Background

SK-II is a Japanese global skincare brand that has always supported women in their path to living a more fulfilling life, through campaigns and initiatives. SK-II believes destiny is a matter of choice, not of chance. This vision is encapsulated in the brand tagline #ChangeDestiny. Globally, 87% of women business owners have been adversely affected by the pandemic. Japan, where only 5.3% of businesses are actually owned by women, was no different. The Olympics Postponement and later its complete banishment of spectators made things worse - as a source of income they were all hoping for got cut short. So we decided to take a stand, shifting the spotlight of the Olympics beyond the sporting arenas, to help women owned businesses stay afloat.

Describe the cultural / social / political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

Women business owners suffer from lack of support in society and even amongst their family. In Japan, women's roles are still heavily defined by their roles at home and as support to their working husbands. This is all part of the reason only 5.3% of businesses in Japan are actually owned by women. A very low number when compared to literally every single one of the country's highly developed counterparts.

Describe the creative idea

With “Beyond the Stadium”, we decided to put the spotlight not on athletes inside the arena but on women entrepreneurs outside of it. Because if the world wasn't coming to Tokyo, we'd take Tokyo to the world. The idea was to pivot all of SK-II's Olympic communication to feature the women business owners, helping them first take their business online, then ensuring they got the eyeballs and clicks they needed to keep their businesses open in such a difficult time.

Describe the strategy

“Beyond the Stadium” highlights the struggles that happen beyond the sporting arenas in Tokyo. It features women-owned small businesses who are taking destiny into their own hands by fighting to keep the business of their dreams alive - ultimately showing that, like the athletes, they are ready to rise up and make an impact again.

Describe the execution

The programme was launched in partnership with Shibuya City and MEETALK, a Tokyo- based female business network. Together with Facebook and Google, we gave hundreds of business owners in the Tokyo area the tools they needed to take their business online. Then, through our Olympic campaign, we highlighted their struggle and invited people to visit their stores online. The film was powered by the SK-II #ChangeDestiny fund, which contributes US$1 for each view garnered by the film to fund a year-long programme that supports participating women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in Tokyo. Last but not least, we donated our own homepage to feature women-owned businesses, drawing further eyeballs and clicks to their stores.

Describe the results / impact

The initiative helped take 540 stores online for the first time, developing a robust and effective ecommerce destination for them. With coverage across major outlets around the world - such as CNN, Wired, Vogue, Yahoo, and more - the campaign garnered millions of impressions for the women and their stores. In the first weeks alone, visits to the SK-II website and virtual world, where we gave some of these stores a unique space, hit 145000 visitors. And while the Olympics had an overall 22% of positive sentiment, our campaign managed to achieve a 98% positive sentiment.