SK-II: The Gift
Cutting through the clutter of the festive season to paint a picture of the most desirable gift.
A little about the brand:
Since the early 2000s, SK-II unveils a limited edition release of their bestselling Facial Treatment Essence during the festive season. But it was always used as a tactical marketing incentive – nobody talked about it, much less desired it.
When they reached out to us to create yet another festive campaign, we knew it had to be more than just a deal. We needed to construct a narrative around the creation of these bottles to drive desirability. Two content pieces were created to highlight the artistry of SK-II’s limited edition bottle, each idea anchored and inspired by what the act of gifting meant between individuals.
We commissioned world-renowned dance artists ENRA and leading sound designers, to create an original dance and song to celebrate the year’s limited edition bottle.
Some challenges in getting this out:
Projection mapping was a completely new technology to me and learning to balance the brand exposure without limiting the artistry of ENRA was an absolutely stunning journey. Working with the SONGZU Australia team to get a branded track out that was something you would actually put in your playlist was also another steep learning curve for me.
Why this mattered to me:
This campaign gave me a real taste of what prestige branding actually means. Building desirability in this category seldom follows a fixed and fast formula but often includes a lot of awe and the theatrics of the spectacle – learning to balance this for a brand that still expected tangible sales returns taught me immensely about what are some things to stick your neck out for and what trade-offs are necessary.
Where this was seen:
Globally across travel retail, digital, FMOT and OOH during the entire festive period.