Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

This is the story of a woman who’s true life story of determination and resilience transcended any script. The Centre Lane is a documentary film directed by Palme D’Or winning director, Hirokazu Kore-eda, utilising his signature filmmaking style; gentle, raw, contemplative. Following the journey of Rikako Ikee, a Japanese swimmer and Olympic favourite whose leukemia diagnosis put her entire life and future on hold. Shot over a period of months, Ikee’s recovery story took a dramatic turn that confounded all expectation – especially her own – and captured the imagination of an entire country.

Background

SK-II is a premium Japanese skincare brand, and a Tier One sponsor of the Tokyo Olympics. They had signed a host of inspirational female athletes for their Olympics campaign – set to help define the brand’s core purpose of ‘#changedestiny’ for a whole new generation. Then for the first time in history outside of wartime, the Olympics was postponed, an event felt all the more by the people of Japan. So SK-II turned to another of their athletes, one who was fighting a far bigger battle. Rikako Ikee was a Japanese swimming sensation and Olympic favourite – until in 2019 she was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Passionate about wanting to share her story to the public, SKII gave voice to her recovery. We set out to give voice to an extraordinary story of hope, determination that would eventually come define the brand’s purpose of '#changedestiny' unlike any other.

Describe the creative idea

In competitive swimming the ‘Centre Lane’ is the physical position given to the swimmer with the best qualifying time – it’s the equivalent of Pole Position in F1. It is this position that Ikee had made her own in her record-breaking career, one that made a fitting metaphor for her battle to return to what she loves no matter what. The events of Ikee’s real life journey surpasses any dramatic script, more importantly it was crucial that we retained the authenticity of her voice. So we approached Hirokazu Koreeda – winner of the Cannes Palm D’or and someone who is able to lend a uniquely vivid and thoughtful articulation of modern Japanese life. Having such a distinctive storyteller was additionally important as other brands were also making documentaries on Ikee. Ours had to be different; not just a retelling of events, but something deeper.

Describe the strategy

‘#changedestiny’ as the brand purpose needed to be reset / redefined / reinforced amongst the Japanese consumers. With Rikako Ikee, we knew that her story was an opportunity to redefine what this brand philosophy meant, without it being a lofty abstract brand manifesto. Here was a woman, actively changing her destiny, in real life, at a time when the Japanese public needed a voice of hope more than ever. Uncertainty avoidance is one of the reasons why change is feared in Japan. Therefore, we needed to avoid #changedestiny being about dramatic moments of change, and instead about a journey towards our dreams. The takeout needed to be that sometimes things come along that knock you off your course the way back to your own ‘Centre Lane’ is to chase what you truly believe in.

Describe the execution

From the outset, there was no set plan on the execution – instead we arranged for Kore-eda and Ikee to have a series interviews prior to filming. Then, over a series of months and many shoots, Kore-eda organically formed the idea of the narrative. Midway through this process the idea of using animation to express her inner struggle emerged, the first time ever that Kore-eda has used animation. Shared on SK-II, Rikako Ikee and Kore-eda’s social channels, this was amplified by the key opinion leaders globally sharing their thoughts. On the 29th March 2021, we launched The Centre Lane – 3 days before Ikee was due to compete in the Japan Swim Olympic Qualifiers. Whatever the outcome, the interest in Ikee’s comeback would help maintain momentum for the film.

Describe the outcome

After just two weeks, The Centre Lane is the most watched SK-II #changedestiny film in Japan’s history. It broke all records on WeChat with over 845M organic views, a new record for an FMCG brand. With an additional around 23M video views on other platforms globally, the film was a major news story across Japan and Asia. It received global media attention 678 PR stories including Vogue, Yahoo, HuffPost and CNBC. Key opinion leaders around the world furthered reach across all major social channels. And best of all, the message of Change Destiny is truly resonating with those who have watched the film, with Japanese viewers commenting support across various SNS channels. With The Centre Lane launching SK-II Studio, a content hub dedicated to storytelling around the societal issues that affect women, it’s clear that there is real power in content with purpose.