SK-II: Change Destiny
Rearticulating a legacy beauty brand’s purpose that started an empowering conversation around beauty.
A little about the brand:
Historically, SK-II had always marketed based on the functional benefits of their product. But when they saw a sharp drop in affinity with the younger demographic, they knew the market was fast-shifting and they needed to fundamentally change how they spoke and sounded.
Over the course of almost two years, we worked with the clients to create a brand platform that is inspired and embodied by the brand’s products. SK-II has never changed the formula of its iconic Treatment Essence – because it has proven to help women defy genetic skin issues and signs ageing.
This was how the platform of Change Destiny came about. We knew the brand could stand behind a message that empowered women to break conventions, barriers and limits that had been set by society or themselves – whether it is about beauty or something beyond.
For our launch video, we wanted to make women a subject and not the object of the narrative. So we told the inspiring story of Misa Kuranga, who defied the odds to become the first asian to be appointed principal ballerina at the Boston Ballet.
Some challenges in getting this out:
This first video that launched the platform broke away from every convention the brand was used to – no close-up of skin, no product within frame, no mention of efficacy. Needless to say, it took a lot of convincing for one of the biggest beauty brands in P&G to take this gamble.
Why this mattered to me:
This was the very first video that paved the way for the platform the brand uses till this day. The results of this first campaign was the boost of confidence the client needed to stick with the game plan.
Work that has come out from the brand since has won at many prestigious award shows and I always feel proud to have laid the groundwork that makes the narrative possible. But beyond the awards, the true feeling of satisfaction is having convinced a major brand in the market to embrace a perception of beauty that is inclusive, empowering and strong – a hard fought battle that has an effect far beyond a brand’s bottomline.
Where this was seen:
Social, pre-rolls, cinema, targeted ads.