Indonesia – L’Oréal Luxe Indonesia has appointed Sebastian Au as its new omni-channel marketing director (CMO), with a mission to transform the luxury beauty experience in one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and rapidly growing markets.
In his role, Sebastian is focused on integrating digital and physical retail channels to create seamless, high-touch experiences that resonate with Indonesia’s modern luxury shoppers.
In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Sebastian shared his excitement for his new role and laid out his plans to drive L’Oréal Luxe’s growth in Indonesia’s rapidly evolving retail and digital landscape.
Building luxury through every touchpoint
For Sebastian, stepping into this new role means crafting a seamless, elevated luxury experience across both online and offline touchpoints.
“My mission is to curate the most relevant consumer engagement touchpoints through media, CRM, and advocacy, all while ensuring a consistent and premium experience,” he shared.
This approach involves driving innovative consumer journeys across retail channels while also leveraging a highly trained and engaged beauty advisor community to enhance in-store experiences.
In the short term, the focus is all about refining the marketing mix to forge a deeper connection with core audiences and to identify opportunities to drive penetration in the country’s dynamic e-commerce space.
Before his appointment, Sebastian gained extensive experience in the SAPMENA region, managing e-commerce for diverse markets from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. This experience has significantly shaped his leadership approach in Indonesia, equipping him with a deep understanding of varying consumer behaviours across different cultures. It allows him to craft marketing strategies that resonate with local needs while maintaining brand consistency across borders.
“This has reinforced my belief that everything begins with the consumer,” Sebastian explained. “As marketers, we need to deeply understand what’s in it for our target audience when we design consumer journeys—whether online or offline.”
A youthful market with limitless potential
When asked about what excites him most about Indonesia, Sebastian highlighted the country’s immense potential, particularly in the luxury beauty sector, which remains a niche with significant room for growth. Indonesia, with its large and youthful population, presents an exciting challenge for marketers like him. “
This brings an exciting challenge for marketers such as myself to connect with local consumers in meaningful ways—not just by building aspiration for our brands, but more importantly, establishing trust and credibility by leveraging our strong scientific backing across a diverse set of touchpoints,” he explained.
Sebastian describes Indonesian consumers as highly social, with a strong appetite for short-form content and e-commerce channels, yet they also crave personal connections and physical experiences. For him, this dual demand calls for a truly “phygital” approach—a seamless blend of digital and physical experiences.
Despite the digital boom, physical retail remains crucial, especially as malls continue to serve as hubs for social interaction. “With malls as key social spaces and e-commerce rapidly advancing, my goal is to elevate L’Oréal Luxe’s physical retail experiences to a point of experience (POE) where they coexist harmoniously with online platforms,” he said.
Crafting emotional stories through data and creativity
For Sebastian, striking the right balance between data-driven decision-making and emotional storytelling is essential.
“Creativity is powerful, but it only makes an impact when it lands well,” he said. “To achieve that, we need to understand the needs and preferences of our target audience and deliver the message through the touchpoints they use, in formats that truly resonate.”
This approach enables the creation of emotionally compelling stories that connect deeply with consumers.
Shaping the future of beauty
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, Sebastian revealed that he is particularly excited about the potential of AI to transform the beauty and luxury industry in Indonesia. With a loyal consumer base already driving trends, leveraging real-time data from various touchpoints will be key.
“AI will allow us to analyse large amounts of data in real-time, enabling us to adjust our digital assets and product details dynamically, ensuring we stay ahead of the trends,” he explained.
He’s also looking forward to solutions that can empower L’Oréal Luxe’s Beauty Advisors, equipping them with real-time insights—such as trending keywords across platforms—to deliver more personalised consultations in-store.
But for Sebastian, the vision goes far beyond just driving sales. It’s about redefining the luxury experience by merging digital innovation with physical retail in a way that deeply resonates with consumers. His mission is to lead a bold reimagining of the consumer journey through innovative, omnichannel solutions that set new standards for luxury beauty in Indonesia.
“Since being a teenage boy, it has been my dream and aspiration to become the CMO of a leader in luxury. Thus, I am honoured and energised to take on this opportunity and to join the amazing team of Limitless L’Oréal Luxe Indonesia,” he shared.
“Together we have a lot of opportunities to unlock the greatest omni-consumer experience in the luxury beauty industry in this dynamic market,” Sebastian concluded.
