In the worlds second largest advertising market there is still place for a no advertising policy and the power of word of mouth
Business intelligence
Japan's has the worlds most sophisticated skin care market. Its cosmetics sector is also proving resilient to the general downturn felt by the Japanese retail sector as a whole. For Kiehl’s, a leading New York cosmetics company established in 1851 and part of the L’Oreal cosmetics group, conditions for success in Japan are promising. Japan’s society has aged, cosmetics makers now have a broader age group of consumer as women their 20s and early 30s are joined by those in their 50s and 60s, a group with both time and money, and according to the Dentsu Institute. ‘the last major untapped consumer group.’
Japanese cosmetic companies are also improving their use of internet marketing and successfully identifying influential bloggers and providing them with free samples to review. A recent survey conducted by Fujitsu Research Institute stated that a majority of Japanese take the word-of-mouth they read on blogs "very seriously." A point of particular significance to Kiehl’s, since the company has a “no advertising” policy and prefers for consumers to learn about the company through word of mouth.
Project Overview
Employing its insight into influence of different cultures was critical when Eat was brought in to support the Kiehl’s brand’s Japan launch. After all Tokyo and New York are poles apart in attitude and culture and so a key part of the project focus was to support the Kiehl’s team in adapting the brand without losing what makes this 150 year-old company special.
Specifically Eat worked on tone of voice and the company’s visual language. We developed a brand voice, which was knowledgeable, friendly and down to earth – refreshingly different from the ‘blur’ of other brands competing for the consumer’s attention. In parallel we adapted that the company’s home-made / community feel that worked in the US to a more sophisticated visual style.
Shoppers were invited to take part in a “nine-week discovery program,” during which a special counter was set up in Isetan’s Tokyo department store, where trained staff offered one-on-one counseling and sample products. This strictly ‘no purchase, sample only’ period was unique to the launch and very popular with customers who could get free samples with no pressure to buy.
Project Disciplines
- Print
- Branding
- Content Creation
