AI Transformation
Kenna, the first AI-powered virtual beauty assistant
From Virtual Character to Scalable Digital Product: How Kenna Redefined Engagement, Storytelling, and Community Management with AI.
Year
2023-2025
Industry
Beauty & Entertainment
Timeframe
1.5 years
My Role
Creative Concept, Strategy, Creative Technologist, UX Conversational Designer, UX Researcher
Problem
Essence, a youth-driven cosmetics brand under Cosnova, faced a key challenge: how to build authentic, long-term relationships with Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape. Traditional influencer marketing was showing signs of fatigue, with young audiences seeking realness, interactivity, and companionship rather than polished ads.
At the same time, the brand needed to push boundaries in engagement, storytelling, and innovation. Essence’s audience expects more than just products, they want to be entertained, inspired, and connected in meaningful ways. The challenge was how to transform Kenna from a static virtual character into a living digital asset capable of delivering fresh, fun, and culturally relevant experiences across multiple touchpoints.
Solution
Kenna was reintroduced in 2023 as essence’s virtual brand assistant and storyteller, designed to spark engagement, connection, and innovation. She brings the brand closer to its community by blending playful storytelling with cutting-edge AI capabilities.
Interactive Engagement: Kenna launched as an Instagram DM audiobot, turning routine product questions into fun conversations. She also appeared through AR filters, CGI videos, and festival activations, creating shareable moments that felt alive and relevant.
Storytelling at Scale: Through her defined personality and playful tone, Kenna became a character audiences could connect with. She doesn’t just recommend products, she shares stories, jokes, and cultural references that make essence feel relatable and human.
Innovation Platform: Kenna serves as a testbed for new formats ,from AI-driven chatbots on the website to potential international rollouts and autonomous content creation. Each activation not only entertains but also delivers insights into community preferences, fueling future innovation.
Deliverables of the project included:
Launch of the Instagram DM audiobot with measurable engagement metrics.
Development of social AR filters and interactive festival activations (e.g., Lollapalooza).
CGI video content to bring Kenna to life visually on social platforms.
Prototyping of the AI microservice and website chatbot as scalable digital brand tools.
Establishment of a Kenna playbook defining her personality, tone of voice, and roadmap for future growth
An AI transformation strategy for the Community Management (CM) team, shifting from manual replies to a hybrid model where Kenna automates FAQs, supports keyword- and AI-based interactions, and provides data-driven insights. This not only reduced workload by hundreds of hours but also introduced new performance metrics that the CM team never had access to before
Early results validated the approach:
84% positive feedback from users chatting with Kenna in DMs
6x higher engagement in Instagram conversations
800k unique users reached across activation
Challenge
Keeping Audiences Engaged: Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences quickly lose interest in one-way brand communication. The challenge was to design Kenna’s interactions to feel fresh, interactive, and genuinely fun instead of promotional.
Building a Strong Narrative: Kenna needed more than just a digital presence — she required a clear story arc, personality, and voice that could evolve over time while staying true to essence’s values.
Innovating Beyond Campaigns: Most virtual influencers live in short-lived campaign cycles. The challenge for Kenna was to break this mold and become a long-term, always-on digital brand asset, capable of adapting to cultural trends and new technologies
Summary
Kenna has become a pioneering digital product and brand asset for essence, transforming brand-consumer interactions from transactional to relational. By combining AI capabilities, pop culture relevance, and interactive storytelling, Kenna creates memorable, fun, and valuable moments for the community.
The journey highlights a key lesson: start small, prove value, and scale. Kenna began as an Instagram DM chatbot but is evolving into a multi-channel AI-powered companion, potentially even an autonomous agent.
As one of the first virtual brand assistants built around a brand core rather than short-term campaigns, Kenna represents a long-term strategy to future-proof Cosnova’s engagement with digital-first generations
More Projects
AI Transformation
Kenna, the first AI-powered virtual beauty assistant
From Virtual Character to Scalable Digital Product: How Kenna Redefined Engagement, Storytelling, and Community Management with AI.
Year
2023-2025
Industry
Beauty & Entertainment
Timeframe
1.5 years
My Role
Creative Concept, Strategy, Creative Technologist, UX Conversational Designer, UX Researcher
Problem
Essence, a youth-driven cosmetics brand under Cosnova, faced a key challenge: how to build authentic, long-term relationships with Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape. Traditional influencer marketing was showing signs of fatigue, with young audiences seeking realness, interactivity, and companionship rather than polished ads.
At the same time, the brand needed to push boundaries in engagement, storytelling, and innovation. Essence’s audience expects more than just products, they want to be entertained, inspired, and connected in meaningful ways. The challenge was how to transform Kenna from a static virtual character into a living digital asset capable of delivering fresh, fun, and culturally relevant experiences across multiple touchpoints.
Solution
Kenna was reintroduced in 2023 as essence’s virtual brand assistant and storyteller, designed to spark engagement, connection, and innovation. She brings the brand closer to its community by blending playful storytelling with cutting-edge AI capabilities.
Interactive Engagement: Kenna launched as an Instagram DM audiobot, turning routine product questions into fun conversations. She also appeared through AR filters, CGI videos, and festival activations, creating shareable moments that felt alive and relevant.
Storytelling at Scale: Through her defined personality and playful tone, Kenna became a character audiences could connect with. She doesn’t just recommend products, she shares stories, jokes, and cultural references that make essence feel relatable and human.
Innovation Platform: Kenna serves as a testbed for new formats ,from AI-driven chatbots on the website to potential international rollouts and autonomous content creation. Each activation not only entertains but also delivers insights into community preferences, fueling future innovation.
Deliverables of the project included:
Launch of the Instagram DM audiobot with measurable engagement metrics.
