When talking about the importance of sustainability in travel retail, L’Oréal Group’s ‘Make beauty sustainable and sustainability beautiful’ mantra is a prime example not only of thought leadership but of putting such principles into practice.
Since the unveiling of the group’s ambitious sustainability roadmap back in 2015, L’Oréal Group has underlined its environmental, sustainability and wider CSR credentials time and again, with travel retail in the forefront of the movement.
Within the L’Oréal Group, arguably no brand has committed to this cause more than Kiehl’s. This commitment was highlighted during the launch of its ‘Kiehl’s Loves’ campaign in Bangkok, which The Moodie Davitt Report attended.
After Bangkok, the campaign moved onto Hainan, China, before reaching its star-studded culmination in Seoul last week. The event itself was a fun and interactive showcase of clever retailtainment and hi-tech gamification. However, what perhaps stood out most was the strength and clarity of ‘Kiehl’s Made Better’ initiative and its partnership with PUR Projet.
In a year, the contributions from the Kiehl’s Loves campaign will mean the planting of 20,000 trees; the improvement of air quality by reducing fine dust; and the launch of agroforestry education programmes in each of its host countries.
Fresh after the finale of the Kiehl’s Loves campaign with Lotte Duty Free in Seoul, The Moodie Davitt Report Fashion, Beauty & Social Media Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies sat down with Kiehl’s General Manager Petrina Kho. During our conversation, Kho talked about the stellar pop-up series and how it not only engaged with travelling customers, but also advanced L’Oréal Group’s sustainability mission in a truly meaningful way. She also highlighted the importance of creating an intelligent dialogue with concerned consumers, and how brands such as Kiehl’s can help inspire lasting sustainable change in travel retail.
Tell us more about the Kiehl’s Loves campaign. How do campaigns like this help you grow, both in sales and consumer stature, within the travel retail channel?
The ‘Kiehl’s Loves’ campaign celebrates the spirit of discovery and adventure through travel. Since 1988, Kiehl’s has partnered with countless adventurers and explorers to help raise awareness about their advocacies, while supplying them with great skincare products, even in the harshest of conditions.
This is why the ‘Kiehl’s Loves’ campaign rings so true for our brand. It is one of L’Oréal Group’s most travel-specific campaigns in Asia Pacific travel retail. Inspired by the strong travel content of this pop-up series, travelling customers can discover the local culture in each one of our stops, and explore different Kiehl’s products that would help them take care of their skin while travelling.
How important is experience marketing to increasing conversion — and how are you embracing it?
Today, travellers are more connected than ever. Pop-ups and activations are extremely strategic for Kiehl’s, because they are a great way to recruit and engage new customers. Our Kiehl’s Loves pop-up series is a clear demonstration of how we are pushing boundaries through disruptive retailtainment activations that ultimately increase our conversion.
For example, I am very proud of the interactive 360-degree kinetic installation at our Kiehl’s Loves pop-ups, where floating calendula petals respond with a virtual nudge. I’m also proud of how we’ve incorporated VR to take our consumers from New York City to Thailand, Hainan and Korea with Kiehl’s. Both are great examples of how we are levelling up our experience marketing. Through this campaign, we are also able to raise the awareness about the importance of sustainability, by using innovative digital experiences that teach them about our Kiehl’s Made Better initiatives.
Talk to us about Kiehl’s three pillar causes, HIV/AIDS research, environmental issues and children’s wellbeing.
Since 1851, Kiehl’s has always been dedicated to giving back to the community. By focusing on these key causes – children’s wellness, environmental conservation, and HIV/AIDS awareness; we continue our mission to help customers feel good while doing good.
I am also extremely proud of our collaboration with PUR Projet; it is a perfect demonstration of our commitment to put sense into performance. Our partnership will help raise awareness about the impact of air travel, and what we can do to protect our planet. From 1 September 2019 to 31 October 2019, with every purchase of Ultra Facial Cream 125ml, we will be donating US$1 to mitigate the impact of climate change through their meaningful agroforestry projects. Through this partnership, we are working towards making the planet a greener place for everybody.
Do you think Kiehl’s and travel retail — can be a stronger voice of change within the wider travel world?
Definitely! Kiehl’s is one of the leading brands in going green. We are dedicated to giving back to the community and the environment. We want to encourage travellers to join us in our efforts towards creating better citizens, better communities, and better companies. Our collaboration with PUR Projet is a solid example of what we mean by making sustainability our priority.
How important is the power of the Chinese market? How are you adapting and reaching out to that demographic through this particular launch and campaign?
Chinese travellers continue to be one of our target consumers in this region, and they are more connected than ever. It is instrumental to connect seamlessly with our consumers, so digitalisation at every touch point of the journey is key.
For this campaign, we’ve reached out to Chinese travellers through different KOLs, who have shared their Kiehl’s adventures across Asia Pacific.
Describe please the role that downtown duty free plays in Kiehl’s travel retail approach,
Downtown duty free stores are an important growth driver within Asia Pacific travel retail. They certainly play a key role in Kiehl’s overall performance. We are honoured to have partnered with King Power for the ‘Kiehl’s Loves Bangkok’, China Duty Free Group for ‘Kiehl’s Loves Hainan’ and Lotte Duty Free for ‘Kiehl’s Loves Seoul’ to bring Kiehl’s unique retail expression and exciting retailtainment to all travellers in Asia.
How is Kiehl’s differentiating itself from its competitors in such an intensely crowded cosmetics category?
Over the years, we’ve won the loyalty of our consumers through our powerful skincare ingredients and excellent customer experience. We are proud of the outstanding skincare consultation services available at every Kiehl’s counter, and how we give back to the community. Just like our founder Aaron Morse used to say, “Love what you do, put your heart into it, and you will be rewarded.”
What does a great Trinity partnership look like for Kiehl’s? And how are you looking to further develop your relationships with airports and retailers in the years ahead?
Our close partnership with retailers and airports enables us to offer unique retail experiences to travellers at every touchpoint of their journey. Our Kiehl’s Loves campaign has enabled us to elevate our consumers’ shopping experience, by engaging with them through travel-themed retailtainment and by providing great skincare consultations to new and existing customers.
All of this would not have been achieved without the strong support of retailers and airports. I look forward to continuously raising the bar on new and innovative ways to engage with our consumers across Asia Pacific together with our retail partners and airports.
So let’s look forward: what are your big priorities for the year ahead?
It is instrumental that we continue to accelerate our digitally communication with our consumers. This is so that we can create a dialogue with them and craft new and innovative experiences that would suit their skincare needs.
