Background

Our project was based on the statement, "We Care More.". Under the statement we communicated the concept of the POLA 2029 Vision that we care for people, society, the earth and everything in between. We also planned to encourage empathy toward the brand through the experience at the flagship store. POLA has provided a wide range of products, especially skincare and has been loved by many people, because POLA has delivered science, art and love from one person to another. However, in order to realize the new vision of changing the world and providing thoughtful consideration in many aspects including beauty, the brand needs not only to deliver its message, but also to take concrete actions to realize the new vision by making people feel the brand's thoughts as if they were their own.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

In the history of POLA, there is a founding episode that the founder of POLA made the hand cream with a single mortar for his wife who had rough hands. Therefore we designed a brand experience event based on the concept of "Care for Dear". As a result of COVID-19, we have been unable to meet the people we want to on daily basis, and the opportunities for communication that we used to take for granted have decreased. People's lives have changed drastically. More and more people felt the psychological distance between each other. It is precisely because of this situation that we designed an experience that people could feel warmth and connection with others, and this experience is what would help us gain a deeper empathy for the brand's vision for 2029.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

The hand cream born from the founder's"caring for his wife"was introduced, and the story focusing on the ideas behind the development of the POLA products was displayed. The ball roller coaster expressed how"caring for the dear"was passed on. The gifts that participants could make by themselves while caring for the dear were prepared. By placing the ball in to a mortar, which represents the founder's feeling as a drop, it moves as if the ball is carefully handed down from person to person, then to society, and finally to the earth. At the end two samples of hand cream with original cards were provided to share with their dear ones. One has a message printed on from POLA, and the other is a gift that they could add a message to their dear ones.

List the results (20% of vote)

By communicating the social value of the brand in context of today's world and providing a brand experience that everyone could enjoy, the brand has achieved a deep empathy with the brand message and created a favorable impression. Experience satisfaction rate 97.7%. Intention to use 98.1%. Additionally as a result of successfully making the experience personal to each customer, the gifts were shared with many people with their heartwarming messages, and also contributed to the increase in sales. 149.1% increase in sales compared to the previous period. 128% increase in the number of new customers compared to the previous period. 138% increase in the number of new customers. Moreover the event was highly effective in terms of inner branding. The staffs working at the store responded that they could be more positive and cheerful and be spending their days in a socially meaningful way at the event.