• by Larissa Faw , March 7, 2017

Shiseido Americas, the subsidiary of cosmetic conglomerate Tokyo-based Shiseido Company is acquiring full-service creative agency JWALK. Terms weren’t disclosed. 

JWALK has had an existing relationship with Shiseido, having worked with the company for the last four years, particularly on the company’s bareMinerals and Buxom brands.

As an integrated part of the Shiseido Americas organization, JWALK will collaborate with Shiseido’s brand teams to play a role in the entire creative process, from strategy to execution, and from concept to delivery.

JWALK co-founder Doug Jacob will become chief creative director, Shiseido Americas & Founder, JWALK. He will report to Jill Scalamandre, President of Shiseido’s Global Makeup Center Of Excellence.

In addition to fulfilling its in-house advertising duties for it the cosmetics firm, JWALK will continue working with outside non-competing brands.

This is the first time Jacob says he has ever seen a beauty house purchase an agency and allow for that agency to still work on non-competitive brands. "This allows for us to continue to hire and attract top-tier creatives as well as offer Shiseido viewpoints of other categories, which is essential to being innovative," he says.

This deal is designed to set Shiseido apart from the traditional approach to beauty marketing and creative excellence. "By infusing JWALK into our entire creative process, we will not only be able to achieve organic, 360- degree results, but we will also have greater speed and agility in both the assets we create and the way we work," says Marc Rey, president/CEO, Shiseido Americas. "Creative power and agility have never been more important to a brand’s success."

Masahiko Uotani, president/CEO, Shiseido Group, adds, "I am convinced that JWALK will add significant intangible value and capabilities to our marketing efforts, especially in leveraging their digital communication expertise. I also look forward to JWALK’s collaboration with our creative teams in Tokyo on key projects to deliver creative excellence on a global scale."