Tapping into the power of influencer culture, skin care brand Laneige has enlisted Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney to front a brand campaign centring on its core hydration line, the Water Bank Collection. 

The campaign developed by Gravity Road sees Sweeney take on the role of a scientist. Whilst wearing a traditional lab coat and specs, the Euphoria star explains the ingredients, technology and effects of the product in her signature charming way. The films are approachable and playful, with the star educating audiences about the product in a way that is engaging and digestible. 

Communication of education

For skincare brands where products can make a real difference to people's lives and appearance, it is essential that audiences are aware of the ingredients in products to build trust, transparency and confidence. Research from Laneige found that increasingly people are seeking information about the products they use before they buy. An audience the brand labels as self-educated ‘skintellectuals’.

Where a few years ago, the ingredients on the back of a product meant nothing to most people, now Gen Z knows their acids from their peptoids, their retinoids from their squalines. Today, almost two-thirds (62%) of Gen Z research beauty products before purchasing. 

Lanegine’s new campaign coincides with a formula upgrade and new packaging for the Water Bank line of products; a highly sophisticated skincare product with complex science behind it. To ensure that audiences are able to gain the information they need about the product and build up awareness of its skincare line beyond its most viral product, the Laneige Lip kit, the brand felt Sydney Sweeny the perfect fit to reach the right audience and deliver key information well.

Trust and influence

Where HBO’s Euphoria is one of the biggest shows with a Gen Z audience, Sydney already has good rapport with Laneige’s core audience. The campaign from Gravity Road sees the star stripped back, talking directly to the viewer using scientific terms which shows the brand is in tune with its audience and respectful of their existing knowledge. By connecting with the audience on their level, being direct and casual, Sweeney is able to build on her existing relationship with the audience and recommend the product in an authentic manner; the key to influencer focused campaigns.

"Sydney Sweeney and Laneige have experienced a similar acceleration trajectory over the last few months with Sydney cementing her status as one of the leading emerging actresses, most recently with the viral phenomenon of Euphoria Season 2, while Laneige keeps getting mentioned all over social media for its iconic Lip Sleeping Mask. Sydney is having a great moment right now, so it’s very exciting to partner with her to reach an even broader audience and continue to propel our brand awareness while establishing our skincare and hydration expertise beyond lip care.” explained Amorepacific US chief marketing & digital officer, Julien Bouzitat.

He continued; “Sydney embodies perfectly the healthy, glowing and fun Laneige personality and brought it to life seamlessly in our campaigns. And we are supporting the launch by deploying the most ambitious 360 marketing plan Laneige ever had in the US, across multiple supports along with our retail partners." 

The campaign positions the brand as a skincare authority, and comprises a social-first video push on Laneige’s US TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter handles, with photography featuring a set of assets designed to tackle different media channels in order to reach Gen-Z, online and in-store.

By meeting audiences where they are with a star they are familiar with, Laneige has embedded its product within popular culture. Through careful choice of celebrity endorsement that fits seamlessly with brand values the campaign is an example of how influencer marketing can be authentic and trusted when done right.