Hong Kong – Olay has teamed up with Grey Hong Kong to launch a bold new campaign that breaks away from filters and retouching, spotlighting unfiltered beauty and real skin transformation.
Titled ‘28 Frames Later’, the campaign invites participants to document their skincare journey using Olay’s Advanced Light-Perfecting Essence—without the aid of digital edits or studio lighting. Instead, the brand handed out single-use film cameras to encourage honest, unfiltered snapshots of skin over 28 days.
At launch, 100 key opinion leaders and content creators received special-edition cameras and products to capture their progress. Each camera was customised to include 27 exposures—symbolically representing each day in the skincare routine and nodding to the idea of transformation through consistency rather than perfection.
The initiative draws on a broader shift in beauty culture, where consumers are increasingly favouring transparency over touch-ups. The resurgence of disposable cameras among younger audiences—valued for their raw, unedited aesthetic—offered a fitting medium for the message.
“The whole idea came from what we’re seeing in beauty today, where consumers are moving away from heavy makeup and embracing a glowy, natural look. We turned to something imperfect and unedited—a simple, one-use film roll camera,” said Joe Yue, creative partner at Grey Hong Kong.
“This campaign was about making beauty feel honest again. We’ve seen too many claims propped up by soft lighting and editing. We wanted to do the opposite—show confidence through proof,” added Duffy Lau, managing director at Grey Hong Kong.
Running across digital, social, in-store, and out-of-home channels, the campaign encouraged users to share their images and experiences online. A branded photo booth installed at Mannings in Causeway Bay allowed customers to snap and print their own progress photos, with a small reward for participation—adding an interactive, offline touchpoint to the broader conversation around skin and self-confidence.
Desmond Chow, brand director at OLAY Hong Kong, said, “It’s critical to understand our consumers’ real pain points for all our activations. This campaign was about showing the real transformative results for real consumers. Instead of overpromising, we wanted to give people a way to see the difference for themselves.”
