Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Global skincare brand SK-II celebrates a reimagined retail experience by paying homage to its heritage in the brand’s first-of-its-kind concept store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Through this store, SK-II’s retail experience is reimagined for guests to immerse in the miracle world of ‘PITERA’, SK-II’s prized component, as they uncover the stories behind the house of SK-II – from the fabled origin story of SK-II to the decades of craftsmanship, skin science discoveries and skincare innovations.
SK-II’s concept store tells the story of SK-II’s origin, which started in the 1970s when a team of scientists began a fervent quest to uncover a revolutionary ingredient that would make beautiful skin a reality.
Every detail in the concept store has gone through meticulous deliberation to bring to life the different facets of the world of PITERA. Each element in the store is carefully crafted from naturally inspired materials and artfully designed to tell the intricate stories of SK-II’s heritage and the miracles of PITERA that continue to unfold today.
Inspired by the spirit of ‘omotenashi’, or ‘wholehearted hospitality’, SK-II is also elevating the skincare counselling experience to a ceremonial level. For the first time ever, consumers can luxuriate in the SK-II Skin Ceremony with skin experts that reflect the unparalleled SK-II omotenashi-inspired service that delivers memorable and meaningful moments for every guest.
Furthermore, the store’s grand opening on June 22 was joined by some of Southeast Asia’s biggest names in beauty, featuring an exclusive appearance from SK-II’s global celebrity ambassador MINA of global girl group TWICE.
Talking about the opening, Sue Kyung Lee, president, P&G Global Skin & Personal Care, said, “This first-ever SK-II concept store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marks a momentous milestone for the house of SK-II. Consumers are at the heart of all we do at SK-II, and this is a testament to our commitment to elevating skincare experiences for her and transform.”
“More than a retail store, we want to provide a sanctuary for her to switch off from the world and immerse in the miracle world of PITERA. This is the beginning of a new era to elevate the SK-II shopping experience, and we look forward to sharing it with the rest of the world,” she added.
Tag: SK-II
Last Women’s Month, global skincare brand SK-II has launched a thought-provoking film, “More Youthful With Age #越大越不ZHUANG”, featuring a docuseries chronicling the transformation journey of five women as they learn to embrace their bare skin and true selves as they age.
This has catapulted into one of the most viral and talked about brand topics on Chinese social platform Little Red Book, sparking passionate discussions on how women are expected to look as they grow older, and courageously sharing the choices they’ve made to stand apart and find their truest selves.
To shed more light on how SK-II made this campaign to effectively reach the Chinese market, MARKETECH APAC spoke exclusively to Sue Kyung Lee, global CEO of SK-II, to learn more about how beauty brands can create authentic campaigns that resonate towards Chinese consumers, and what outlook can the beauty industry in Asia-Pacific expect for this year.
For Lee, consumers are at the heart of all that they do at SK-II. In order to serve their consumers better than anyone else, they seek to have the deepest understanding of the consumer, encompassing her lifestyle and values.
To achieve this, Lee shared, “We talked to our consumers in-store, held focus groups and did a deep dive into social conversations to find out the pressures and expectations that Chinese women were facing. And what we uncovered was a growing cultural shift towards independence and self-aspiration; to ‘unmask’ yourself and redefine society’s expectations of what it means to be a woman.”
She also added that their Chinese campaign is very much aligned with their brand values of authenticity and being true to yourself over many decades. Additionally, this coincides with their latest brand refresh, with a new brand identity with an increased emphasis on natural visuals and the authentic narratives of ‘PITERA’, their exclusive skincare ingredient.
When asked about how SK-II aims to differentiate itself in this landscape, amidst other international and domestic brands, Lee said that the key is to always keep consumers at the heart of everything that they do, being present and raising the bar in serving their consumers wherever they choose to look or shop, across all omnichannel touchpoints.
Furthermore, Lee attributes the strength of the brand to be unique through the narratives of their brand identity. “At SK-II, we have a powerful and authentic story with our brand and our iconic and exclusive PITERA. We are constantly looking to find meaningful ways to connect with our consumers through genuine stories of how and why SK-II with PITERA continues to transform the skin of millions of women around the world,” she remarked.
Talking about the potential challenges and opportunities that the beauty industry in China will face for this year, Lee shared that there is great potential for reinforcing omnichannel marketing in China, especially with the ever-increasing number of platforms, experiences and channels within the market.
Stressing the importance of this, Lee stated, “As we talked to consumers in our research, it was fascinating. We asked them about how much time they spent online vs offline, and no one could respond properly as consumers do not even think about or differentiate online vs offline consciously, showing how the digital and physical world are seamlessly integrated with each other in their lives.”
“We need to ensure that as a brand, we are present and raise the bar in serving her seamlessly across all omnichannel touchpoints she is on in China. This is a challenge as well as an opportunity for all of us in the beauty industry,” she added.
