Philips pushes shavers to the forefront with Japanese esports team SCARZ

Philips Japan, with the help of FUSE, Omnicom Media Group’s market-leading sport and entertainment practice, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Japanese esports team SCARZ. Under the agreement, the Philips S9000 rotary shaver becomes the official male grooming product of SCARZ and specifically their e-motorsports division, highlighting a synergy between cutting-edge technology and high-performance gaming.

Over the next six months, FUSE will support Philips and SCARZ in developing exclusive content and unique experiences including a 30-minute documentary, fan contests, and masterclass videos. This marks a shift from the usual executions carried out by shaver brands in Japan, which typically focus on traditional advertising.

The six-figure sponsorship marks the innovative convergence of grooming and gaming – two industries that value precision and performance. At the heart of this partnership lies the concept of ‘mastering rotation leads to victory’.

The Philips S9000 rotary shaver, known for its advanced rotary technology, parallels the agility and precise control demanded in e-motorsports. Just as the S9000 shaver’s rotary blades lift and cut the beard to achieve a close shave, SCARZ’s e-motorsports athletes expertly manoeuvre their vehicles around the most challenging circuits. This showcases the synergy between both brands, making the partnership a perfect fit.

“Philips Shavers, with their high quality and innovative rotary performance, have gained more attention from the young audience in Japan, eager to find the best tool that is both effective and gentle on their skin. SCARZ team is the perfect partner to bring our rotary performance to life and highlight the fun in a great shaving experience,” said Maria Cecilia Grandi, Philips Personal Health Marketing Director, JAPAC.

“With the partnership with SCARZ and FUSE, Philips Japan celebrates car enthusiasts’ passion about racing and mastering the rotations/turns and the deep emotions that love for cars and for self-care through an amazing shaving experience can create. Through FUSE’s profound understanding of creating brand love and bringing an innovative approach to communication in media, Philips can diversify its creative expression in the Japan market through this unconventional and passionate partnership,” added Natsuko Nozawa, Philips Personal Health Digital and Creative Lead, Japan

David Lister, Head of Content, FUSE APAC said, “Philips Japan and our wonderful client, Natsuko Nozawa, saw the value in e-Sports over several options we had worked through because fundamentally, e-Sports is a content creation and amplification machine. E-Sports teams exist in 100% in created content; in games and on social platforms. In that context, there is a lot that SCARZ can do in their content-first environment to tell the Philips rotary shaving story for us through personalities, racing, and performance. It has rotary at its heart and the ability to be easily scaled through their platforms.”