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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”