L’Oréal Brandstorm is an innovative marketing competition that gives students the opportunity to take on the role of a marketing brand manager and to make-over an existing L’Oréal brand. National winners have the opportunity to travel to Paris and compete internationally for the world title. At the international finals, an executive L’Oréal jury rewards three teams for their marketing strategy. A special mention prize for the “Best Communications Campaign” is given by Publicis, international partner this year.
Malaysia team won third prize in 2005
Last year,2005, Malaysia team Loh Kok Hin, Tan Hui Woon and Jessica Lim “Osirians” from University Teknologi Malaysia won third prize in WORLD at L’Oréal Brandstorm, an annual marketing competition for business students around the world with “Trust Your Instincts” mobile Studio Line FX range.2006- Lancome
This year’s challenging case study is Lancôme Body Care. Founded in 1935, Lancôme is a worldwide leader in luxury skincare, make-up and fragrances with innovative products for both women and men. From New York to Shanghai Lancôme dazzles consumers with its French touch, knowledge of women, and skin expertise. The success of this global brand is strongly linked to the creativity of its international marketing teams. This year L’Oréal will give undergraduate and MA students the opportunity to show off their marketing vision and creativity for Lancôme Body Care.
2006-The final five
Facing the task of creating a new range of body care products and developing an international marketing strategy for Lancome Bodycare are teams Ingenious, Invincible, Vanguard, Lallssabour and B.ALL.ers.These five finalists, consisting of three students each, were chosen from a shortlist of 12 teams, who had the opportunity to present their pre-case study to a panel of judges from L’Oreal.
The pre-case study, which teams had to submit for the first stage of the competition, consisted of analysing the body care segment in the luxury cosmetics market, as well as comparing the status of Lancome with that of two other luxury cosmetic brands.
One of the five finalists will win an all-expenses paid trip to Paris and the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the international finals there in June. The top team will also receive a trip worth RM2,500 and RM500 worth of Lancome products.
The second-placed team will win a trip worth RM2,000 and RM400 worth of Lancome products while third winner will get a trip worth RM1,500 and RM300 worth of Lancome products.
Briefing day
To help the five finalists prepare for the national finals in May, L’Oreal organised a briefing to acquaint the teams with both L’Oreal and Lancome brands and values.
L’Oreal Malaysia corporate communications manager Muhammad Zain Ibrahim started the day by briefing the teams on the company and brand.
He was followed by Luxury Products Division general manager Tengku Adam Hamzah, who gave the students an overview of the luxury products division.
Tengku Adam also spoke on the luxury products business in Malaysia and Lancome’s position in the local industry.
He pointed out the difference between luxury and consumer products.
“Be careful to keep the exclusivity and prestige of your products,” Tengku Adam told the students.
After getting a broad view of the industry, the students received detailed insight into the Lancome brand and the Bodycare range by Lancome brand manager Irene Goh.
Goh emphasised the importance of staying true to the brand’s values, saying that the products the students will be creating should be clearly identifiable with Lancome.
“You must know what women want and create something based on what the market needs and not just something to be different or fancy,” she said.
She explained the second value of Lancome – the love of France – as simply meaning “the love of elegance and luxury”.
Another core value of the brand is the love of skin, which stresses on the scientific and sensorial aspects of Lancome products.
“Seeing, feeling, touching are all important elements of the brand’s products. It is also important that all Lancome products are based on science and research,” she said.
Goh advised participants to look at salons, spas and skin care centres that are experienced in body care.
Goh and Lancome product manager (skincare and bodycare) Nicole Low also gave each team one-on-one advice on their pre-case studies.
The participants also received a briefing from Helen Chim of Publicis Malaysia, the communications agency that will help each team develop their communication campaign.
Two members of last year’s national winning team and second runners-up in the international finals Loh Kok Hin and Low Yee Min shared their experiences with the students.
Counter visit
The next day the students visited the Lancome counter at 1-Utama Shopping Centre.
Institute Advertising Communication Training (IACT) student Yap Lee Mei from team Vanguard said: “We learned the history and function of each product. The visit gave the team some ideas on the type of products to be proposed and the suitable way to market them.”
Lee Yew Jin of team Invincible from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) said: “We observed how the staff attracted customers and promoted the brand.
“It was an eye-opener for me, regarding how the beauty industry really works in the market.”
The teams had the opportunity to examine the set-up of the counter and the placement of products as well as listen to advice from beauty consultants who are the front-liners of the industry.
MALAYSIA IS ON WORLD SCIENTIFIC MAP!
Earlier, A Malaysian scientist from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Miss Nyon Mun Peak, 25, was awarded the L’OREAL-UNESCO Fellowship for ‘Women in Science’ program with fifteen other young women scientists from around the world.Miss Nyon Mun Peak, a doctoral student in UKM was awarded for her work in Structural biology: Determining the three-dimensional structure of cutinase, a fungal enzyme of great interest to the detergent industry. She will continue her work in the host institution of Krebs Institute for Biomolecular Research, University of Sheffield, UK.
Lancome Colour Designs Awards
Earlier, Lancome, a brand under Loreal also organised Lancome Colour Designs Awards together with Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology. Three winners of the Lancome Colour Designs Awards (LCDA) Malaysia, who will now go on to represent the country at the grand finals to be held in France in May.
Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Biotechnology
