For more than two decades, Shiseido has relied on Kaplow to create relevance and generate buzz in the American market. Leveraging a mix of “creatively strategic” media relations, digital initiatives and press and consumer-facing events, as well as influencer campaigns and partnerships, we’ve highlighted Shiseido’s Japanese roots and rich heritage of innovation to drive awareness, generate interest and boost sales in the legacy cosmetics giant’s important Americas region.
Our approach to driving an emotional connection between the brand and its consumers came to life beautifully when the brand celebrated its 140th anniversary.
We were tasked with spreading awareness of Shiseido’s long history as the world’s oldest cosmetics company and growing its social communities to strengthen brand loyalty and consumer engagement.
Kaplow designed a holistic PR and digital campaign in celebration of Shiseido’s 140th anniversary. We built our campaign around Shiseido’s commitment to beautifying the world and its belief in “Omotenashi” the art of selfless hospitality in Japanese culture.
Consumers and media were invited to a 140th anniversary event in New York City where we featured the brand’s unique heritage and innovation milestones.
To highlight the company’s tradition of giving back, we developed an application for Shiseido’s Facebook page that invited visitors to share their virtual wishes for the world on the leaves of a “Wishing Tree” — a Japanese Cherry Blossom tree which represents rebirth and beauty — the symbol for our campaign.
To highlight Shiseido as an environmentally conscious company, we featured a charitable component: for every 140 wishes received through the “Wishing Tree,” Shiseido planted a cherry blossom tree in New York City through its partnership with the New York Restoration Project.
To encourage involvement, each wish entered participants to win a weekly Shiseido prize. Weekly calls to action were featured across Shiseido social media to drive awareness and educate the audience about the brand’s history.
The campaign garnered extensive media coverage, drove growth of Shiseido’s social following and created huge demand for its anniversary products.
Kaplow secured more than 28 million media impressions for the anniversary story and Shiseido’s social media communities grew by 50 percent within three months of the campaign launch. The limited-edition anniversary products also sold out.
