Inspired by its goal to #ChangeDestiny, the Japanese anti-ageing led brand revealed its new venture at the 2019 Cannes Lions festival.
Through the docu-series, Timelines, Katie Couric explores the pressures that young women from around the globe face regarding conforming to particular timelines defined by both their families and wider society.
Redefining and challenging
Sharing her thoughts on what stood out after talking to women from around the world, journalist, Kate Couric explains: “I think the most surprising thing I’ve learned working on this project is there is a whole new generation of women who are redefining their timelines. Whether they are in New York, Seoul, Tokyo or Shanghai, they are challenging social norms and are saying we want to do things our way.”
SK-II started its brand with a search to understand why elderly sake brewers had wrinkled faces, but soft and youthful-looking hands. It realised that the sake brewers hands were constantly involved with the sake fermentation process. Following scientific research, SK-II isolated its Pitera ingredient, a naturally-derived liquid from the yeast fermentation process, and rolled it out throughout its markets.
Focusing on the various pressures and societal expectations felt by young women, the Timelines docu-series uncovers personal stories on various elements of individuals lives including marriage. As part of their first partnership, Kate Couric travelled to China, Japan, Korea and the US to engage in these conversations and investigate the influences affecting women.
Changing Destiny
“There is a bit of a generational conflict in terms of how they want to see their lives unfold versus the expectations of others who have come before them. Coming to terms with this, talking about these highly emotional topics can be really hard. I hope this series will encourage these conversations, especially when our paths may differ and our timelines may diverge,” Kate Couric went on to say as part of the brand’s video introducing the Timeline docu-series.
Timelines, SK-II’s docu-series, marks the most recent expansion of the cosmetics brand ongoing #ChangeDestiny global campaign platform. The docu-series comes after SK-II’s award-winning "Marriage Market Takeover" launched in 2016, "The Expiry Date" in 2017 and "Meet Me Halfway" 2018 campaigns.
The #ChangeDestiny platform has strive to both inspire and celebrate the changes that women create in their lives through stories that “empower them to challenge conventional norms and create their own destinies”, SK-II revealed in a recent press release.
"With the "Timelines" docu-series, we hope to further spark a conversation about marriage pressure and societal pressures women feel by sharing the unique, personal stories of women from around the world," revealed Sandeep Seth, Chief Executive Officer, Global SK-II.
“As we talked to our consumers, a diverse group of young working women around the world, we realised that there were bigger issues beyond skin and beauty that they were concerned about. Marriage pressure was one of the biggest issues they were struggling with. Katie Couric is the perfect partner to help uncover these unique perspectives and elevate this important conversation," Seth confirmed.