Amid all the hearts-and-flowers Valentine’s Day ads that will appear before February 14 comes something really off-the-wall by Skyn condoms and its agency, UltraSuperNew. It’s a showdown over the last packet of Skyn Premium – more romantic nightmare than romantic dream.
And very much tied into its local (Japanese) culture. The humour of Soft Competition taps into the Japanese cultural concept of Honne to Tatemae – which refers to the parallel between one’s true feelings (honne) and socially appropriate behaviour (tatemae). A man and woman reaching for the final packet of Skyn condoms in a convenience store. On realising they both want the same thing, their inner ‘honne’ comes to life in a comical showdown of facial expressions and emotions. But just as quickly, they rein in their impulses, and return to their composed, socially responsible – equally humorous, ‘tatemae’ selves.
Yousuke Ozawa, creative director, UltraSuperNew Tokyo, commented, “This time, we decided to take a fresh approach by casting the characters as rivals instead of couples, adding a whole new dynamic to the brand. We also made the protagonist a woman, something only Skyn could pull off since the product is designed for both men and women. Instead of the usual submissive or cutesy portrayal of a Japanese woman, we made her a confident, charismatic go-getter. Through this, we hope to shift the image of Japanese women in a more empowering direction, while also letting people know that Skyn is now available in convenience stores.”
Annie Hou, associate director – sales and marketing, MAM LifeStyles, stated, “This marks a monumental milestone for Skyn. After almost a decade in Japan, we are thrilled to announce that our products are now available in the highly competitive Konbini Market—a space traditionally dominated by big-name brands. This step allows us to bring Skyn closer to you, ensuring both our loyal fans and those discovering us for the first time can find our soft textured product not only in drugstores but also in select konbini locations nearby.”
The spot is running on social and digital channels from February 1 – 15.
Credits
Client: SKYN
Agency: UltraSuperNew
Creative Director: Yousuke Ozawa
Creatives: Diana Ganea, Yerai Zamorano & Yan He
Strategy: Lilly Sato
Producer: Daiki Shimizu
Assistant Producer: Alex Schmidt
Web Producer: Mana Shigeki
Web Production: Chamindu Appuhamy, Malinda Wijekoon, Asela Jay & Ravindu Kannagara
