Neutrogena asks women to "decode" their beauty

Developed by DDB China and OMD in collaboration with Hong Kong actor and director Stephen Fung, the ‘True beauty decoded’ push is aimed primarily at women aged 25 to 35. It marks the second phase of the brand’s integrated launch campaign and follows its debut in the China market last year.

Based on research conducted by Neutrogena that suggested the formulation of melanin - the primary determinant of human skin colour - takes eight different processes, the series comprises the same number of one-minute dramatic episodes incorporating the product into the storyline.

Accessible on a designated website, each episode shows a well-known spokeswoman from Greater China discovering, or ‘decoding’, her inner and outer beauty with the help of the cosmetic range.

Viewers are invited to deduce the code in question from clues in the plot, while a ninth episode amalgamates the series and highlights the key points.

The women, chosen to represent the brand on the basis of their perceived vibrant, natural and confident personalities, include actress Kitty Zhang, model Zhou Wei Tong, and dermatologist Fan Jing, among others. Director Fung makes a cameo appearance in each episode.

Due to run until the end of the year, the series is reinforced with TV, print and outdoor components, as well as a below-the-line campaign involving sampling packs and leaflets.

Mimi Lai, regional account director at DDB, explained that the main challenge in building the brand lay in achieving distinction in a market already saturated with apparently similar products.

The agency’s executive vice-president, Kim Das, added: “To succeed in China’s whitening market, it was important that the brand had a new approach with a compelling voice to communicate the differentiating functional benefits as well as engage consumers emotionally.”