Mariam Nihal
For those who don’t know, Dolce & Gabbana and Shiseido Group recently announced their worldwide exclusive license agreement. The agreement includes development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of Dolce & Gabbana’s fragrance, makeup and skincare lines and products by Shiseido Group. This week we caught up with Yoshiaki Okabe, Shiseido’s Brand Director to talk about the brand’s makeover and where it’s headed. With loads of new products and a holistic approach to beauty, Okabe revealed the rules have changed and now consumers gravitate toward a more holistic approach to beauty. “While beauty used to largely signify the consumption of cosmetic products and services, modern consumers view beauty as something much more expansive and multi-faceted. Beauty now encompasses diet, exercise, sleep, fashion, overall health and many more factors.” He said this shift is expected to gain momentum over the coming year. He discussed how the branding has had to change with Millennials and their influence on the market.
SG: Tell us about your new role in the beauty industry and where you plan to take it.
YO: While we are in the middle of a brand innovation—one that started in the very beginning of this year and encompasses everything from brand logo to visual communication, store counters, products and packaging—we aim to stay true to our core values and our long-spanning heritage. Our face to the public may have gone through a revamping of sorts, but our core remains the same. We will strive to, as a longstanding prestige brand originating in Japan, keep bringing forth new creations that resonate deeply and on multiple levels with people on a global level.
SG: Shiseido was never a front-runner when it came to ‘beauty trends’, even though it was definitely a top-notch quality brand. Can you explain its move to target youth and beauty trends in the Middle East?
YO: While we want our products to be used by a wide range of people, we have set Millennials as our strategic target. One of the reasons behind this decision is the immense communicative and influential capability possessed by Millennial consumers. Their influence reaches far beyond their own segment, stretching both up and down in terms of age.
As for trends, consumers these days are considerably more value-driven than before. Moreover, we have observed a paradigm shift, occurring especially within the Millennial segment, involving a veritable globalization of values. This means that a modern-day young consumer may feel more connected to a person in a different continent than the person sitting right next to them in their own country. Values are becoming increasingly universal, and trends, being based on values, now transcend borders of nation and nationality. Shiseido as a brand is therefore not targeting any particular regional trends, but rather seeks to inspire empathy among global consumers who share the same values. With that said we see great potential in the Middle East, which is an incredibly dynamic market for prestigious brands.
SG: Talk to us about Shiseido’s role in the new movement.
YO: It is a movement we at Shiseido are tremendously excited to be a part of, since this broad approach to beauty is something we have endorsed since the very early days of our company. Other than producing cosmetic products, Shiseido’s endeavors have included beauty food and beverages, exercise programs, fashion, art, restaurant operations, lifestyle magazines and much more. Many of these operations are still active to this day, although at the moment partially restricted to the Japanese market.
