On October 15, cosmetics giant Shiseido released a new ad on YouTube and it's already had over 5.8 million views. We'd say that's pretty successful. They've long been known for producing memorable ads using famous film stars and singers, but this one simply features a bunch of (very pretty) high school girls with the aim of showing us the true power of makeup.
So what's so special about it? We don't want to give too much away because the real surprise comes at the end, but the video titled 'High School Girl?' (note the question mark) begins with a woman standing at the door to a classroom (note the picture she's holding) before zooming through the class of cute high school girls. At this point you might be thinking, 'Wow, are Japanese schools really this relaxed?' They're all kind of just chilling out, looking a little sulky. One student is even strumming a guitar. You might also be thinking, 'Wow, they have really smooth skin.' Next, the camera focuses on one girl who is paging through a book. The next clue to the twist in the ad comes in the words written on one of the book's pages. It's in Japanese, but it says: 'Did you notice the guys in this classroom?' We'll leave out what happens next – you need to watch it for yourself for the full impact – but the final statement of the ad is this: 'Anyone can be cute.' (We're a little doubtful about this statement – we can't imagine this kind of ad working elsewhere in the world.)
Naturally, social media has exploded with commentary on the ad, with tweets like 'I can't believe it!' There is also a bit of debate on what the ad says about the contradictions in Japanese culture, but if you take it at, erm, face value then it's just a clever bit of marketing on Shiseido's part. After you've watched the full ad, check out the making of the movie and this website where you can scroll down to the Before & After section and rub your mouse over the photos to reveal the girls' true identitities.