Zenyum launches pop-up Smile Gym in SG to chase away pandemic blues

Singapore-based smile cosmetics brand Zenyum has partnered with creative agency Superson to launch Zenyum Smile Gym, the brand's first-ever pop-up experience in Singapore. Zenyum said in a statement that the Smile Gym is an experiential shop space created in response to the last two years of pandemic related stress. "All are welcome to connect and re-activate the part of ourselves that we have used the least during the pandemic - our smiles," it added.

Running until 23 January next year at Design Orchard, the Smile Gym comes fully equipped with all the essential tools "to feel like a kid again and bring out that dazzling smile". The multi-sensory Gym will be marketed through social media and influencers, video, and OOH activations. Zenyum's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it is also leaning on offline marketing channels such as roving events. It will also work with renowned Orchard Road ice cream uncle, Uncle Chieng, who will hand out smiling ice creams as holiday treats. Uncle Chieng also previously worked with New Balance for an OOH activation.

According to Zenyum's spokesperson, the idea for this campaign came after brand insights revealed that while children can smile up to 400 times a day, most adults smile only up to 20 times in the same period; especially during COVID-19. "We believe smiling is something you can keep on improving – it can be honed physically and non-physically. But just like in a gym, a great smile does not happen overnight," the spokesperson added. 

Zenyum then decided to adopt an approach similar to how people train their bodies - at a gym. The Smile Gym aims to take people on a holistic journey around the power of smiles, and how it can be harnessed it to the fullest, in a fun way that "encourages and exudes positivity".

Marc Torras, Zenyum's MD for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said that the Zenyum Smile Gym marks one of the many ways the brand will reach out and resonate with consumers across Singapore and the region. As one of the top performing brands in the personal care category, it's essential that we fuel that growing demand by creating more extraordinary and unexpected retail experiences, which encourage everyone to Smile More”, he added. Zenyum declined to disclose the monetary value of the campaign. 

Antti Toivonen, Superson APAC managing partner said that with Zenyum’s latest product bundle. New Smile Ritual, at its heart, Zenyum Smile Gym is here to truly entertain and educate. “This store concept was a dream brief for Superson as we could build a cross-disciplinary indie team of like-minded mavericks from graphic designers, writers and experiential experts to PR magicians and video creatives, all amongst the best in their field," he added. 

Zenyum also recently launched a pop-up store in Hong Kong, which adopts a similar concept of offering visitors an interactive experience to help them attain their version of the perfect smile. The pop-up store “SMILE LAND” is a three-part experience that features an overhead droplet installation and a large pink ball pit, among others.  

Separately, Zenyum appointed Eddie Azadi as global VP of creative in September this year, to lead the company's communications, design, content and experience teams to build a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints and help build Zenyum into one of Asia's most innovative consumer brands. He was previously Google Asia Pacific's ECD for eight years and brings experience from global brands such as P&G and Unilever. When asked what inspired him to leave Google after eight years, Azadi said then that as a creative, rarely does one get the opportunity to grow a brand and an entire category with an ambitious group of like-minded misfits. 

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