On 10 July, Japanese luxury skincare brand SK-II announced its new ambassador. However, this time it’s a familiar face, Hong Kong singer and actress Karen Mok. The reason is, that many Millennials and older audiences still remember her last outing with the Procter & Gamble-owned brand, 18 years ago.
The idea behind the reunion is simple. SK-II is trying to market the anti-ageing effects of their legendary ingredient Pitera. And Mok, like Bilbo Baggins at the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring is “well-preserved” in the eyes of SK-II, but “unchanged” would be closer to the mark. The promotional video shows Mok on stage, speaking to the camera about her youthful appearance and unwavering love for SK-II.
The simple campaign, with taglines like “unstoppable youth” gained modest success with over 162,000 likes on Douyin, the Chinese sister app of TikTok. The official hashtag “Karen Mok goddess of youth” (#莫文蔚掌管青春的神#, calling anyone or anything the god of something is a popular meme recently) gained over 140 million views on Weibo, while the topic “Karen Mok says youth has nothing to do with age” (#莫文蔚说年轻与年龄无关#) reached the Hot Search list, at number 19, with 38.19 million views.
Many commented that the campaign feels simple, natural and authentic. The ad is praised for its choice of celebrity endorsement. Going beyond traffic and large online fanbases, an established and admired artist resonates with the brand’s value more deeply. SK-II also frames the campaign with an internal dialogue of Mok’s juxtaposing of the 2024 campaign poster with the 1997 cover art of her album To Be. The emotional value of the Y2K nostalgia, makes the campaign comparable to Sprite bringing back Jay Chou after 16 years.
