Shiseido signs tennis star Osaka to fuel global presence

Bloomberg

Shiseido Co., the Japanese beauty company seeking a more global presence, is bringing on a local hero with international appeal to sell its cosmetics, signing tennis star Naomi Osaka as a brand ambassador.
Osaka, the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles championship, has attracted advertisers looking for a fresh new face to reach a more diverse audience.
The 21-year-old, whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian-American, is expected to be a draw for consumers in Japan as well as abroad.
“As Shiseido tries to convey ‘Made in Japan’ as one of their key brand images to the world, the nomination of Naomi Osaka also suggests the connection to their brand,”
Euromonitor analyst Sachi Kimura wrote in an email.