The announcement of Sakura Miyawaki as Asia Brand Ambassador of FlowerKnows earlier this year became a hot topic in China and Japan. A former member of Japanese idol group HKT48 and Korean idol group IZ*ONE, Miyawaki enjoys immense popularity across China, Japan, and Korea.
FlowerKnows' integrated branding campaign in Japan, which composited of celebrity endorsement, creative visuals, and marketing promotions, continues to attract high attention in the cosmetics industry. Japanese beauty editor Anna Usui interviewed Sirole Guo, CEO of MoldBreaking, the agency that enacted and executed this campaign.
While FlowerKnows seeks to gain its footing and expand in Japan, Guo also spoke of the many issues that Japanese cosmetics brands had encountered in China, especially how to handle the balance of maintaining their brand image while accelerating localization.
“アンバサダーの起用を含め、ブランドのローカライズは中国進出企業にとって課題だという。「日本からの進出企業にとって課題はいくつかあるが、日本のブランドイメージを守ることに注力し、ローカライズできていないことが多い。ブランドイメージを変える必要はないがSNSでの発信や露出方法、タイミング、クリエイティブなどはローカライズできるはず」と郭代表。”
Seeing the struggles brought by the differences between Chinese and Japanese markets, MoldBreaking hopes to support beauty brands enter and strengthen presences in foreign markets. Many Chinese cosmetics brands are still uncertain about entering Japan. However, more are gaining interest and confidence as successful cases increase.
「まだまだ本格的に予算を立てて日本に進出してくる中国企業は少ない。本当に日本で売れるのか半信半疑だし、日本に注力して中国でポジションを落としたくないという考えもある。それでも成功事例を見て興味を示す中国コスメは現れている。」
For more on FlowerKnows' campaign in Japan, the importance of having a brand ambassador, the tasks of Chinese brands entering Japan, and the differences between marketing promotions in China and Japan, please check the WDD article.