Kobe marks 10 years with refreshed identity as it sharpens global ambitions

This post is sponsored by Kobe.

Singapore-founded creator marketing specialist Kobe has updated its identity to reflect a decade of growth, deeper expertise, and a clearer vision for its next chapter on the global stage.

As Kobe marks 10 years in the market, the company is unveiling a refreshed identity to signal its next phase of growth.

More than a visual update, the move reflects how the business has evolved over the past decade and where it intends to go next, with a stronger international outlook, a clearer articulation of its expertise, and a renewed commitment to shaping the future of creator-led marketing.

The refreshed identity comes at a meaningful moment for the business. In recent years, rebrands and brand refreshes have increasingly become a way for companies to mark turning points in their journey, whether that is a milestone anniversary, a new business direction or a broader market ambition.

For Kobe, its 10-year milestone offered the right opportunity to pause, reflect and define how it wants to show up in the next chapter.

Founded on the idea of “word-of-mouth”, Kobe has long positioned itself around the belief that influence is not just about visibility, but credibility. Since day one, the company has built its approach around relevance, authenticity, and the power of matching the right voices with the right audiences.

That founding idea remains unchanged, but the company now wants its brand to more clearly reflect the scale, maturity, and perspective it has built over the past decade.

“For me, this is a very emotional milestone,” said Evangeline Leong, founder and CEO of Kobe.

“When I started Kobe, it began with a very simple belief that word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful forces in marketing. I did not start out thinking about building a company for the next 10 years. I was thinking about solving a real problem in a way that felt honest, human, and effective.

“Looking back now, this refreshed identity feels like a reflection of everything we have learned, everything we have built, and everything we still believe in.”

Over the past 10 years, Kobe has grown alongside the creator economy itself. What began in a different era of influencer marketing has matured into a business that sits at the intersection of strategy, culture, data, and commerce.

As brands become more sophisticated in how they work with creators, the expectations placed on agencies and partners have also changed. It is no longer enough to simply source talent or deliver reach. Brands are now looking for stronger audience understanding, sharper creative fits, and clearer business outcomes.

That shift has helped shape Kobe’s own evolution. The company has spent the past decade building capabilities, deepening its understanding of creator behaviour, and learning how to help brands cut through in an increasingly crowded and fragmented landscape.

Its refreshed identity is designed to reflect that broader role, not only as a campaign partner, but as a specialist with a stronger point of view on how creator marketing should work in today’s environment.

“There were many moments over the years when the market was moving faster than anyone expected,” Leong said.

“Platforms changed, audiences changed, creators changed, and client expectations changed. We had to keep learning in real time. That journey shaped us. It taught us that the most valuable thing we can offer is not just access or scale, but judgment – knowing what matters, knowing what will resonate, and knowing how to build trust in a way that feels real.”

At the same time, the refreshed identity also points to Kobe’s future ambitions. While the company has built a strong foundation in Singapore and across the region, it is now looking to express a bigger and more global vision for what comes next.

The next phase of the brand is expected to reflect not only its accumulated expertise, but also its intention to bring that experience to a wider international stage.

For Leong, that global direction is not about moving away from the company’s roots, but about building on them with greater confidence.

“I still remember the early days very clearly – the small team, the hustle, the uncertainty, and the excitement of trying to build something meaningful from Singapore,” she said.

“What matters to me is that even as we grow and think more globally, we do not lose what made Kobe special in the first place. We have always cared deeply about people – the audiences, the creators, the brands, and the communities around them. That should never change.”

The company’s refreshed identity is therefore less about reinvention and more about articulation. It is about giving clearer shape to the business Kobe has already become.

Over the years, the company has built not just experience, but conviction: conviction that the future of marketing will be shaped by trusted voices, that creators need to be understood beyond their follower counts, and that effective brand building in social spaces depends on resonance, not just reach.

That view feels especially relevant in today’s market. As audiences become more selective and social platforms continue to evolve, brands are under growing pressure to create work that feels culturally aware, credible, and useful.

In that environment, creator marketing has become more important, but also more demanding. Authenticity is scrutinised more closely, audiences are quicker to disengage, and creators are expected to bring both relevance and results. Kobe’s refreshed identity arrives against that backdrop, positioning the business as one that understands both the emotional and commercial sides of influence.

“We are entering a chapter where we can be more intentional about the kind of company we want to be,” Leong said.

“This refreshed identity is not about looking different for the sake of it. It is about being more honest about who we are today. We have earned our experience. We have built real expertise. And we have a clearer sense now of the role we want to play in helping brands navigate influence in a way that is smarter, more human, and more globally relevant.”

The company also sees the refresh as an opportunity to better express the depth behind its work. As the creator economy matures, Kobe wants to be recognised not only for execution, but for the thinking behind it – from audience understanding and creator strategy to market nuances, partnership design, and long-term brand relevance.

The updated identity is intended to help communicate that more confidently, especially as the company engages with brands and partners across a broader set of markets.

For Leong, the milestone is also a moment of gratitude. “Ten years in, what I feel most is appreciation,” she said.

“For the people who believed in us early, for the team that grew with us, for the clients who trusted us, and for the creators who helped shape this industry with us. A business evolves, but those relationships are what gives it meaning. This refreshed identity is a way of honouring that past while stepping forward with more clarity and more purpose.”

As Kobe enters its second decade, the message behind the refresh is clear. The founding belief in word-of-mouth remains at the heart of the brand, but the company now has a bigger canvas, broader ambitions, and a more defined point of view on the future of creator marketing.

With its refreshed identity, Kobe is marking 10 years not as a retrospective milestone alone, but as the start of a new chapter – one shaped by experience, guided by conviction, and aimed at a more global future.