The Sun, People, and ANESSA
Part 2: For the healthy lives of all people - ANESSA Sunshine Project
Kana Kadotani, Vice President of the ANESSA Global Brand Unit, Global Premium Brand Headquarters (right in photo)
Asako Miyashita, Group Manager of DX & Hero Communication, ANESSA Global Brand Unit, Global Premium Brand Headquarters (left in photo)
In 2024, ANESSA launched the "ANESSA Sunshine Project," a social value creation activity carried out across 12 countries and regions in Asia. It is a project centered on supporting the physical and mental growth of children through activities under the sun. With the cooperation of the Japan Football Association (JFA), the project kicked off with an experiential event in Japan this June and aims to support about 300,000 children across Asia by 2030. We asked the two leaders of the ANESSA brand about the background of this initiative and the goals they hope to achieve.
―First, please introduce us to your roles at ANESSA.
Kadotani: I oversee everything from product development to communication for ANESSA. I play a role in overseeing the brand overall, including this social value project, to enhance ANESSA’s value and contribute to society. I joined the ANESSA team in 2020 and have been in this position since January 2022.
Miyashita: I belong to the DX & Hero Communication group. My job is to develop digital communication assets that can convey the appeal of ANESSA in all markets, regardless of country or region. Starting this year, I am leading the social value activity project we are discussing today.
―ANESSA, born in Japan in 1992 and now a global brand, what does it feel like to carry on such a brand?
Kadotani: I joined Shiseido because I wanted to fulfill my dream of taking a Japanese brand overseas and making it No. 1 globally. I wanted to bring good technology and products from Shiseido to the world and become No. 1. So, it feels like my dream is coming true. Also, as we say here at Shiseido, "Let the products speak for themselves." The products are powerful, with good technology and design. Now we are in an era where we can comprehensively look at the brand in terms of experiential value and how it contributes to society. It's really fun to be involved with ANESSA at such a time.
The Meaning Behind ANESSA's Focus on Activities for Children
―Now, let's talk about the Sunshine Project. Please tell us about the background that led to focusing on actions for children.
Kadotani: First, we took our time to define the social issues that ANESSA wanted to solve. We scrutinized what ANESSA could do while exploring the relevant issues facing society.
Miyashita: It was important that it was tied to ANESSA's brand purpose, "Free to shine," creating a world where everyone can shine under the sun. We brainstormed as a team about what ANESSA should do more to further contribute to society. Among ideas about sustainability and nature, we thought we should focus more on "people." In our research, we found that playing under the sun can affect the mental growth of children such as open up their feelings, in addition to physical growth, yet in today's society, children are not able to play freely outside; there are fewer playgrounds, they are busy with lessons, or they have enough to play with at home without going outside. So, we thought, why not provide a place for children to move their bodies and minds under the sun with ANESSA?
―How did you deepen your thoughts on the connection between outdoor play and mental growth?
Miyashita: We contacted Professor Maehashi at Waseda University's Faculty of Human Sciences, who specializes in child health and welfare, and listened to his insights. We learned that playing outside is very beneficial for children's growth from five perspectives: physical, psychological, emotional, social, and intellectual. It is also said to regulate the autonomic nervous system and improve sleep quality.
―Communicating with society beyond products requires a lot of investment and human power, doesn't it?
Kadotani: As a brand with the purpose of “Free to Shine: let people shine infinitely under the sun,” we believe it is necessary to embody that. If we do the right thing for the brand's purpose, we believe sales will follow. We want to turn people who buy our products because of their appeal into true fans of ANESSA. To gain their trust and be loved for a long time. In business terms, it's about creating lifetime value. It's very important that the brand itself is truly providing something good and doing good for society, so I don't think it's impossible to grow business through social value. I believe it's something we should bring together. It may not contribute to short-term sales, but I am convinced that it will absolutely contribute to long-term brand equity.
Designing UV and Sunlight Awareness Program as Fun, Not Obligatory
―ANESSA has a long history of activities, such as support for patients with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) since 2004 and "UV education" for elementary school students since 2018. This year, in collaboration with the Japan Football Association (JFA), you started a soccer event for children. I heard that you are designing a scheme for the project to run on its own as you undertake social value activities across 12 countries and regions in Asia.
Miyashita: If it were just about holding an event for children once, we could succeed with a certain amount of investment. However, we believe that the meaning lies in continuing such activities, so choosing partners was a crucial point in how to implement a sustainable structure. We decided to partner with JFA because they are a Japanese organization that as a brand holder is easy to collaborate with and has the communicative power to transmit information from Japan to Asia.
Kadotani: It's most important to perceive the activity itself as positive. The sun has a positive side that brings overwhelming brightness and energy, and a negative side—and that is the ultraviolet rays. We believe that to create hope for the future by understanding this duality, it must not be out of a sense of obligation. If everyone learns about common issues in a fun way, laughs, and takes initiative, it will result in something good for society. That's the ideal. This time, we decided to partner with JFA because we share the same DNA of brightness and fun, spreading our message across Asia through the joy of soccer.
Soccer event co-hosted with JFA on June 16
―In the previous article, there was a comment that ANESSA is a brand that outwardly shines. Is that the case for meetings and discussions as well?
Miyashita: The first thing we naturally think about in anything we do is "sunlight." Even when we think about communication expressions, we have a strong commitment to how we illustrate the sun and light. We carry the sun in our logo, and “Free to shine” is about getting people to shine freely. It brightens everything up, doesn't it?
Kadotani: And the product usage scene is the outdoors... Oh, the other day, one of our members, who wasn't an outdoor person at all, started going camping after joining the ANESSA team and said at a meeting, "I've become totally a person who is “Free to shine.” Feeling the sun is actually really nice, and I gradually felt lighter.
