SK-II

Web/Digital · Content · Experience

SK-II
Overview

When digital transformation leads to brand transformation.

Role: Creative direction, brand positioning, digital strategy, content creation, project roadmapping
Huge Singapore, 2015 - 2017

SK-II is a billion dollar luxury skincare brand with a footprint in 12 countries. Most popular in Japan and China, SK-II competes in a tough category full of product, retail, and brand innovation. In other words, beauty can be a battlefield.

Our relationship with SK-II started in 2015 with a dotcom redesign pitch, and since became a global digital AOR relationship that spanned the breadth of SK-II's digital & innovation.

Working closely with the global executive team, we rethought the in-store workflow, redesigned the global website, produced several rounds of digital/social content initiatives, and created some one-off special projects.

Along with a group of 10+ talented designers, producers and writers, I oversaw all SK-II work out of the Huge Singapore office.

1. Omnichannel tablet application

Our first SK-II project was rethinking a key tool for SK-II’s team of 1,800 Beauty Counselors, retail associates who embody the brand’s commitment to service and skincare expertise. The previous workflow, which was primarily analog (think sticky notes) was outdated, ineffectual, and lacked polish.

The new app, called Skin Destiny Concierge, reframed the customer consultation experience and streamlined otherwise manual tasks like inventory management, scheduling appointments, and customer outreach. Most importantly, the app captures and consolidates valuable user data, a major step towards connecting SK-II's many digital channels for a deeper understanding of user needs and to deliver a personalized brand experience.

The app was piloted in Japan, SK-II's largest market, and adapted to the distinct needs of China, where the team integrated and optimized WeChat functionality to facilitate customer outreach, enable more personalized counseling, and drive loyalty redemption.

Initial results show that the upgraded experience saved BCs an average of almost 30 minutes each day.

↓ Watch a walkthrough of the updated counseling experience.

2. Global site redesign

On the strength of our digital chops and dedication to understanding user behavior, SK-II awarded us the chance to redesign SK-II.com for all markets.

↓ A preview here:

3. A digital roadmap for the future

SK-II and Huge continued to collaborate closely on a consumer experience that redefines the skincare industry and gives SK-II a technological foundation into the future. This early-stage vision work came to inform a series of pop-up experiences in Tokyo, Shanghai, and SK-II’s flagship experience at CES 2019.

Some components we prototyped:

↓ For customers who prefer to avoid salespeople, there's an immersive, self-guided beauty consultation. The end result is an introductory SK-II trial kit personalized to you and your skin.

↓ RFID-enabled packaging that seamlessly connects physical product with a digital experience.

↓ Subscription-based beauty replenishment, customized to individual skin needs, updated and refined every season.

Screen Shot 2017-07-07 at 10.32.58 AM.png

↓ A holistic "command center" dashboard consolidating real-time business data available to the SK-II internal team as a decision-making resource.

4. Transforming the brand through content.

SK-II has historically been popular with older women, but the brand understood it had to reach a younger audience. Though we were acting the part with our approach to digital, the content had yet to follow suit.

We helped SK-II reflect a more youthful style with playful, engaging social content.

↓ WeChat takeover of a dozen snackable videos featuring Ni Ni, one of China’s hottest young talents. The playful, charming how-to’s gave fans a sneak peek into Ni Ni’s morning ritual.