By Kim Hye-su, Yoon Ji-sun and Jeong Ah-yun
What is essential on the journey to discovering ‘one’s own beauty’? The New Beauty campaign by Amorepacific took to the streets, gathering over 1,300 customers to share their personal definitions of beauty. The campaign spread its authenticity through the Younique Ring – a promise and support for each other’s own beauty – and a vivid offline exhibition showcasing the interviewees’ photos and voices. Amidst this ongoing campaign, I had the opportunity to delve into discussions with Kim Hye-su, Yoon Ji-sun and Jeong Ah-yun from the communications team, who are still fervently exploring what lies ahead.
(From left to right) Jeong Ah-yun, Yoon Ji-sun, and Kim Hye-su, Communications Team
MEET NEW BEAUTY
“This campaign began with the hope that everyone living in this era could discover their ‘authenticity’ and achieve a healthy and happy life.”
Could you share the ethos behind the New Beauty campaign? I’m curious how it all started.
Ah-yun While the vision of New Beauty is well-conceived as a business strategy, much deliberation was involved in communicating this at the brand level. The definition of one’s beauty seems to vary widely, prompting us to conduct studies with external experts and consumer research. There may not be a definitive answer to beauty, but a vision of beauty exists that resonates with people of our time.
Ji-sun Amorepacific views this resonation as the ‘spirit of the times’ for beauty, which we encapsulate in the keyword ‘New Beauty.’ Today, many yearn to realize their true selves. This campaign is fueled by our hope that everyone living in the contemporary world can discover their authenticity and lead healthier and happier lives through it.
The campaign that interviewed 1,300 individuals is quite impressive. It actively asks customers about their unique beauty. How did this idea come about?
Hye-su We were curious about what people consider their beauty. Since definitions of authenticity vary among individuals, we thought it crucial not to dictate but to listen to our customers. We went out to meet our target customers one by one. Initially, we wanted to inspire them, but conversely, they inspired us.
Interviewing 1,300 individuals and asking them about their own beauty
It’s typical for brands to communicate their values with customers, but ideally, the customers inspired the brand itself. But 1,300 is no small number, especially as I heard it was conducted spontaneously on the streets. Did you encounter any challenges?
Hye-su : The project was challenging, and we faced many rejections when searching for partners to collaborate with. Sometimes, spending an entire day on the streets, we only met two or three people who were not pre-arranged. We even tried to arrange meetings with high schools, but it didn’t go as planned, so we had to proceed through referrals and explain our objectives. Despite the difficulties, the project was deeply fulfilling, and interviews are still ongoing.
It seems likely you encountered responses that catalyzed a shift in perception among your team members.
Ji-sun During the interviews, we posed various questions. The question ‘What words of encouragement would you like to offer yourself?’ elicited the most responses. Seeing this, I realized how much our customers need and benefit from encouragement and support. Additionally, many defined their own beauty in terms of ‘confidence,’ ‘naturalness,’ and ‘self-expression,’ which seem to align with our campaign’s direction. These responses provide a range of interpretations, and we are eager to explore these narratives further.
Encouragement and support. Perhaps these are what our era is searching for, elements that seem essential in the quest for one’s own beauty.
Ji-sun It feels like everyone is trying to figure out how to live, maintain their self-esteem, and build their confidence. Seeing how much content around these themes is consumed, I feel validated that our questions touch something profound within people. This work has given us confidence and clarity about the mindset needed as we move forward.
Ah-yun During the campaign, I’ve realized that one’s own beauty continues to evolve as we age. I often ponder what being true to oneself means, and it seems that uniqueness and beauty are not fixed states but are continuously sought after, making them perpetually relevant, regardless of age.
JOIN NEW BEAUTY
“We wanted to show authenticity rather than focusing on visibility or metrics. We hope you find your own beauty, and we are here to support and encourage those who take that step.”
The YOUNIQUE RING Challenge, promising one’s own beauty
The YOUNIQUE RING Challenge, promising one’s own beauty, starkly contrasts the first campaign by fostering active customer participation. What sparked this idea?
Ji-sun The Younique Ring was envisioned as a symbol through which ordinary individuals could promise and share their own beauty, serving as a medium for support and shared sentiments. Our long-term goal is to create a bridge that connects the company with our customers and everyone involved.
You collaborated with the accessory brand NONENON. How did this partnership come about, and what is the story behind the unique design of the rings?
Hye-su We felt that NONENON, holding the philosophy that ‘there is no set direction,’ was perfectly aligned with the spirit of our campaign. The ring is dual-sided; on one side, it’s engraved with ‘You’ to remind the wearer of their own beauty. On the other, it features a gem that represents NONENON’s color, embedded with NFC technology. When tagged with a smartphone, it directs to the Amorestory site, and at events exclusive to Younique Ring holders, it can be used for check-in via NFC.
The values of relationship and sustainability seem particularly important.
Ah-yun While metrics and exposure are significant, we wanted to showcase a genuine approach to communication. We aim to provide an opportunity for everyone to reflect on their own beauty, to accompany them in this discovery process, and to offer our ongoing support. We hope to maintain a lasting relationship with those who receive the ring, demonstrating our commitment to accompanying them on their journey.
RESONATE NEW BEAUTY
“Generation Z is deeply interested in authenticity. They want to know who they are, what their preferences are, and what their tendencies might be. That’s why we’ve incorporated aspects like MBTI and personal color into our programs.”
