Hi, I am a business designer, UX strategist & CX consultant with a specific skillset for building effective brands and crafting signature experiences.

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Vlad Alukhanov

Founder and head of strategy of Together, an independent consultancy focusing on WeChat strategy, CRM, customer journeys and omnichannel brand experiences.

Responsible for brand and digital strategy, direction and project management and copywriting on various projects. Independently developed complex CRM & WeChat ecosystem solutions for brands like Burberry, Absolut, Walmart and W Hotels.

Initiated brand repositioning, developed new visual design approach aligning design language and new business strategy. Coordinated marketing efforts across touchpoints and streamlined brand communication into targeted CRM system.

Managed an in-house design team and collaborated with international offices. Ensured visual design and brand standards throughout various touchpoints. Facilitated internal team collaboration and new approach to UX/UI of software packages.

Led design research and strategy efforts on the ‘China Kitchen’. Generated insight based design direction, structured design process, developed a functional prototype.

Head of Strategy at Together, Shanghai, China.

Senior Strategist at TOMORROW, Shanghai, China.

Brand Designer at Logon, Shanghai, China.

Senior Designer at Altium, Shanghai, China.

Design Lead at Atelier Chen Min, Hangzhou, China.

2018 - Present

10 / 2016 - 06 / 2018

03 / 2015 - 09 / 2016

03 / 2014 - 03 / 2015

06 / 2013 - 12 / 2013

Graduate program in design strategy, international branding and inclusive design, including project collaborations with Kokuyo, IDEO, Sony Design LAB.

Integrated BA and MA design program focused on interdisciplinary approach to design. Majored in design strategy, service design and user experience. Managed and organized international projects, workshops and exhibitions as teaching assistant.

MA Degree in Design Strategy, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

Multi-disciplinary Design Diploma, Köln International School of Design (KISD), Cologne, Germany.

09 / 2010 - 10 / 2011

10 / 2007 - 07 / 2013

Work Experience

Education

vlad@alukhanov.com | +86 139 1872 1141 | www.together.studio | Moscow - Cologne - Fukuoka - Shanghai

Brand Strategy & Business Viability

UX, Desirability & Customer Satisfaction

Product Design & Technical Feasibility

BRANDING

DESIGN

MY FOCUS

CX StrategyWith over 10 years of experience at the intersection of branding, design & technology, I focus on customer experience (CX) strategies. I help brands build long-term relationships, leverage CRM data, pioneer omnichannel & maximise customer lifetime value.

TECHNOLOGY

Vlad A,

MY EXPERIENCE

Working Together

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Sam’s Club ChinaRe-positioning supermarket brand to stand against new retail and the era of convenience for consumers who are not easy to impress. 2018

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Challenge Sharpen the brand strategy and craft new positioning in China to create differentiation in order to compete with new retail.

Approach Through an extensive discovery phase, we re-positioned the brand to target Chinese moms as the core audience, focusing on safety & quality, building long lasting trust.

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Solution Create a message house and define roadmap for the brand to focus on ‘selected quality for loving families’, instead of competing on the market for ‘cheap’ and ‘fast’ commodities.

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Ask JerryCreating a virtual bartender that suggests cocktails, teaches recipes, recommends bars, and, of course, sells cocktails. 2017

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Challenge To come up with a strategy to promote niche spirit brands, educate Chinese consumers, and drive engagement.

Approach Develop a virtual KOL, a WeChat bartender that can interact with consumers, collect data, and in time, offer personalised experiences to each follower.

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Solution Created a virtual bartender ‘Jerry’ that can offer cocktail tips, give bar suggestions, recommend drinks, 24/7 via interactive account within WeChat

By combining chatbot with human agents, Jerry could engage 1,000+ consumers in real-time and over 10,000 daily. Using the collected data, we could efficiently personalise the UX and promote online sales.

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W ExperienceDefining a signature digital hotel experience, transcending W Hotel’s ‘Whatever - Whenever’ motto. Service driven, smart and extremely personal. 2018

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Challenge Craft a digital brand experience to match brands premium positioning and its ‘Whatever - Whenever’ motto.

Approach Leverage WeChat services and data capabilities to create a personalised lifestyle hub for content, booking, service and membership management.

W EXPERIENCE BEYOND THE HOTEL

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Solution Create a signature, personalised customer ‘W Experience’, including content strategy to booking flow and custom services.

By gathering user-data across touchpoints, we learn about customer interests, build rich CRM profiles. We leverage this through personalised suggestions, service offering, increased interactions, and extend the ‘W Experience’ beyond just hotels.

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Absolut NightsDeveloping a brand community, a digital platform that engages, converts and invites people to become part of it. 2017

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Challenge Develop a new, innovative approach to connect with Gen Z using street culture and creativity.

Approach Co-create a crowd-funding platform for alternative nightlife and creative drinking, giving rise to new communities. We reach into sub-cultures and build an army of local brand ambassadors.

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Solution Launch an Absolut Nights community platform that allows everyone to celebrate the brand. By offering 10,000 CNY weekly to best creative ideas, we engaged millions in this ‘pull, not push’ ongoing digital campaign.

Within first year, the platform reached 635 cities across China and has culminated in 100x simultaneous events during the New Year celebrations.

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Burberry sCRM

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Defining digital brand experience for a luxury that communicates premium positioning, and leverages data to builds customer relationship. 2019

Challenge Develop a social CRM strategy for a luxury fashion brand that reflects its premium positioning.

Approach Translate the brand values into a signature digital brand experience, define what ‘premium’ and ‘luxury’ feels like, and how this can be leveraged with data across the entire customer life cycle.

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Solution We defined a digital strategy that brings up personalisation & exclusivity across touchpoints into a consistent omnichannel experience.

By connecting digital & social touchpoints with cashless in-store payments, we leverage data across entire journey. Successfully identifying customer tiers, we deliver personalised brand experience & boost purchases.

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Sennheiser PlanetDeveloping a strategic roadmap to omnichannel experience, from digital platform & e-commerce to community. 2019

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Challenge Define digital brand experience for the German hi-end audio equipment brand.

Approach Derive customer insight from Zhihu (Chinese Reddit) and rethink target audiences, analyse their purchasing behaviour, consider what engagement and services they would appreciate most.

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Solution We formulate a roadmap for an exclusive ‘Sennheiser Planet’, a digital platform with a clear data strategy, and set KPI.

From a simple product authentication, smart suggestions, e-commerce service & support, we channel customer’s interest and conversation around music & sound into a brand community.

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Became a certified Kimchi maker in South Korea during my cycling journey across the country in 2017.

Organised event series PPT KTV - PowerPoint Karaoke as part of Techyizu China community in Shanghai.

Finished 5th at The Japanese Odyssey 2019, and cycled 2,500km in 8 days across the country.

Taught lecture course on CRM & Brand Management to master degree students at Shanghai DeTao Masterclass.

Native - Full Proficiency Fluent - Full Proficiency Elementary

Personal Achievements

Language Skills

vlad@alukhanov.com | +86 139 1872 1141 | www.together.studio | Moscow - Cologne - Fukuoka - Shanghai

Russian English & German Chinese & Japanese

Vlad Alukhanov

Citizen Unlimited Residence Permit Residence & Work Permit until 2021

Legal Status

Russian Federation Germany / Europe China

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