Only 2 out of 10 women in Asia described themselves as comfortable with the idea of getting older according to a new study by SK-II.
More than half of women in Asia surveyed felt uncomfortable and offended by other people’s view on their status especially with regards to topics about their age or marital status. Almost 72 percent of women in Korea and 62 percent of women in China have experienced this discomfort and scrutiny.
Japan and Korea emerged as the two most extreme countries where women feel unhappy about getting older— almost 6 out of 10 Japanese women and more than half of South Korean women feeling this way. In China, finding a suitable partner for marriage is the biggest cause of concern among single women under 30 with more than 6 out of 10 single Chinese women under 30 sharing this concern.
These findings underline a broader social issue connected to age-related pressure.
As an extension of the brand’s #changedestiny philosophy and in a follow-up to last year’s “Marriage Market Takeover” campaign in China, skincare brand SK-II is highlighting this topic with a new campaign that stretches beyond China to include Japan and South Korea in order to create a Pan-Asian discussion.
The centerpiece of the new campaign is “The Expiry Date,” a film directed by Max Vitali via WFC for agency Forsman & Bodenfors.
In it, SK-II turns the proverbial expiration date many women feel like they have into a real one. The film follows the journey of three women as they pass through stages in life with growing internal and external pressure of timelines placed on them by society—manifested creatively as an increasingly visible physical expiration date imprinted on their forearm.
The aim is to showcase the unspoken timelines society places on women and spark a conversation around age-related pressure that women all over Asia, and indeed the world, experience.
Client SK-II Agency Forsman & Bodenfors Sophia Lindholm, Karina Ullensvang, art directors; Tove Eriksen Hillblom, Karolina Widell, copywriters; Christian Sunden, designer; Alexander Blidner, producer. Production WFC Max Vitali, director; Petra Johansson, Frederic Rinnan, producers; Tim Maurice-Jones, DP. Postproduction (online) Gangster Color Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist. Editorial Johan Wik, editor. Sound MediaMonks
The Best Work You May Never See: Cadbury, VCCP London, Director Steve Rogers Stir A Sweet “Memory” Connecting Father and Daughter
Directed by Steve Rogers via Biscuit Filmworks for agency VCCP London, this spot titled “Memory” opens with a daughter visiting her father at his home, a bar of Cadbury Wholenut chocolate in hand. Her father, living with dementia, smiles at the sight of the chocolate, recognizing it as a gift his daughter has bought him since she was a child. In this moment, he doesn’t recognize her as his daughter. Instead, he begins to tell her how this ritual gifting always makes his wife laugh because, as he proudly reveals, he’s always hated nuts.
The daughter can’t help but laugh, touched by the idea that her father has kept this secret for so long. As he looks at her earnestly, he asks her not to tell his “daughter”--meaning her--about the secret, because “it makes her so happy.” The daughter responds softly. “It does.” She recognizes the quiet generosity of her father’s long-held secret, something he’s kept hidden from her all these years, despite not always remembering who she is.
Cadbury is committed to telling inclusive stories rooted in human truths that are representative of the U.K. To ensure the story’s accurate portrayal of people living with dementia, Cadbury consulted with specialists throughout the development of the film.
Cadbury has extended its partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, into 2025. The two organizations first joined together in 2024 to celebrate the role of Cadbury in the nation’s shared memories and to support the charity’s mission for a cure for dementia.
“Memory” was brought to life with the help of VCCP’s global content production studio Girl&Bear. The film will run across the U.K. throughout 2025, appearing on TV, VOD,... Read More