Retail in Asia

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Shiseido’s plan to empower women

Shiseido

Shiseido Company, Limited (“Shiseido”) commits to a management focused on diversity and women’s advancement in its mid-to long-term strategy, VISION 2020.

On International Women’s Day, March 8th, Shiseido engages in multiple activities to mark the importance of the day.

SEE ALSO : Shiseido’s “New Three-Year Plan” to accelerate

In Japan, Shiseido hosts a women centered speaker event at the Word Shiseido Hall in Ginza, Tokyo. The speakers include accomplished and inspiring women like Christel Takigawa, a freelance TV announcer in Japan, and Dr. Hitomi Shimakura, a Shiseido researcher of psychological and neural mechanisms in color and an expert in their application in product development. The event welcomes all that register and hopes to attract a diverse audience of both men and women.

International Women’s day is promoted throughout Shiseido’s store locations around Ginza, Tokyo in an effort to increase awareness in Japan of this important celebration and appreciation of the woman.

Shiseido also makes internal efforts for the special day to be felt by its employees. In France, every year, March 8th becomes the “Muse Day” by Narciso Rodriguez Perfumes, in reference to the famous designer who respects women as his muses. On that day the woman at the Shiseido EMEA workplace is celebrated through symbolic actions of appreciation like a free breakfast and themed lunch, distribution of red roses in the office, and meeting with an amazing woman, this year being the perfumer Sonia Constant.

Shiseido Group’s Key Efforts to Promote Women’s Advancement are the following:

In April 2017, Shiseido became the first Japanese company to sign an agreement with UN Women (the United nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) to lead the promotion of gender equality in Japan.

Makeup brand INTEGRATE launched the “Global Sisters Project” with international NGO JOICFP (Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning) since 2016. The project kicked off in Nepal and aims to support girls around the world through makeup experiences and education about SRH (sexual and reproductive health). Through this initiative, INTEGRATE wants to promote self-confidence in the participating girls and teach them about how to defend themselves from various health problems and risks. From September 2016 to December 2017, there were about 3600 participants in the program.

Shiseido Asia Pacific held a charity bazaar and flea market in partnership with Daughters of Tomorrow, a Singapore-based charity organization that empowers women from low-income families through mentorship and fundraising for start-ups based on their talents and interests. One hundred Shiseido employees volunteered for the bazaar and raised funds to support the cause.

In France, an “EMEA Charity Day” event was held during the month of November. Each Shiseido participant dedicated one day in November to charity work related to women empowerment or to art and culture. More than one hundred Shiseido employees volunteered and engaged with the community by coaching young people for job interviews, by the painting walls of an assisted living facility, and by making UNICEF dolls to finance the vaccination of children throughout the world.

SEE ALSO : Shiseido’s results for 2017

Shiseido Americas’ employees receive a company paid membership to Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) which is a professional organization that brings together beauty professionals at every stage of their career and gives members access to a global community for mentorship, networking and access to industry influencers. CEW helps its members and the industry as a whole to take empowered next steps towards a more beautiful future.

In this way,  Shiseido contributes to the several activities popping up to boost the empowerment of women all over the world. They are definitely initiatives that fall into the CSR commitments of the company,  but at the same time Shiseido has always been very attentive to its customers, and women represent the majority. Its advertising campaigns are more and more a celebration of women’s strength.

Brands play an important role in people’s life, and each contribution is fundamental to reshape the cultural discourse we are all exposed and that frames the way we see the world.