Why is this work relevant for PR?

In Japan, university students applying for jobs are governed by strict unspoken rules that forbid showing even a trace of individuality. They are expected to attend interviews wearing the same plain outfits and with their hair and makeup styled in the same neutral manner. By creating a provocative recruitment campaign that encouraged applicants to attend interviews looking like themselves, cosmetics maker Isehan attempted to both enhance its image as a brand that champions individuality and also push for social change.

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 (20% 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 (30% 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)

On March 1st—the designated day on which all companies in Japan begin their graduate recruitment process—we revealed our campaign and slogan to the world. We also launched a promotional video featuring a woman in typical job-hunting attire, hair, and makeup ripping apart a sheet of identical headshots as she calls for more freedom in the way graduate job applicants are allowed to express themselves—a message conveyed through the various makeup styles the woman demonstrates in the video. To make it easier for applicants to submit images that represented who they were, we offered them the option of applying via Instagram, a platform used by many university students in Japan.

List the results (30% of vote) – must include at least two of the following tiers:

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.