The Campaign

We reinvented our approach to the pop-up store by turning the downside to a special brand experience by personalizing the whole consumer journey, in answering consumers’ quests for a seamless shopping experience. To do this, we can’t just think about store logistics – we had to look into steps from the first sight on the product, to the moment when they checkout, so that the feeling of being lost amongst the crowds went away and a premium beauty journey was delivered. Bringing the product, creative and media together in creation of a true Parisian journey was the idea. We’ve allowed Mon Paris Couture as the first fragrance under the YSL Beauté umbrella to be self-engraved with multiple combinations of ribbons and fragrance choices, and created a hassle-free personalized shopping experience with their most intimate devices, which played an integral role both prior and during the event.

The Brief

$1,900,000 HKD total budget $1,300,000 HKD – Collaboration with Tencent, on facial recognition technology, WeChat Ad support $600,000 HKD – Facebook Ad support, with different local KOLs for promotions

Creative Execution

We collaborated with WeChat and used facial recognition technology to create a bespoke personal ID called the Mon Paris ID. Event registration, product personalization and pick-up were all facilitated by just a picture. This was a market first! Before they even got to the event, consumers created a facial ID through the YSL Beauté mini-program using facial recognition on the WeChat mobile app. Consumers then pre-ordered the product and chose to personalize it with a selection of 3 different fragrances, choices of ribbons and an option to engrave their names on the bottle. And when they entered the pop-up store, just stood in front of an interactive panel for the facial recognition process – triggering the system to create their personalized product order in split seconds. No more overcrowded queues. Consumers could spend more time enjoying the actual event which included photo sessions under an Eiffel tower replica!

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

YSL Beauté was able to create a customized experience without the dreaded wait. In just 4 days, over 12,100 people registered for their ID to stay away from the crowd, and drove a staggering sales value which was 273% better than historical daily sales values. The hype didn’t end in Hong Kong, but spilled over to mainland China as well. The massive social buzz took over WeChat, Weibo, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms, reaching over 63 million people online! This created a stir in the industry, and it was also widely-recognized among marketers, advertisers, technology partners with over 25 online and offline publication features. The 2M HKD+ PR value that we’ve earned for the was a perfect proof for setting a new event management benchmark for luxury brands, and become part of the highlight reel for Tencent as one of the best retail solutions in the region.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

With the launch of Mon Paris Couture, a brand new perfume in Hong Kong, YSL Beauté was determined to create a customized brand experience from online to offline – the only solution for the beauty junkies to get a taste of their favorite perfume in person. We’ve set up a Mon Paris Pop-up store, offering the true Parisian journey in the event, while taking the customized shopping experience out of the pop-up store, with your most intimate device to catch the eyeballs of the edgy beauty tribes.

The campaign targeted edgy tribes with a careful mentality on choosing the right luxury brand to represent and define who they really are. Their high income and strong education background shape their desire for a unique taste in life, and do not mind splashing the cash for an exquisite product or experience as long as it is worth the time and money for a little treat to their hearts. The only way to save the best Mon Paris Couture vibe within the pop-up store was to take the hassles and queues away from the venue. There’s no better way to engage with the beauty junkies using mobile – their most intimate device they carry 24/7. We collected meaningful behavior data to dig out who they were, their intent, their unique tastes and dissected potential edgy luxury tribes whom we wished them to experience the brand new perfume.