Maintaining the relevance of a brand in the market is a challenging task. Shiseido, a multinational cosmetics corporation originating from Japan and established in 1872, has successfully retained attention and remained profitable for over a century. This article delves into how Shiseido sustains its significance through research-driven strategies, investments in personalization, and brand innovation.
Shiseido has demonstrated that research is a top priority since opening its first laboratory in 1916. Initially focused on improving their cosmetics, their team of over a thousand researchers now explores new approaches to customer interaction through marketing. Shiseido has established a research center to connect customers, researchers, and the business community to identify and study new trends in digital communication. This research helps them pinpoint which marketing investments are worth committing to, maintaining innovation, and adapting to the journey of modern customers.
The company invested in personalizing its marketing strategy to fit local markets, significantly improving campaign performance. Starting as a pharmacy inspired by France in Tokyo, the brand has always had a global perspective beyond the needs of the Japanese market. Personalizing their efforts involves recruiting local experts with specific insights into the markets where their products are sold. This has helped the brand adapt to Chinese consumers through marketing strategies for its Opal Eye product line. Such personalization has enhanced the brand’s position in that region and serves as a model for ongoing localization efforts globally.
Innovation in branding has kept Shiseido prominent in the minds of its most loyal customers and introduced its products to the attention of new consumers through various media channels. Since its early years, Shiseido has not hesitated to take risks to differentiate its brand as a unique and premium investment in skincare and beauty. This includes publishing a magazine in the late 1920s, eventually called “Hanatsubaki,” featuring articles on makeup tips, literature, art, fashion, and more. These infrequent marketing actions helped position the brand as a beauty authority, with the final circulation reaching 6.8 million by the late 1960s.
Today, the cosmetics conglomerate continues to take risks in innovation, such as investing in live streaming as a vital interactive channel, pioneering in social commerce, and more. The ultimate result is that such activities can build brand recognition, introduce its perspectives and products uniquely, making it unforgettable.
Sustaining consumer attention over decades is no easy task, but combining research-driven strategies, personalization, and brand innovation in marketing is entirely achievable.
Author Ho Duc Duy © All rights reserved.