Lastly, talking about what’s next for the beauty industry in the Asia-Pacific this 2024, Lee said that Southeast Asia has been emerging as the next frontier of luxury beauty opportunities in Asia Pacific.
“Markets like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia hold a great deal of promise for prestige brands like us as consumers shift from mass to luxury and become very savvy with the brands that they choose to support,” she concluded.
Tokyo – Global skincare brand SK-II has promised to unveil their skincare secrets through an exhibition entitled ‘THE SECRET KEY’, in line with celebrating and showcasing their exclusive ingredient known as ‘PITERA’.
Following last year’s celebration of PITERA at ‘World PITERA Day’ in Tokyo, Japan, SK-II launched their “SK-II SECRET KEY HOUSE” physical art exhibition for July 29 and 30 as part of its World PITERA Month, a month-long transformational journey aiming to highlight PITERA.
The SK-II SECRET KEY HOUSE will be joined by some of the world’s biggest names in beauty, featuring exclusive appearances from SK-II’s global celebrity ambassadors including Japanese actress Haruka Ayase, award-winning Chinese actress Tang Wei, Mina of global girl group Twice and Chinese actress Qiu Tian.
Commenting on the campaign, Haruka Ayase said, “I am looking forward to unlocking new secrets about SK-II and PITERA™ at SK-II SECRET KEY HOUSE that even after more than 10 years with the brand I don’t know about. I’m always excited to discover more about PITERA™ and how it can transform skin to Crystal Clear.”
Mina from TWICE also expressed her excitement in joining the campaign as it marks the first time that she’ll be meeting and interacting with PITERA fans in-person as SK-II’s ambassador. “I can’t wait to share the story of my transformational skin journey – I might even include more secrets of my own,”she added.
Meanwhile, Sue Kyung Lee, global CEO of SK-II, mentioned, “For the first time in SK-II’s history, we will be handing our consumers the keys to unlock the biggest, most closely guarded secrets behind SK-II and our iconic PITERA. We hope to continue inspiring women to choose their skin destiny by embarking on their own journey to unlock Crystal Clear Skin transformation with PITERA, The Secret Key.”
Hainan, China – Japan-based beauty brand SK-II launches ‘House of Miracles’, an interactive social retail pop up store in Hainan where shoppers are granted the opportunity to learn more about their skin, receive customised products, and also have the opportunity to personalise its entire storefront design with a gamified experience on Wechat.
The SK-II House of Miracles pop-up store in Hainan is part of the brand’s ongoing foray into retail innovation and a global transformation to connect with a new generation of consumers who are yearning for more meaningful experiences with the brands they know and trust.
SK-II’s House of Miracles is full of unique personalised experiences from start to finish. According to SK-II, shoppers will be introduced to the Miracle Generator where shoppers are encouraged to download the store’s Wechat Mini Program digital companion, a miracle generator that gamifies the shopping experience. Shoppers collect and grow Miracles in Wechat as they shop throughout the store and customise their Miracle as they wait in line to check out.
Shoppers can also enjoy a personalised skin analysis with SK-II’s latest contactless skincare counselling innovation, the Mini Magic Scan. SK-II’s Mini Magic Scan is an AI-enabled skin analysis tool that allows visitors to gain understanding of their skin strengths and potential, unlock their skin age as well as receive personalised skin analysis and personalised product recommendations.
Shoppers can learn about PITERA™ and SK-II products in a whole new way by discovering the content with intuitive eye-tracking technology. By simply looking at a product on the wall, they can embark on a personal skincare learning journey about PITERA™ and key information and benefits about SK-II’s core products.
Shoppers also get to experience the Miracles Tester Bar which is the first thing shoppers encounter when they enter the gorgeous ode to PITERA™, the Miracle Chandelier. Every time a shopper picks up a bottle of iconic PITERA™ Essence it triggers a delightful celebration of light from the Chandelier.
Moreover, when shoppers check out, they will be invited to scan their customised ‘Miracles’ to broadcast it on the store’s interactive digital store skin which is made out of floor to ceiling edge-to-edge LED screens. This allows them to personalise the store façade with their very own created Miracles in a visually impactful display.
SK-II has launched several pop-up Stores in Hainan, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, and even in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and China International Import Expo (CIIE).
Through creating immersive, unique and personalised skincare experiences, SK-II hopes to make her shopping experience and journey even more meaningful and relevant by allowing to browse, shop and learn about her skin at her own pace and on her own terms, in a safe, yet engaging way.
The SK-II House of Miracles pop up store is located in the HaiTang Bay Duty Free Shopping Centre and Haikou Mova Mall by China Duty Free Group (CDFG) and will be open for a limited time only from 1 to 29 June 2022.
Tokyo, Japan – The pandemic has been a tough setback for small businesses globally and especially in Japan with the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The latest data shows that 87% of women business owners globally have been adversely affected by the pandemic. This adds to a preexisting difficult climate in Japan for women entrepreneurs who are among the lowest within the G7 countries (4.4%. Around 22% of women in Japan aspire to own their own businesses but only 5.3% of businesses are actually owned by women.
