My Troedsson

This project is very close to my heart. It was my first campaign with premium skincare brand SK-II and my first work in China. The work had a powerful effect on SK-II’s business and, even more importantly, on the women we set out to connect with.

SK-II wanted to grow their business in China and reach a younger audience. Known for excellent products, but without any emotional values connected to the brand they wanted to make their platform #ChangeDestiny mean something for the younger generation of women. The category was truly a sea of sameness, where every brand was shouting out loud, but no one really cared.

I led strategy and all research – both primary and secondary – and uncovered a deeply resonant insight: that while the women of China were advancing as never before, they were also being held back by the derogatory term Sheng Nu (”leftover women”), launched by the government in 2007. It was used to classify women who remain unmarried after the age of 27 as passed over to increase the pressure to marry. This pressure was internalized and also very prominent among parents that saw marriage as the only path forward for their daughters

By reclaiming the concept of Sheng Nu, we gave the young stigmatized women of China a voice – and SK-II a powerful purpose. The campaign featured real women and their parents, documenting a takeover of Shanghai’s Marriage Market (where parents meet to match-make their children), resulting in a film about the brave and inspirational women who won’t let pressure dictate their future. It sparked deep conversation, got huge attention across the country and beyond, and put SK-IIs business growth on a completely new trajectory.