Shiseido finds inner power with some familiar faces

July 12, 2021

The campaign promotes the brand’s new Ultimune serum. Image credit: Shiseido

Japanese beauty group Shiseido is encouraging consumers to renew their inner strength with its motivational “Power is You” campaign.

The brand announced the launch of the campaign at the beginning of July, which features professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe, singer Hikaru Utada and actress Ursula Corbero. With diverse backgrounds in sports, art and social activism, Shiseido aims to use each ambassador as a force for strength, beauty and power in the world.

Power is You
Promoting the new Shiseido Ultimune Power-Infusing Concentrate III, the “Power is You” campaign seeks to empower everyone to release their innate energy, recharge their own beauty and use their power as a force in the world.

The award-winning serum intends to activate the skin’s inner defensive power and help prevent aging damage while promoting circulation for healthy, vibrant skin.

Megan Rapinoe, Hikaru Utada and Ursula Corbero in “Power is You”

Echoing the serum’s proactive qualities, the Power Talk short films feature the brand ambassadors speaking to how they have found beauty in their strength and courage.

As activists and leaders, Ms. Rapinoe, Mx. Utada and Ms. Corbero each have unique stories that resonate with Shiseido’s values and consumers.

Captain of the United States women’s national soccer team, Ms. Rapinoe was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019. She won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019.

Ms. Rapinoe is an advocate for multiple LGBTQ+ organizations, and in 2013 was awarded the board of directors award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. She was also included in Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

In March 2019, Ms. Rapinoe, alongside 27 of her teammates, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation accusing it of gender discrimination in regards to equal pay.

Mx. Utada is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and producer, whose commercial success in Japan in the early 2000s made them The Japan Times’ “most influential artist of the decade.” They are one of Japan’s top-selling recording artists of all time with over 37 million records since launching their career in the 1990s.

Their new song, “Find Love,” was unveiled as the “Power is You” campaign anthem.

Born in Barcelona, Ms. Corbero began her acting career in 2002 as a character on the television show “Mirall Trencat.” As a feminist and activist, in 2018, she participated in a video in favor of the legalization of abortion in Argentina.

Mx. Corbero is also cofounder of Ymas, a company of artists that allows people to attend film premieres, with behind-the-scenes access and more. Using her platform, the actress was a jury member of the 4th edition of the We Art Water Film Festival, raising awareness for climate change.

In 2020, she participated in #REInventaElSistema, a campaign launched by Greenpeace to raise awareness about climate change following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brand ambassador Ursula Corbero stars in a dedicated spot

With these three individuals, Shiseido aims to celebrate diversity and empower people across all borders by highlighting the power of inner beauty to transform society for the better.

Through the campaign, Shiseido also acknowledges how lifestyles are shifting, and individuals are less interested in the pursuit of material affluence. Many consumers are now placing value on products and actions that build self-respect and celebrate diversity.

Beauty in diversity
As beauty consumers demand greater representation within the sector, brands and retailers are continuing to address racial and gender biases.

Beauty group Estée Lauder Companies revealed how it has addressed systemic issues around race, identity and representation in the last year. In a progress update shared with group employees, Estée Lauder Cos. disclosed corporate numbers relating to hiring, education and other efforts as it works to become a more equitable organization.

During the last year, Tracey T. Travis, executive vice president of finance and chief financial officer, and Michael O’Hare, executive vice president of global human resources, have led Estée Lauder’s Racial Equity Steering Committee. The group has set benchmarks and commitments relating to learning, talent, representation, suppliers and investment.

In the U.S., 94 percent of corporate and field employees have completed unconscious bias training. The training programs have also begun for Estée Lauder employees in the United Kingdom (see story).

In April, LVMH-owned beauty retailer Sephora promoted Transgender Day of Visibility with a short film highlighting how the retailer's products have fostered a transgender woman's life and journey. The vignette — which is part of a series entitled “Stories of Belonging” that celebrates Sephora team members — follows Chrissie Vee, a makeup artist at the retailer.

Ms. Vee discusses her childhood, her early manifestation of femininity and the role Sephora products have in assisting her to live her most genuine life (see story).

Share your thoughts. Click here

Shiseido finds inner power with some familiar faces

Happy Holidays!

Estée Lauder Cos. establishes new fragrance innovation hub in Paris

Accor developing Sofitel Diamond Crown Hai Phong in Vietnam

BMW sets record with funds raised for education at playoff event

The RealReal opens retail location in Houston

Wearables, AI at forefront of 2025’s digital trends: IMG

Off the Cuff: A Q&A with Aston Martin’s Marek Reichman

Montblanc cuts ribbon on concept flagship boutique in Chengdu

Mercedes-Benz rolls out AI-enhanced MBUX Voice Assistant

EssilorLuxottica, Prada Group renew licensing deal