As the global chief executive officer of SK-II, Lee Sue-Kyung has always felt that she has an affinity with the beauty brand. “I feel like I’m destined to work for SK-II because of my name,” she chuckled. Her initials are the same as the brand.
Lee, who is from South Korea and is currently based in Singapore, started in advertising, then did brand building and marketing at consumer giant Procter & Gamble (P&G), where she rose up the ranks and worked in several markets.
She is now responsible for the end to end of SK-II, which is owned by P&G, which includes everything from the design, innovation and brand proposition to the communication, packaging, execution and even customer experience.
THE CAMPAIGN THAT GOT THE WHOLE WORLD TALKING
One of Lee’s most memorable campaigns, and one she’s really proud of, was SK-II’s 2016 Marriage Market Takeover in Shanghai, China.
For the uninitiated, the marriage market, as it’s called, is located in the heart of the city at People’s Park. Here, parents with single children, although more often parents with unmarried daughters, would gather every weekend to look for prospective partners for their unwed children. Think of it as a matchmaking service fronted by the parents.
During the campaign, SK-II removed the notices that were meant to attract potential suitors, and replaced them with posters of single women and their accompanying messages, such as, “Even if I’m alone, I will be happy, confident and have a good life.”
The brand wanted to deliver the message that women should be free to lead and live their own lives.