The campaign also extended to customer participation programs. Working with customers who share and appreciate these values, especially those who possess the Younique Ring, must have been meaningful.
Hye-su Generation Z has a strong interest in authenticity. There seems to be consistent popularity in exploring one’s personality and preferences through tools like MBTI or personal color tests. We have integrated these interests into our program. For instance, during the New Beauty experience program, we prepared a DNA kit, which customers could purchase from Amore Mall and only get consulting for at our City Lab. Unexpectedly, there was tremendous interest in mandala meditation. The participants were very engaged, asking numerous questions. It showed their sincere desire to understand themselves and engage deeply with the process.
The New Beauty exhibition that took place in Amore Seongsu store
The Amore Seongsu exhibition was the grand finale. It provided a space where ordinary people like myself could see the thoughts of others and reflect on their own. I’m curious about the reasons behind choosing this exhibition and the preparation process.
Hye-su While you can continue to view interviews from over 1,300 participants on Amorestory, experiencing something offline can evoke different sensory responses. We drew inspiration from an artist known for his social campaigns, JR Chronicle, who uses portrait photography to discuss social issues. There are similarities in our messages with New Beauty, and we hoped that this story would reach out and expand further through the exhibition. In the planning stages, we intensely deliberated on how to carry the campaign’s ethos while harmonizing with the inherent beauty of the Amore Seongsu space.
Lastly, if you were to express your ‘own beauty,’ what would it be?
Ah-yun Lately, I keep telling myself I want to age gracefully. I try not to box myself into a defined image of ‘This is who I am.’ By determining what I typically like or dislike, I risk confining myself. As I get older, I often believe I’m right, but I’m trying to stay open by questioning whether I could be wrong.
Hye-su For me, it feels like naturalness. As generations change, the concept of one’s own beauty changes, too. It seems to be about living the process of finding beauty that suits me at any given time. Beauty isn’t fixed; I think it’s about naturally accepting changes in thoughts and values without trying to define myself strictly.
Ji-sun I’d describe it as ‘resiliently persevering.’ Being a mother of two and balancing work and parenting can be overwhelming, but I believe I have the strength to endure and overcome the challenges, no matter how tough they are.
(From left to right) Kim Hye-su, Yoon Ji-sun, and Jeong Ah-yun, Communications Team
More Commentary
Crafting the New Beauty Campaign Together
What was considered most important in conducting the New Beauty campaign?
Many participants already possessed their own definition of beauty, and an essential aspect of this project was effectively conveying those moments of discovery and expression. It was a time of contemplation on how the message and content of the New Beauty campaign could be best delivered, during which I also found meaningful moments to reconsider what New Beauty represents.
Hong Kang-jun, Amore Mall Team
I found the campaign appealing as it was designed to evolve in collaboration with our customers. Particularly at Amore Seongsu, we see a lot of visitors who are in their 20s and 30s and Japanese tourists. Japanese customers tend to appreciate the small text on POPs and enjoy tactile experiences. We leveraged this by offering multilingual information on New Beauty and creating interactive content that allowed customers to write responses on message cards.
Kim Seung-jin, Restore Business Team
Among many pop-ups, I believed our space needed a sequence that would draw out personal reflections. We collaborated on suggesting layouts for the space to encourage customers to listen to our story. In this New Beauty exhibition, we aimed to provide experiences that drew out individual thoughts through the perspectives of others.
Yi Sang-Jae, Restore Business Team
As beauty is defined in various ways, each project member had a unique expression they wanted to convey. However, everyone shared the goal of supporting people in discovering their exceptional beauty and leading healthy, happy lives. This unity facilitated smooth collaboration. We strived to create an exhibition where the content, rather than overwhelming visuals, would center around New Beauty and pose questions about individual beauty in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.
Shin No-ah, Restore Business Team
Delivering Amorepacific’s values authentically to our customers is vital, so it was important that various teams shared a joint mission and built a consensus. It was an excellent opportunity for me to meet customers seeking their own beauty and understand what today’s customers desire. I also took pride in serving as a messenger conveying Amorepacific’s perspective on beauty and our commitment to excellence and authenticity.
Ko Eun-bi, Amorepacific Clinical Lab
The most crucial aspect was authenticity. The brand had to authentically approach diverse people’s stories and experiences to capture them honestly. We also made efforts to express individuality visually through the creation of the Younique Ring and the New Beauty exhibition. Personally, the most rewarding aspect was hearing various perspectives on individuality and using those stories to broaden societal perceptions of beauty.
Youn Jae-hee, LR Seoul
We aimed to capture the honest appearances of various individuals. Since there is no definitive answer to individuality, we focused on eliciting each person’s diverse ‘selfness.’ Conducting 1,300 interviews and capturing them on the streets was no walk in the park. By the latter part of the campaign, we could almost predict who would agree to an interview just by their walk or style. Nevertheless, seeing people’s stories come together to kickstart the New Beauty campaign and materialize into an actual exhibition was profoundly gratifying.
Yeo Ji-yun, LR Seoul
New Beauty Commentary delivers the story of Amorepacific’s brands’ commitment to New Beauty. Learn more about their campaigns, products and new episodes from the insiders.
Editor Song Jae-eun
Planning Amorepacific Communications Team
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