Ahead of the opening of its third store, Sen Zhi Yuan, Hu Zhen Tang used a Strategic IMAGE Report to reorganise ten years of brand stories. VOCAL MIDDLE proposed the “Sweet Potato Storyteller” position, connecting Yunlin, local sentiment, pastry innovation and everyday language, then planned two communications waves around seasonal gifting and the store opening. The result was a shared narrative foundation for future media, creator and on-site experiences.
After ten years in Yunlin, Hu Zhen Tang opened Sen Zhi Yuan as its third store in a courtyard house restored over two years. The venue carries the founder’s return-to-hometown story, local collaborations and products developed for the space. The opening campaign needed to do more than announce a new address: it had to help audiences beyond Yunlin understand why the brand invested in the building and how the space expressed its values. The goal was to connect a reason to visit with a fuller understanding of Hu Zhen Tang.
Hu Zhen Tang already had recognition as a Yunlin gift brand and through signature products, but individual product and travel stories did not automatically explain how the wider portfolio, physical stores and local cultural context belonged to one brand. The Sen Zhi Yuan opening created an opportunity to reorganise these existing assets into a narrative that could travel across products, occasions and places.
Lead with the restored house and the brand journey
The team prioritized the venue’s material, people and product stories. Press materials opened with the restoration of a nearly century-old house, then connected the founder’s return and ten-year brand development with venue imagery and exclusive desserts.
Extend the opening through first-hand creator visits
Food and travel creators whose styles fit the brand were briefed on the atmosphere, key scenes and store-only items. Staggered posts carried different perspectives from the opening toward the Lunar New Year period.
The project completed Hu Zhen Tang’s brand-story and communications framework, defined the “Sweet Potato Storyteller” position, and established two second-half 2025 communications tracks around seasonal occasions and the Sen Zhi Yuan opening. The strategy gives the brand a common language—“Yunlin sweet potato × local stories × pastry innovation”—that can extend beyond a single signature product and support subsequent gift-box, store-opening and product
1.Why did Hu Zhen Tang communicate the Sen Zhi Yuan opening?
Its third store was built around a restored historic house. The opening needed to explain the venue, exclusive products and the founder’s connection to Yunlin to audiences beyond the local market.
2.What did VOCAL MIDDLE deliver?
The team shaped a press story around the restoration and brand history, then arranged staggered visits and posts by food and travel creators.
3.How did the approach go beyond a store announcement?
The press materials connected the house to the founder and brand. Creator images and visits added a first-hand view of the space and store-only desserts.
4.What verifiable result did the project deliver?
The “Sweet Potato Storyteller” positioning, core-message framework and two communications waves for seasonal occasions and the Sen Zhi Yuan opening were completed as the shared foundation for subsequent brand content and PR execution.
5.How does this case relate to AI PR?
Consistent public descriptions of the brand, its Yunlin context and product stories help future content build the same IMAGE Assets, making the brand easier for people and AI systems to understand over time.
