).
• Colour system, typography, grid, iconography, photography and illustration direction, packaging direction for a flat round tin.
• Art direction for product photos, UGC content and AI-generated visuals so every creator we hire produces the same look.
• Mockups: tin, website hero, product page, Instagram grid, ad examples, email header, shipping box or mailer.
• Figma source files, exported assets and a complete brand book (PDF + Notion or Figma) that a freelancer can pick up without asking me anything.

What you must be good with:

• Figma at a professional level. Canva is not enough for this role.
• Research tools and methods: you know how to pull real customer language fast (Reddit, TikTok, review mining, AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT used properly).
• Copywriting: you write the brand lines yourself, in plain human English. No three-word slogans, no mirror phrases, nothing that reads like AI wrote it. Dutch is a plus, not required.
• DTC commercial sense: you understand ads, landing pages, AOV, subscription and retention, and you design a brand that sells, not just a brand that looks nice.

What I expect from you:

• You own the process. You come with a plan, deadlines and questions, not the other way round.
• Taste. You know the difference between "clean" and "premium".
• Honesty. If my idea is weak, say it and show a better one.
• Clear written communication and weekly progress updates.

How we work:

• Fixed-price project with milestones per phase. Tell me your price per phase and your total.
• Start with a paid test: the buyer avatar and VoC document for Lenire (phase 1). If it's excellent, you continue with phases 2 and 3.
• Reachable on weekdays in Netherlands daytime (CET). Slack or WhatsApp, files in Google Drive, Notion and Figma.
• I run several brands. If this goes well there is a second and third brand waiting.

How to apply:

1. Send 2 or 3 complete brand projects you led yourself: brand book or case study, with the research, strategy and visual identity. Links only, no attachments. Tell me exactly which parts were yours.
2. Write 5 sentences on why ---------- feels like a premium brand and what you would do differently for a menstruation brand in the Netherlands.
3. Your price for phase 1 (buyer avatar + VoC) and a rough total for all three phases.

Applications without brand books or case studies will not be read.

To make sure you've read this whole post, start your application with the word SAFFRON. Applications that don't start with that word will be ignored.