Skincare brand commandeers the Great Wall of China to tell people to dream big
On Tuesday, SK-II took over a portion of the Great Wall of China, covering it with posters of Chinese children talking about their dreams for the future. Dreams like wanting to be a football star like Cristiano Ronaldo, or becoming a dancer.
The installation took up 400 metres of footpath along the historical monument
SK-II told Mashable that the idea behind showcasing children's dreams was to highlight the dreams that adults may have forgotten along the way.
The effort is part of a new global marketing campaign by the Japanese skincare company. In other countries, SK-II's campaign has seen it set up a pop-up counselling space in Singapore's central business district area during peak period and a street parade of 40 kids and brand ambassador Kim Hee Ae around the trendy Gangnam district in South Korea. The Great Wall activation appears to be the largest scale of the campaign by far.
As with its other feel-good marketing campaigns, the "Dream Again" campaign aims to encourage women to change their destinies and rewrite their stories. In April, the company successfully launched a video on the Shanghai "marriage market", which went viral. The heart-rending video touched on the social topic of "leftover women" in China. SK ll "Dream Again"
SK-II has teamed up with gymnast Farah Ann, singer Yuna, actors Awal Ashaari and Aaron Aziz, YouTuber Jinnyboy and beauty queen Soo Wincci to encourage Malaysians, young and old, to dream big. The cosmetics brand conducted its first Global Dreams Index Survey in May 2016 and found that more than half of the women surveyed have given up on their dreams and are merely settling for the lives they have now, with little or no satisfaction. In Malaysia, six out of 10 women said they did not pursue their dreams and are not satisfied with their lives. The reasons given for this were limited financial support and the fear of leaving their comfort zone.
"To my fans and fellow teammates, continue to dream big, always believe in yourself and never give up in pursuing your dreams," Farah Ann said. "It is very important to have a goal and to accomplish that goal. Always remember, it is never too late for you to achieve your dreams."
Yuna's thoughts echoed that sentiment: "Remember, never give up on your dreams. We have no idea what the future holds for us but the only thing that really stops us from achieving our dreams is ourselves. Continue to dream big and word hard, you never know what life has in store for you."
Watch SK-II's Dream Again video, in which a group of Japanese women are asked questions about their dreams; they are later taken by surprise when it is revealed that the questions came from a group of little girls, who hid behind the scenes throughout the interview. It's beautiful to see how children are so determined when it comes to pursuing their dreams – something we adults need to remember, too