Development of social AR filters and interactive festival activations (e.g., Lollapalooza).
CGI video content to bring Kenna to life visually on social platforms.
Prototyping of the AI microservice and website chatbot as scalable digital brand tools.
Establishment of a Kenna playbook defining her personality, tone of voice, and roadmap for future growth
An AI transformation strategy for the Community Management (CM) team, shifting from manual replies to a hybrid model where Kenna automates FAQs, supports keyword- and AI-based interactions, and provides data-driven insights. This not only reduced workload by hundreds of hours but also introduced new performance metrics that the CM team never had access to before
Early results validated the approach:
84% positive feedback from users chatting with Kenna in DMs
6x higher engagement in Instagram conversations
800k unique users reached across activation
Challenge
Keeping Audiences Engaged: Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences quickly lose interest in one-way brand communication. The challenge was to design Kenna’s interactions to feel fresh, interactive, and genuinely fun instead of promotional.
Building a Strong Narrative: Kenna needed more than just a digital presence — she required a clear story arc, personality, and voice that could evolve over time while staying true to essence’s values.
Innovating Beyond Campaigns: Most virtual influencers live in short-lived campaign cycles. The challenge for Kenna was to break this mold and become a long-term, always-on digital brand asset, capable of adapting to cultural trends and new technologies
Summary
Kenna has become a pioneering digital product and brand asset for essence, transforming brand-consumer interactions from transactional to relational. By combining AI capabilities, pop culture relevance, and interactive storytelling, Kenna creates memorable, fun, and valuable moments for the community.
The journey highlights a key lesson: start small, prove value, and scale. Kenna began as an Instagram DM chatbot but is evolving into a multi-channel AI-powered companion, potentially even an autonomous agent.
As one of the first virtual brand assistants built around a brand core rather than short-term campaigns, Kenna represents a long-term strategy to future-proof Cosnova’s engagement with digital-first generations
More Projects
AI Transformation
Kenna, the first AI-powered virtual beauty assistant
From Virtual Character to Scalable Digital Product: How Kenna Redefined Engagement, Storytelling, and Community Management with AI.
Year
2023-2025
Industry
Beauty & Entertainment
Timeframe
1.5 years
My Role
Creative Concept, Strategy, Creative Technologist, UX Conversational Designer, UX Researcher
Problem
Essence, a youth-driven cosmetics brand under Cosnova, faced a key challenge: how to build authentic, long-term relationships with Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape. Traditional influencer marketing was showing signs of fatigue, with young audiences seeking realness, interactivity, and companionship rather than polished ads.
At the same time, the brand needed to push boundaries in engagement, storytelling, and innovation. Essence’s audience expects more than just products, they want to be entertained, inspired, and connected in meaningful ways. The challenge was how to transform Kenna from a static virtual character into a living digital asset capable of delivering fresh, fun, and culturally relevant experiences across multiple touchpoints.
Solution
Kenna was reintroduced in 2023 as essence’s virtual brand assistant and storyteller, designed to spark engagement, connection, and innovation. She brings the brand closer to its community by blending playful storytelling with cutting-edge AI capabilities.
Interactive Engagement: Kenna launched as an Instagram DM audiobot, turning routine product questions into fun conversations. She also appeared through AR filters, CGI videos, and festival activations, creating shareable moments that felt alive and relevant.
Storytelling at Scale: Through her defined personality and playful tone, Kenna became a character audiences could connect with. She doesn’t just recommend products, she shares stories, jokes, and cultural references that make essence feel relatable and human.
Innovation Platform: Kenna serves as a testbed for new formats ,from AI-driven chatbots on the website to potential international rollouts and autonomous content creation. Each activation not only entertains but also delivers insights into community preferences, fueling future innovation.
Deliverables of the project included:
Launch of the Instagram DM audiobot with measurable engagement metrics.
Development of social AR filters and interactive festival activations (e.g., Lollapalooza).
CGI video content to bring Kenna to life visually on social platforms.
Prototyping of the AI microservice and website chatbot as scalable digital brand tools.
Establishment of a Kenna playbook defining her personality, tone of voice, and roadmap for future growth
An AI transformation strategy for the Community Management (CM) team, shifting from manual replies to a hybrid model where Kenna automates FAQs, supports keyword- and AI-based interactions, and provides data-driven insights. This not only reduced workload by hundreds of hours but also introduced new performance metrics that the CM team never had access to before
Early results validated the approach:
84% positive feedback from users chatting with Kenna in DMs
6x higher engagement in Instagram conversations
800k unique users reached across activation
Challenge
Keeping Audiences Engaged: Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences quickly lose interest in one-way brand communication. The challenge was to design Kenna’s interactions to feel fresh, interactive, and genuinely fun instead of promotional.
Building a Strong Narrative: Kenna needed more than just a digital presence — she required a clear story arc, personality, and voice that could evolve over time while staying true to essence’s values.
Innovating Beyond Campaigns: Most virtual influencers live in short-lived campaign cycles. The challenge for Kenna was to break this mold and become a long-term, always-on digital brand asset, capable of adapting to cultural trends and new technologies
Summary
Kenna has become a pioneering digital product and brand asset for essence, transforming brand-consumer interactions from transactional to relational. By combining AI capabilities, pop culture relevance, and interactive storytelling, Kenna creates memorable, fun, and valuable moments for the community.
The journey highlights a key lesson: start small, prove value, and scale. Kenna began as an Instagram DM chatbot but is evolving into a multi-channel AI-powered companion, potentially even an autonomous agent.
As one of the first virtual brand assistants built around a brand core rather than short-term campaigns, Kenna represents a long-term strategy to future-proof Cosnova’s engagement with digital-first generations