20 May is “I Love You Day”, created by the Chinese internet because “520” sounds like “我爱你” (wo ai ni, lit, I love you) in certain dialects. This year, the Japanese-based multinational cosmetics brand SK-II has launched its campaign with a new set of brand ambassadors, the Taiwanese pop-rock band Mayday.
Launched on 8 May, the 520 campaign from SK-II revolves around the brand’s iconic Facial Treatment Essence. A special gift box has been created for the occasion for those who want to say, “I love you”. With hand-written versions of “You are the one and only” (你是唯一, a song title from the band) and set to music by Mayday, a special promo video was created for the campaign. Frontman Ashin also posted on his social media his interpretation of the “I Love You Day” for SK-II.
- #五月天公开心动对象 Mayday announce their love interest: 84.98 million views on Weibo
- #五月天对我说你是唯一 Mayday tells me I’m the one and only: 26.51 million views on Weibo, ranking number 14 on the Hot Search list
Mayday recently experienced viral success with their Starbucks collaboration for, well, the May Day holiday in China. Some commentators observed that the appointment of Mayday is a departure for SK-II from its usual ambassadors, mostly female celebrities like Tang Wei and Karen Mok. The brand has recently returned to growth after experiencing declining sales since 2023, following the pandemic and the rise of C-beauty competitors. It would seem that SK-II, like Starbucks before them, are trying to woo Millennial consumers (post-80 and post-90 generations) with a dash of Y2K nostalgia, as Mayday, formed in 1997, have been a staple of the Mando-pop sphere since its debut album in 1999.
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