Please tell us about yourself.

My name is Yim Haeree, and I lead the marketing communications team at ETUDE. I started my career at global fashion and beauty companies and joined Amorepacific in 2012. After working on marketing communications for our luxury brands, I now lead a team of creators that connect our customers and build an ETUDE community for our fans through content, branding, product communication, and digital marketing.

Tell us about the new ‘Soon Jung X Director’s Mineral Filter Sun Cream’ that is trending in Korea.

Last year, there was controversy in the beauty community on SPF in sunscreens. We saw much buzz on how beauty fans had become disappointed in products that did not meet the marked SPF levels and thought that if we launched a product that could ‘end the wrangle over SPF once and for all,’ we would be able to win customer trust. To develop a product that customers can truly rely on, we collaborated with the Korean influencer, Director Pi, from product development to marketing communications. Director Pi has built up a reputation for analyzing cosmetics ingredients and selecting products that contain the safest, most trustworthy ingredients. She is also the leading influencer when it comes to sunblock. So after working together for ten months, we launched the Soon Jung X Director’s Mineral Filter Sun Cream last month. It not only has an SPF level of 50, just as the label claims, but also maintains the level of 50 in the titer clinical trial, which tests whether SPF is maintained over time. Moreover, it acquired the Eve Vegan certification and the Reef Safe mark to deliver a gentle and green product to reflect feedback from customers who have a keen interest in ingredients. Customers learned about the product from Director Pi’s YouTube channel, and Soon Jung X Director’s Mineral Filter Sun Cream was sold out every day for the first three days of pre-launch. It now tops the sunblock sales chart at Olive Young, the largest health and beauty chain in Korea.

ETUDE’s ‘Contour Powder’ also received an enthusiastic response online a while ago.
What is the secret behind its phenomenal success?

Yes, the idea for Contour Powder began with a customer review that complained about having to mix several products to apply to contour. I often visit customer forums and read their reviews on our products because I consider them the starting point for data analysis and trend forecasting. In this way, I can get many ideas on which products we should make and what we should communicate with our customers. In the development of Contour Powder, we also collaborated with another beauty creator, Cho Hyo-jin, who makes exciting makeup content and shows dramatic makeup transformations. We not only co-developed the product but also continued the collaboration afterward. Cho Hyo-jin exposed and used ETUDE products in over 20 videos that she filmed. Starting with real reviews from customers, we engaged in genuine communication regarding the entire process from development through to the application of Contour Powder together with an influencer trusted by customers, which helped us get a favorable response and the trust of our customers.

What is in store for ETUDE’s marketing in the future?

ETUDE will stay committed to building trust with loyal fans this year. While ETUDE is actively transforming to recent changes like digitalization and the rise of Millennials and Gen Z, what doesn’t change is that it’s vital to win the hearts of the customers and build fandom through joyful, memorable communications. It’s almost like planning and going on a date with our fans. Early this year, we teamed up with Zepeto and showcased a unique brand metaverse experience for our customers worldwide. We also launched a Beautyzen program, which helps customers who dream of becoming YouTube beauty creators realize their dreams. We are also running a pinkTOK, a TikTok forum where our customers can have fun with ETUDE content. We plan to strengthen the relationship with loyal ETUDE fans and build a community of customers through these different activities. We are also developing authentic products and preparing various content in conjunction with customers and influencers, so stay tuned for our latest updates.

Do you have any advice you’d like to share with marketers aspiring to work in the beauty field in the future?

To be successful in marketing, it helps to experience various roles within and outside of marketing. I have experience in sales, marketing communications, and brand management across different global brands. I think this experience has enabled me to develop a product with marketing communications in mind, or conduct marketing communications so that it fully demonstrates the product's unique selling propositions. My experiences help interconnect these dots and create synergy. These experiences have also helped me think about the purpose of marketing – building a relationship and connecting with customers. To excel in communication, you need to design and connect customer touchpoints, which determine the results of your marketing activities. If you are able listen to the customers' voices based on different experiences, I think you could eventually become a trendsetting marketer.