Walovi

Wanglaoji had a powerful cultural foundation. For generations, the brand had been associated with the traditional Chinese wellness concept of internal heat. But outside China, that idea was less familiar and harder to understand.

Lippincott partnered with Wanglaoji to create WALOVI, a new global brand designed to unlock growth beyond China while carrying the equity of one of the country’s most recognizable herbal tea brands into a broader international context.

At the heart of the strategy was a critical reframing: moving from a culturally specific idea of internal heat to a more universal promise of restoring balance in modern life.

The new positioning, Undo the Overdone, gave WALOVI a clear role in people’s lives and a distinctive place in the beverage landscape. It transformed traditional Chinese wellness into something contemporary, accessible and easy to understand: a cooling herbal drink designed to help restore balance.

This reframing also helped define a new category. Not just herbal tea. Not just refreshment. A cooling drink with roots in Chinese wisdom and relevance for modern routines around the world. The result was a platform that could hold two ideas at once: authentic origin and universal appeal.

The name, WALOVI, was created to express the brand’s sensorial appeal and global ambition. Inspired by “Valovi,” meaning waves, the name evokes coolness, flow and relief. It feels fluid, ownable and easy to say across markets. At the same time, it carries strategic meaning—signaling value, origin and vivid energy.

WALOVI gave the brand a name built for travel: distinctive enough to stand apart, simple enough to move across languages, and flexible enough to support a broader global platform.

To bring the brand to life, we created a visual identity that drew from Eastern aesthetics while expressing them through a cleaner, more modern lens. The design system makes WALOVI feel both distinctive and accessible. It honors the brand’s Chinese roots without relying on expected heritage cues. And it gives the brand the clarity and flexibility it needs to compete in international markets.

On pack, we reimagined Wanglaoji’s signature herbal ingredients—three flowers, three grasses and one leaf—as a contemporary pattern. What began as a product truth became a recognizable visual asset: botanical, ownable and immediately connected to the brand’s cooling proposition.

The system was built to stretch across multiple international can variants, including sugar-free and sparkling options. Across formats, flavors and market needs, WALOVI could adapt while remaining unmistakably itself.

Since launch, WALOVI has quickly built an international footprint, expanding into more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. The brand has entered mainstream retail channels, including Costco in the U.S., and secured distribution partnerships across Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Singapore.

Momentum has been especially strong in ASEAN. In Vietnam, WALOVI has delivered a 95% compound annual growth rate since 2021—evidence that the brand’s proposition can translate across markets and scale with speed.

WALOVI’s global visibility received a major boost in June 2026, when football star Erling Haaland was named the brand’s global ambassador ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The partnership helped bring the brand into a bigger global conversation. Within days, the campaign generated nearly 100 million views on Weibo, supported by limited-edition co-branded cans and a large-scale giveaway.

It was more than an endorsement. It was a signal: WALOVI was ready to move from Chinese icon to global contender.