Erik Mashkilleyson

Work / Case study

Origin by Ocean

Activist industrialism.

We made unfamiliar algae chemistry legible as an industrial proposition for investors, partners and customers.

Brand strategy, positioning, narrative and digital experience · 2022–2024

Client
Origin by Ocean
Project
Brand strategy, narrative and digital experience
Year
2022–2024
Sector
Blue biotech and chemicals
My role
Brand strategy · Narrative · Customer journey · Investor story
Themes
Sustainability, Transformation, Growth
Sheet
01
Fig. 01
The intro film for Blue vs. Red.

An industrial story for an ocean-restoring technology. I shaped Origin by Ocean’s positioning, brand narrative and digital customer journey, then developed the investor story behind its internationally awarded Blue vs. Red campaign.

01 Challenge

An ocean problem with industrial potential

Origin by Ocean had developed a way to turn invasive and excess algae into useful ingredients for everyday products. Its technology connected several worlds: marine restoration, chemistry, manufacturing and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Each audience needed to understand how those worlds connected to its own decisions.

The breadth of the technology made the communications task demanding. An investor needed to see a scalable business. A manufacturer needed to understand applications and performance. A partner needed to see a role in the emerging supply chain. The brand had to make the whole system understandable.

Fig. 02
Excess algae and eutrophication in the sea.

02 Solution

Making the chemical industry run on algae.

I helped shape the positioning around a clear proposition: “Making the chemical industry run on algae.” It gave the company an industrial mission with an environmental consequence people could grasp.

The underlying idea was activist industrialism. Environmental restoration could happen through industrial-scale business. Harvesting problematic algae could create economic value for coastal communities, provide manufacturers with alternatives to fossil-based ingredients and support healthier marine ecosystems.

That thinking informed the brand narrative and digital customer journey. We connected the ambition to the process, the ingredients and their potential applications, giving different audiences a route from interest to a useful conversation.

Fig. 03
The renewed site takes visitors from the ocean problem through harvesting and refining to applications.

03 Impact

An investment question for the world

In 2024, the next task was to engage international investors. I developed the investor story behind Blue vs. Red, launched around New York Climate Week. The campaign used the global discussion about humanity’s future to make ocean restoration a compelling investment subject.

The interactive experience let visitors explore investment levels from $0 to $3 trillion and understand what those resources could achieve for the oceans. Investor materials, LinkedIn, Instagram and media activity carried the story into the places where industrial and financial decisions were being discussed.

Fig. 04
Campaign site asking: The 3 trillion dollar question, the Blue Planet or the Red Planet? Earth beside Mars.
The campaign experience makes the scale of ocean investment tangible.

Selected artefacts

Fig. 05
Origin by Ocean brand book with a repeated blue logotype, lying in shallow seawater on rocks.
The brand proposition connects algae chemistry with a clear industrial mission.
Fig. 06
Laboratory glassware lit in deep blue.
Origin by Ocean blue, carried into the laboratory.
Fig. 07
Four-step strip: harvested algae, microscopic algae, laboratory processing and finished ingredients.
From harvested algae to ingredients, told in four steps.
Fig. 08
Blue vs. Red key visual: a blue human eye beside red desert terrain.
Blue vs. Red key visual.
Fig. 09
An Origin by Ocean bottle on stacked stones beside the brand book in shallow water.
The identity on product and print.
Fig. 10
Origin by Ocean on Instagram: a phone showing the profile next to a grid of posts.
Investor communications carry one story across the business and its technology.
Fig. 11
The Origin by Ocean symbol in white on blue.
The Origin by Ocean symbol.
Fig. 12
The Origin by Ocean wordmark repeated as a blue pattern.
The wordmark as a pattern.
01What we created
  • Positioning
  • Brand narrative
  • Digital customer journey
  • Investor story
  • Blue vs. Red campaign strategy
02My role

I shaped the positioning, brand narrative and digital customer journey, and developed the investor story behind Blue vs. Red.

03Impact
  • The campaign entry records senior investor discussions, strategic partnerships and new funding opportunities. The work gave Origin by Ocean a clear way to connect its technology with the scale of the economic opportunity.
04Recognition
  • 2025 SABRE Awards EMEA: Winner, Social Media/Social Networking Campaign. Listed as “Red vs. Blue”.
  • 2025 EMEA IN2 SABRE Awards: Winner, Real-time Engagement (Newsjacking). Listed as “Red vs. Blue”.
  • 2025 Global SABRE Awards: Global Top 40, ranked #24. Listed as “Blue vs. Red”.
  • 2025 Finnish Comms Awards: Winner, Viestintäkampanja: B2B. Listed as “Blue vs. Red – Which planet should we invest in?”