Brand Members Gaining Strength from Social Activities
―Did you discover anything new at the soccer event?
Miyashita: I have participated in events held by JFA before, and I am always moved by them. Seeing the vivid expressions of the children is truly wonderful. When we surveyed our employees who participated in the event with us, they all wrote about how moved they were by the children's eagerness to learn and how they were having fun.
Kadotani: During the event, we taught how to apply sunscreen in an easy-to-understand way with exercises set to music. Of course, we also made a proper textbook in collaboration with elementary schools, but this time, we aimed to make it fun and understandable. We also made T-shirts that change color when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Initially white, the shirts reveal a yellow sunflower when exposed to UV rays. You can get a sense of the power of the invisible ultraviolet rays when the color changes. Seeing how they enjoyed understanding the situation with that surprise, I thought about how very important having fun was to continue something. Adults usually explain things with decent evidence, but when I saw children say, "I'm okay now because I applied the sunscreen!" I was moved by their innocent reactions and attitudes to learning, and it made us want to work even harder.
Learning how to apply sunscreen indoors; the sunflower on the T-shirt is still white
The sunflower appears when exposed to ultraviolet rays
―It's a time when the people on the brand side can see for whom and why they are working.
Kadotani: I said that ANESSA's work shines, but the daily work is really, well… making steady efforts. It's a straightforward and stoic job where we keep innovating to ensure that the UV block veil doesn't fall off easily but doesn't stay on too much either, as it would make the texture worse or difficult to wash off with soap, making it inconvenient for customers. That's why the smiles of children are so important. It makes us think, "This is what we're working for!" It gives us the energy to work hard.
―It's a positive cycle where your work gives you energy. As another activity, you also support patients with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) who are in a very difficult situation.
Miyashita: We have been providing ANESSA sunscreen to XP patients since 2004. As part of Shiseido's Camellia Fund,* we also collect donations from employees. This disease causes severe sunburn and pigmentation when exposed to sunlight, and the risk of developing skin cancer from sunlight is about 2000 times higher than that of healthy people. Japan in particular has many patients with the severe type of this disease, which develops with progressive neurological symptoms, so many people are trying to slow the progression and cherish their daily lives. Sunscreen of course doesn't cure the disease, but it can slow down the progression. About three months ago, I had the opportunity to talk to someone from the family association for XP patients. Even families with children with severe symptoms want their children to play outside because childhood is when they really can. So, they use sunscreen with the hope of making the most of their children’s precious time. Rather than not letting them go outside because of the ultraviolet rays, parents rely on sunscreen so that their children can enjoy time outside We hope that our activities will raise awareness of XP and lead to advances in research.
- *Camellia Fund: A social contribution activity by Shiseido Group employees. Employees can support the activities of NPOs working on social issues with a monthly salary contribution starting from 100 yen.
The Brand is Strengthened because Members are Motivated from Within
―So, ANESSA is taking a multifaceted approach to issues related to the relationship between ultraviolet rays and humans, and you are working on issues that seem solvable. The project ultimately plans to reach 300,000 children across Asia.
Miyashita: We will increase our touchpoints with activities in elementary schools and sampling sunscreens at nurseries. We also want to increase the number of people who can educate people about ultraviolet rays and proper protection, and we plan to realize a self-sustaining mechanism for activities with JFA. JFA coaches will spread UV education. Children watch their coaches closely, so we aim to make sun care a familiar routine with every soccer game and practice, or whenever they play outside . We are also planning to implement this in countries outside of Japan in Asia. Last December, we lectured JFA's children's soccer coaches, and they were very interested in the benefits of sunlight, as well as ultraviolet rays and protection methods. They were very serious about spreading the word to the children.
―It's clear that you are involving people outside the company in activities for a better world. I also heard that you held a workshop with regional representatives and creatives within the company. It was a session about the mindset of working as a member of ANESSA, right?
Kadotani: We gathered internal members involved with the brand for three days to get to know the brand further and have discussions. On the first day, we learned about the products at the research institute, on the second day, we discussed the brand's social value activities, and on the third day, we participated in a soccer event. This year, our strategy included "Accelerate Inclusion." The headquarters alone can’t realize a big vision. We can’t make an impact on society or the world unless all of us involved with the brand come together first. Therefore, we are really focusing on maximizing the inner strength of our members. Ideally, each person acts autonomously with the spirit of ANESSA and grows the brand in their own way. Rather than thinking, this is a job for the local team, or this is work for the creatives, it’s about how you act purposely with customers. We want to create a team that can think and act at the same time rather than wait for someone else. We think that what will ultimately become the strength that will create a strong brand is if everyone does what they think is good in their own area of expertise. As such, this time, by gathering, we were able to become more enthusiastic.
A Better World Created Through ANESSA
―It made me think that having motivation from within, both from the individual and from brand, is ultimately what makes for a strong and forward looking brand. Finally, what kind of better world do you want to achieve through ANESSA?
Miyashita: Ideally, business and social value should complement each other. I want to permeate this activity to the point where when you see ANESSA at a drugstore, you think of activities for a better future. Not purchasing the product just for their SPF or functional appeal but purchasing them because it's ANESSA…trusting them because it's ANESSA. So, it’s making ANESSA that type of brand.
Kadotani: I wholeheartedly agree with ANESSA's purpose of “Free to shine.” As a company engaged in social value activities, we ultimately need to create a cycle that embodies the brand's purpose through both economic and social activities, improving society and the future. With that in mind, in addition to our current business, this activity also gives hope to the fact that children who will carry the future will live with healthy minds and bodies, and the world and future will become better. I believe that brands that make people happy will become No. 1, so I want ANESSA to continue to be a brand that has unwavering support. And the better world that ANESSA envisions is, after all, a world where everyone can freely, happily, and positively shine under the sun.