Such a current state among women entrepreneurs in Japan, especially in Tokyo, has led to global skincare brand SK-II to focus its latest campaign to create a much-needed spotlight on a community that has been highly impacted by the pandemic—women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs in Tokyo.
Titled ‘Beyond The Stadium’, the campaign depicts a much-needed spotlight on a community that has been highly impacted by the pandemic—women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs in Tokyo. The campaign, narrated by long-standing brand ambassador and Japanese actress Kaori Momoi, features the stories of Olympic athletes such as gymnast Simon Biles and surfer Mahina Maeda, as well as select women entrepreneurs in Tokyo, ranging from owners of a flower shop, a Japanese rice ball store, and a jewelry store.
Created alongside creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, said campaign juxtaposes struggles faced by Olympic athletes in pursuing their dreams with the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and small business owners in Tokyo over the past year which has been amplified by the lack of anticipated visitors for the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Speaking about the creative process, Susanna Fagring, CEO at Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, stated that in their long-standing relationship with SK-II, they tried to encourage women to stand up for their dreams and fight for their goals in life. Despite that, looking back at the past year with all its challenges, this is something easier said than done, according to her.
“The campaign shows that stories from Olympic athletes are actually not that different from stories of female entrepreneurs in Tokyo. They were all hoping for their big moments, be it inside or outside of the arena, and now they all need our cheering and support. Now we are hoping to create support for the female business community in Tokyo. In the wake of the loss of anticipated visitors to the Olympic Games, they need it more than ever,” Fagring said.
Meanwhile, Markus Strobel, president of skin and personal care at P&G, commented that in these unprecedented times we are in, consumers have a much higher expectation towards brands and businesses, adding that they know that they have an even larger social responsibility to the communities they operate in and be a force for good.
Strobel’s statement echoes the widespread campaign SK-II has launched recently, including a ‘virtual city’ featuring the stores of these women entrepreneurs in Tokyo. Such slew of campaigns lives up to the brand purpose of SK-II: #CHANGEDESTINY.
“#CHANGEDESTINY is at the heart of our brand purpose at SK-II. For years, we have celebrated how destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice through the stories of courageous women around the world. With the launch of ‘Beyond the Stadium’ and our virtual shopping street within SK-II City, we are taking yet another step forward in our #CHANGEDESTINY journey,” Strobel said.
He added, “It means a lot to us to be able to continue to support women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs to keep their dreams alive in these challenging times in Tokyo as the Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”
In line with this, SK-II dedicates its #CHANGEDESTINY FUND to a program to support women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs impacted by the pandemic in Tokyo. Proceeds from the #CHANGEDESTINY FUND, worth US$500k will go towards a year-long program supporting women-owned small business and entrepreneurs in Tokyo with Shibuya City and MEETALK—a Tokyo-based women entrepreneurship network to equip them with digital and social skills, business networks, and platform to build and keep the business of their dreams alive in these unprecedented times.
Singapore – As travel restrictions are still in effect due to the pandemic, global skincare brand SK-II has decided to launch its first-ever virtual city called ‘SK-II CITY’ for the premiere of its latest SK-II Studio installment ‘VS’, an animated anthology series that aims to inspire every woman that they have the power to #CHANGEDESTINY.
The ‘VS’ series is a collection of six animated films based on the real-life experiences of six Olympic athletes including gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Liu Xiang, and badminton players Ayaka Takahashi, as well as surfer Mahina Maeda, and Hinotori Nippon. They each explore what it means to take destiny into their own hands, overcoming societal pressures like trolls, image obsession, and rules and limitations.
The series is then promoted by the brand through a virtual city, ‘SK-II CITY’, which is inspired by the streets of Tokyo, Japan. It seeks to transport visitors to Shibuya Crossing, and let them sightsee Mount Fuji and Tokyo Tower.
The ‘VS’ series spans a broad range of genres including sci-fi, fantasy, action, and sports. Each episode has its own universe and style, featuring the work of various award-winning animation studios and singer-songwriters.
Visitors can enter the SK-II Studio where they can get an exclusive backstage tour of the ‘VS’ series, and find animation sketches, film trivia, and behind-the-scenes footage from the six athletes.
Sandeep Seth, the CEO of SK-II Global, said that in these times where international travel is still restricted, they want to be able to provide their consumers a gamified experience that they can gain inspiration and shop in a safe yet entertaining and meaningful way.
“We are thrilled to launch the SK-II CITY, as we premiere our next SK-II Studio blockbuster ‘VS’ series. The SK-II CITY is inspired by our Japanese heritage as well as our brand purpose #CHANGEDESTINY,” added Seth.
To find out more about the ‘VS’ Series and learn about SK-II STUDIO and #ChangeDestiny, consumers may visit the virtual SK-II CITY at https://city.sk-ii.com/.