It was an innocent email I received.
The email stated they’d seen my “What is Innovation” post and video on Fast Company and needed something equally inspiring for their staff.
The company?
The global leader in luxury skincare: La Prairie from Zurich, Switzerland, with 14 affiliates and represented in more than 90 countries worldwide.
As an intro for anyone not already familiar, La Prairie is regarded as the most exclusive, aspirational and innovative skincare brand (by its loyal global base of customers spanning the world).
They are the undisputed leader in luxury skincare (products with names like “Skin Caviar” tell the tale).
The world-class performance of the La Prairie brand along with its employees and business partners has earned them unprecedented loyalty amongst consumers, retailers, and the press.
How True Leaders Lead
What the executives knew was this key factor: The success of the La Prairie Group is directly related to the skills of its employees and its sustainable and effective HR Policies making La Prairie Group an innovative and attractive place to work, grow and expand personally and professionally.
That was the focus of the above email: helping them to produce a powerful, emotional message that would inspire the employees in a new, unexpected way.
Video was the definite medium. As Andrea Fust, HR Director of La Prairie Group, said, “The great thing about a video is the possibility to easily transfer emotion – to wrap people in pictures and sound – it is touching, and people remember this special combination of visuals and sound. We also wanted to go in a new way and surprise people by using this tool.”
Celebrating the Timeless
So, after learning more about how their products helped women defy age by turning back the hands of time, essentially making time stand still, I had my inspiration:
Trends were transient. Virtues were not.
The things that truly mattered were the things that never aged. They are what stood the test of time.
With that insight and the four core values, I wrote the script and started to storyboard the visuals that would help tell the story.
The Power of Words
One of my favorite passages in the script I’d written is in the graphic that starts off this article.
So without further preamble, here is the completed video for you to enjoy:
The outcome is a deep, personal and emotional message that immerses the viewer into a world of meaning and deep connections.
I am honored to have worked with this very committed and enthusiastic team to export their brand to their world of colleagues, team members and employees.
The end product message takes their employees to a place no mere presentation could have done.
Which leads us to this question: How will you lead others with your brand?