TOKYO: Cosmetic and perfume retailer Sephora has invested in an
outdoor and print campaign to promote its seven stores in Tokyo.
Created by BBH, the campaign features two eye-catching executions to
highlight the range of cosmetics available at the retailer, which
belongs to the Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy (LVMH) empire of luxury
brands.
In the first execution, a man bares his naked torso which is covered
with lipstick marks in a variety of colours, while the second has a
woman with eight arms to show off Sephora's wide range of nail polish
hues.
The images illustrate the tagline "Vive le Choix" - long live choice -
and positions Sephora as a retailer that offers consumers a greater
choice of perfumes and cosmetics.
"Unlike most stores in Tokyo, Sephora allows you to revel in the
choice," said Chris Harris, chief executive officer of BBH
Asia-Pacific.
"Some traditional female consumers feel a bit intimidated by that, but
there is this new Japanese woman emerging. She is independent, has a job
and wants to exercise her own choice."
The outdoor ads will be strategically located near Sephora's seven Tokyo
stores, while the print ads will appear in magazines popular with
younger Japanese women. Sephora is targeting women between 20 and 28
years.
BBH won the account earlier this year without a pitch after Jeff
Daggert, president of Sephora Japan, approached the agency.
Harris said it was vital for retailers to advertise or they would have
to depend solely on traffic walking past their stores.
"You need to run advertising to convince consumers that it will be an
interesting store for them to visit," Harris said.
There was no incumbent on the account which is serviced from BBH's
satellite Tokyo office, while creative work is handled by the agency's
regional office in Singapore.
Sephora is the agency's second Japan-based client after Levi's.
Dentsu Tokyo handles Sephora's media buying and planning as part of the
LVMH master media contract in Japan.
