NEW YORK, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, across ten major cities in the world, from the Great Wall of China to Seoul's iconic Gangnam and New York's magical Madison Square Park, children inspired adults to remember what it was like to dream when they were young and encouraged them to keep pursuing their dreams.
The "Dream Again" events were hosted globally by luxury skincare brand SK-II in response to startling results from the first Global Dreams Index Survey that revealed that half the world's female population has given up on dreams and is not satisfied with their current lives. The findings also inspired the brand to create the heartwarming "Dream Again | SK-II #changedestiny" film.
In New York City, children surprised adults by approaching them in Madison Square Park where they counselled them to dream big. Adults were encouraged to share their dreams virtually on social channels and physically on balloons and add to the SK-II "Dream Tree" installation that grew larger throughout the day. New York style influencer, Olivia Palermo stopped by to meet with the inspirational children and share her dream on a balloon. "I am honored to be a part of SK-II's new initiative in support of women pursuing their dreams," says Olivia. Local bloggers, Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What, Arielle Nachmani of Something Navy and Lainy Hedaya of Haute in Habit, also visited to share their dreams and encourage their millions of followers to continue to dream big. In Beijing, larger-than-life posters of kids proudly declaring their dreams were plastered across long stretches of the legendary Great Wall of China - itself a historic symbol of achieving what was once thought impossible. These impactful banners transformed the monumental landmark into a giant installation of dreams, encouraging the masses of Chinese visitors to believe in their right to dream. "The ability to dream is a precious and necessary part of being fully alive. Challenging one's self to pursue and make manifest those dreams can sometimes be far less palpable. So I try to ensure I'm always looking forward and being open to new experiences," says SK-II Brand Ambassador, Cate Blanchett.
The survey of 5,400 women in 14 countries across 6 continents found that key barriers to pursuing childhood dreams were limited financial support, fear of going out of one's comfort zone and not fitting traditional definitions of success.
In contrast, the results highlighted 82% of women around the world who pursue their dreams were satisfied with life and strongly identified personal definition of success with "doing what you love."i
The sentiment in Asia was even more alarming with women becoming less satisfied with their lives as they grow older while their Western counterparts were the oppositeii. Japan (81%) followed by Korea (67%) had the highest number of women who admitted they had stopped pursuing their dreams. While Western countries were above the global average in which 59% of women are pursuing their dreams.
The knowledge that dreams fade with age and adults who still dream are happier than those who don'tiii inspired SK-II to create the "Dream Again | SK-II #changedestiny" film http://www.sk-ii.com/change-destiny.html -- a social experiment featuring children -- who are still full of dreams -- as surprise counselors for dreamless adults.
Throughout the film it becomes clear how societal limitations and feelings of low self-esteem are preventing many women from pursuing their dreams; interviewees voice how they drifted away from childhood dreams as they grew up and life responsibilities became more demanding. At the end of the experiment, the 'adult expert' is revealed as a cover for young girls hidden behind cameras and earpieces. The dramatic unveil puts the women face-to-face with smiling children who remind them, in simple yet powerful words of encouragement, to never give up on dreams.
"Dream Again | SK-II #changedestiny" is the latest installment in the brand's #changedestiny campaign, following the success of "Marriage Market", in empowering women to take control of their future and achieve their aspirations. "The #changedestiny campaign challenges the belief that destiny is set at birth and celebrates women who have gone beyond limitations to achieve success," said Markus Strobel, President Global SK-II. "By encouraging women to pursue to their dreams and empowering them to overcome personal and societal limitations, we hope to inspire more women to change their destiny."
About the Global Dreams Index Survey The Global Dreams Index Survey is aimed at understanding a woman's willingness to pursue her dreams and how it can have influence on her quality of life. The purpose of the Global Dreams Index Survey is to create positive change among women by encouraging them to dream again and empower them ultimately to change their destinies. This survey was conducted online by Procter & Gamble in May 2016 among 5,484 women ages 18 years of age or older in 14 countries spanning 6 continents.
About SK-II For more than 35 years, SK-II has touched the lives of millions of women around the world by helping them to "Change Destiny" through the miracle of crystal clear skin and life. The fascinating story behind SK-II began at a sake brewery in Japan, where scientists noticed the elderly workers had wrinkled faces, but extraordinarily soft and youthful-looking hands. These hands were in constant contact with the sake fermentation process. It took years of research for scientists to isolate the miracle ingredient Pitera™, a naturally-derived liquid from the yeast fermentation process. Since then, SK-II with Pitera™ has become a special secret shared by celebrities such as Cate Blanchett around the world, transforming skin along the five dimensions of texture, radiance, firmness, spot control and wrinkle resilience critical to crystal clarity. A leading skincare brand in 13 markets, SK-II continues to deliver the transformative power of crystal clear skin and life through well-loved products including the Facial Treatment Essence, R.N.A. Power, and GenOptics Aura Essence. For the latest news and in-depth information about SK-II, please visit http://www.sk-ii.com.
i Ibid. ii Data on file. Procter & Gamble Co. [Global Dreams Index Survey. 2016] iii Ibid.
Share this article