Lancôme and Hyundai Duty Free take over Seoul with an ‘unstoppable’ pop-up

SOUTH KOREA. Lancôme Travel Retail Asia Pacific and Hyundai Duty Free are celebrating the impact of the brand’s boldest and largest pop-up, in COEX K-pop Square. The ‘Seoul Unstoppable Club’ ran from 26 October to 3 November, and was unveiled at a glamorous launch party supported by an unmissable large-scale advertising campaign.

In honour of the pop-up, the entire 9th floor of Hyundai Duty Free was also dominated by Lancôme throughout October. The ‘unstoppable’ Lancôme takeover was promoted in-store through a brand podium makeover and elevator wrappings. It gave customers the opportunity to receive a Lancôme beauty experience, outside of the pop-up in COEX K-pop Square.

The digital advertising campaign featured 10 larger-than-life digital screens and made a bold statement in Gangnam.

COEX K-pop square was taken over with large- scale media panels which certainly made a statement in Gangnam

The star-studded launch was attended by more than 300 guests, 100 media, 60 Chinese and Korean KOLs, as well as VIPs from Hyundai Duty Free and Lancôme Asia Pacific Travel Retail. Korean celebrity and South Korean Lancôme brand ambassador Suzy Bae also made a special appearance. Bae is one of South Korea’s biggest stars and is known for her roles in Korean dramas ‘Vagabond’ and ‘While You Were Sleeping’.

L’Oréal’s unstoppable momentum: The Seoul Unstoppable Club pop-up was the brand’s biggest and boldest activation to date
South Korean actress Suzy Bae – known for her roles in ‘Vagabond’ and ‘While You Were Sleeping’ – was one of the event’s celebrity guests

The Seoul Unstoppable Club highlighted two of Lancôme’s beauty bestsellers: the Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation and the new L’Absolu Rouge Ruby Cream. The pop-up was a phygital playground full of exciting gamification and personalisation elements that fully integrated online and offline experiences. The pop-up has been described as a fantastic ‘O2O retail execution’ (offline to online) by both Lancôme and Hyundai Duty Free.

“In this climate of robust e-commerce growth, the Lancôme Seoul Unstoppable Club offers the perfect opportunity to drive O2O conversions and traffic.” – Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Co President Hwang Hae Yeon

Inside the pop-up, guests began their ‘unstoppable’ beauty experience with a personalised makeover courtesy of Lancôme’s makeup artists. Afterwards, they were encouraged to ‘declare their attitude’ and take videos at the Teint Idole Wall, which was an interactive digital booth. This was followed by the ‘Ruby Lift’ experience which gave guests a ‘kaleidoscopic lift’ using their own favourite Ruby Cream lipstick shades.

Over 60 Chinese and Korean KOLs attended the glamorous launch party
Lancôme’s ‘unstoppable’ bestsellers: The pop-up highlighted two of Lancôme’s star products, Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation and the L’Absolu Rouge Ruby Cream
Guests received a ‘kaleidoscopic lift’ at the pop-up’s Ruby Lift Zone using their favourite Ruby Cream shades

The event highlight was Lancôme’s ‘Unstoppable Roller Disco Rink’ – a full-sized roller-skating rink which included everything from skate rentals to disco music. To further illustrate the pop-up’s offline to online appeal, the experience ended with customers purchasing their favourite Lancôme beauty products through Hyundai Duty Free’s e-commerce site and claiming exclusive gifts at the airport.

Roller warriors: The life-sized ‘Unstoppable Roller Disco Rink’ was one of the most spectacular features of the event

For Lancôme Travel Retail Asia Pacific General Manager Tao Zhang, the ‘Unstoppable Club’ was a next-generation activation that allowed Lancôme to engage with its millennial customers in a new and exciting way.

She said: “This Seoul Unstoppable Club is another milestone of creating surprising consumer experiences to connect with millennials and travellers around Lancôme’s iconic makeup products, i.e. Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation and new L’ Absolue Rouge Ruby Cream in an impactful way.

“This perfect O2O retail execution would not have been possible without the support of Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Co. I would like to thank Hyundai Duty Free’s management team on behalf of the brand. I look forward to our next collaboration.”

(Left to right) Lancôme Travel Retail Asia Pacific Group Product Manager Man Jun Huang; Lancôme Travel Retail Asia Pacific North Asia Area Manager Ellie Lee; South Korean actress and Lancôme local ambassador Suzy Bae; Lancôme Travel Retail Asia Pacific Marketing Director Rafaela Brzuchacz; Hyundai Department Store Duty Free President Hwang Hae Yeon; and Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Senior Vice President Jeon Bong Sik

The sentiment was echoed by Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Co President Hwang Hae Yeon, who said that the pop-up was an excellent opportunity to grow the retailer’s offline to online conversions, especially in a competitive e-commerce climate.

He commented: “This event was full of unprecedented experiences, aligning well our strategy with Lancôme Travel Retail Asia Pacific to heighten shoppers’ engagement by offering inaugural experiences that extend beyond traditional retail.

“In this climate of robust e-commerce growth, the Lancôme Seoul Unstoppable Club offers the perfect opportunity to drive O2O conversions and traffic. We are very happy to be part of this as we celebrate our first anniversary this year, and we hope to continue this momentum moving forward.”

The Seoul Unstoppable Club was a big hit and drew much fanfare during its run at COEX K-pop Square
It was described as an ‘excellent O2O retail execution’ for its seamless transition of both offline and online elements
An ‘unstoppable beauty experience’: Guests started their Lancôme beauty journey with a professional makeover courtesy of Lancôme’s makeup artists

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