Watsons bags win at Retail Asia Awards 2024 for The New Beautiful campaign

Its campaigns have been inspiring, positively impacting thousands of lives.

Leading retailer Watsons took home the Brand Transformation of the Year category win at the prestigious Retail Asia Awards 2024 for the successful implementation of its The New Beautiful campaign, which has redefined beauty standards and promoted inclusivity in its most holistic sense.

Recognising that attitudes are shifting towards valuing the inner beauty of mind, body and soul, the campaign strives to make all individuals feel comfortable and confident in their own skin. The New Beautiful meets the demand for authentic brand reflection across diverse backgrounds.

Amongst the initiatives in this campaign include #DareToBe and #GETACTIVE. #DareToBe features inspiring role models sharing their journeys and instilling bravery and inner strength in all women. The #GETACTIVE campaign brings the campaign philosophy to life through wellness activities in Asia Pacific, with over 20,000 customers participated in various wellness activities across APAC in 2023.

Watsons has also partnered with nonprofit medical service organisation Operation Smile to help people with cleft palates whilst also supporting women in medicine. Through the collaboration, Watsons has funded life-changing surgeries that have allowed children to participate fully in society without physical barriers holding them back.

At the same time, its support of the “Women In Medicine” programme has addressed the lack of female representation in healthcare. By sponsoring advanced training for over 30 female medical students annually, these future leaders have gained experience performing surgeries like cleft palate repair which aligns with Watsons’ ambition in community investment, with an aim to reconstruct 10,000 smiles by 2030.

Meanwhile, Watsons has also partnered with social enterprise The Asli Co. to provide indigenous Orang Asli mothers with work producing high-quality organic lavender pillows from home. This initiative provides them with stable income to help half of Asli children stay in school. The profit gained is also going to support community development, with a recent RM103,000 donation improving village health.

“Witnessing lives positively impacted from underprivileged children receiving care to indigenous women empowered, Watsons is passionate about advancing this momentum. As cultural perceptions continue evolving through our champions of diversity and inclusion, we remain committed to see all communities unite in feeling confident as their authentic selves,” the company said.

Retail Asia Awards honours companies that have recently launched innovative retail projects or initiatives, as well as industry leaders that have propelled their respective brands to maintain a competitive edge.

The Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the Retail industry, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].