Edmond Lam (Class of 2014),second from right; Photo credit:CUiBUS
Organized by L’Oreal Paris, the L’Oreal Brandstorm competition is an annual event offering participants the unique experience of being Marketing Directors for one of L’Oreal different brands. Hong Kong Finals 2014 was held on CUHK campus. This offered all CUHK students a chance to participate as audience members and learn from all the competitors including those from the other local universities.
Competing students are required to develop a new product for Kiehl’s Men’s Collection, a brand dedicated to providing unique skin and hair care products. The aims were to analyze the existing men’s cosmetic market and to implement multi-channel strategies to expand Kiehl’s share in it. Edmond Lam (Class of 2014) and his teammates competed as Team Rockefellers, winning first runner-up.
Let's hear from the award-winning team about their experience in the competition.
Why did you name your team “Team Rockefellers”?
Rockefeller Center is a national historic landmark in New York. We chose this name as Kiehl’s was also founded in New York as a pharmacy.
Overall, what have you gained from this experience?
We learnt a range of practical skills as well as the responsibilities of a Brand Manager. In fact, L’Oreal Brandstorm also ser ves as one of L’Oreal’s tools to recruit potential Management Trainees (MT). Outstanding participants may be fast tracked with higher priority for job offers. This highlights the importance of the competition.
The biggest challenge we faced was that we had to understand the targeted user ’s behavior. We had to design a skincare product for men, taking into account the striking differences in user habits between men and women. While most ladies prefer using a broad range of skincare products, men prefer such products to be fewer, simpler, and more straightforward to use. We had to bear this in mind throughout the competition. Therefore we developed the Instant Rescue Energizing No-Shine Spray, providing handy and instant skin care for men.
Any suggestions for students who wish to take part in this competition next year?
As L’Oreal’s products are largely Fast Moving Consumer Goods, products which are generally sold quickly at relatively low price. If the students can familiarize themselves with the marketing strategies for such products, more insights can be generated.
(First published in and extracted from CUiBUS)