WE'RE HIRING...BASED ON LOOKS!

TitleWE'RE HIRING...BASED ON LOOKS!
BrandISEHAN CO., LTD.
Product / ServiceKISSME(CORPORATE BRAND)
CategoryF01. Copywriting
EntrantDENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Media Placement DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
PR PLATINUM Tokyo, JAPAN
Production DENTSU CREATIVE X INC. Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Junta Yoshikawa Dentsu Inc. Creative Director
Mariko Fukuoka Dentsu Inc. Copywriter
Fumi Annoura Dentsu Inc. Art Director
Takato Akiyama Dentsu Inc. Communication Planner
Masaya Yomaru Dentsu Inc. PR Planner
Naoto Shigemasa Dentsu Inc. Interactive Planner
Shingo Hiraoka Dentsu Inc. Solution Director
Asami Sakae Dentsu Inc. Solution Director
Masayuki Osumi Dentsu Inc. Account Executive
Kaya Sato Dentsu Inc. Account Executive
Kensuke Takayama Dentsu Inc. Account Executive
Nobuaki Kobayahi Dentsu Inc. Account Executive
Zal Heiwa Sethna Soli Consultant English Copywriter / Script Consultant
Yusuke Masuko Pasona Inc. HR Consultant
Hiroyuki Sagae Dentsu Creative X Inc. Production Producer
Hidemi Saito Dentsu Creative X Inc. Production Manager
Takahiro Kobashi Dentsu Creative X Inc. Production Manager
Shota Higashi Dentsu Creative X Inc. Designer
Junko Yoshida Dentsu Creative X Inc. Designer
Yuji Oba Dentsu Creative X Inc. WEB Director
Shuto Hashiura Dentsu Creative X Inc. Film Director
Yutaka Obara DRAWING AND MANUAL INC. Film Director / Cinematographer / Offline Editor
Naoto Tanoue Freelance Lighting Director
Shinichiro Kodama Ongakushitsu Inc. Music Producer
Go Momose MONGO Stylist
Daisuke Mukai Hair Make Freelance
Temujin Shimizu IMAGE STUDIO 109, INC Sound Engineer
Takashi Sakurai PICT INC. Cinematographer
Hiroki Yokota PICT INC. Assistant Camera
Takumi Nakade Sound City Mixer
Kosuke Ogaki STEP CO.,LTD. Music Producer
Yuya Hamamura Platinum Inc. PR Consultant
Maika Morimoto Platinum Inc. PR Consultant
Kaoru Nakata Platinum Inc. PR Consultant
Shin Sakai Platinum Inc. PR Consultant
Kazuhiko Akiyama RAPALLO Ltd. Casting
Asami Morita Michelle Entertainment Inc. Cast
Daisuke Mukai Freelance Hair Make

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

This campaign provocatively questioned the rigid dress code expected of graduate job recruits in Japan by announcing that cosmetics maker Isehan would be hiring people "based on looks"—that is, applicants were asked to submit images of themselves that best defined who they were and explain what those images said about them. In this way, Isehan managed to change the way of thinking about Japan’s graduate recruitment process among not only university students, but also among corporate HR personnel.

Background

In Japan, students simultaneously begin applying for jobs on March 1st, a month before the beginning of their final year, and are expected to attend interviews wearing the same plain outfits, hairstyles, and makeup. A room full of job applicants often looks like a gathering of lookalikes, even at companies in creative fields such as fashion and TV production. A major reason is Japan’s cultural aversion to standing out—fearful of not getting a job for looking even slightly different, students are not willing to take such a risk. Surveys indicated that a majority of university students considered these unspoken rules to be restrictive. To battle against this convention, Isehan—a 190-year-old cosmetics maker and champion of consumers’ right to express themselves—decided to organize a job recruitment campaign encouraging applicants to come to their job interview looking like themselves.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

The campaign—which reflects Isehan’s approach to promoting its cosmetic products as a means for expressing one’s self and not pleasing others—asked job applicants to submit pictures of themselves that best represented who they are. There were no dress codes—the applicant could wear colorful makeup or no makeup at all, be dressed plainly or elaborately—or gender requirements. Applicants could even apply via Instagram. The only requirement was that applicants needed to be able to explain what their appearance said about themselves.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Surveying university students—the campaign’s target demographic—revealed that over half considered unspoken rules about outfits and makeup for job interviews to be overly restrictive. This was what inspired us to come up with this job recruitment campaign. To attract attention in a way that was consistent with our brand image, we deliberately chose a provocative slogan: “We’re Hiring...Based on Looks!” Not only did it allude to the unspoken rules about how job applicants are expected to present themselves at interviews, it also flipped this convention on its head by giving the applicants the freedom to define the right look for themselves.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The campaign was covered by over 100 media outlets. Interest in the campaign continued to grow after launch day—on the fourth day, the tweet announcing the campaign enjoyed the most frequent retweets on Japanese Twitter. On Japan’s biggest job search website, Isehan topped the list of most searched cosmetics companies for the first time, resulting in more than double the average number of applications. About 15 million people—12% of Japan’s population—heard about the campaign, many of whom responded positively, especially on social media. In an online survey of HR personnel across Japan that was conducted following the campaign, 80% mentioned they were open to easing dress codes for student applicants so they could better express who they were at interviews.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign was covered by over 100 media outlets. Interest in the campaign continued to grow after launch day—on the fourth day, the tweet announcing the campaign enjoyed the most frequent retweets on Japanese Twitter. On Japan’s biggest job search website, Isehan topped the list of most searched cosmetics companies for the first time, resulting in more than double the average number of applications. About 15 million people—12% of Japan’s population—heard about the campaign, many of whom responded positively, especially on social media. In an online survey of HR personnel across Japan that was conducted following the campaign, 80% mentioned they were open to easing dress codes for student applicants so they could better express who they were at interviews.

Links

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