Clichy, 15 June 2012 – For the second time in 20 years, the L’Oréal Brandstorm championship title was a draw between two countries – Philippines and Chile. Team Brand Up from the University of Chile and Team Eves from the University of the Philippines were crowned the Brandstorm 2012 winners out of 36 teams representing 43 countries, announced L’Oréal, the world leader in cosmetics, following the final leg of the international competition held in Paris last evening. Both the student teams walked away with the prize of a trip to a city of their choice worth €10,000. 3rd place went to Team Alemela from Austria, while Belgium, represented by Team 5th Element, earned the Best Communications Campaign Prize. The People Choice Award, a new prize voted by fans of the competing teams on Facebook, was also presented to Team Eves from the Philippines who garnered almost 13,000 “Likes” in 2 weeks.
20 years of turning ideas into products
Responding to students’ desire to gain hands-on professional experience, L’Oréal pioneered this innovative marketing competition 20 years ago which allows young talents from around the world to put themselves in the shoes of an International Brand Manager. Every year, Brandstorm challenges teams of three undergraduates to unleash their creativity to propose a product or service launch for one of L’Oréal’s 27 international brands in line with the latest market developments and trends.
For this landmark edition, teams were invited to create a new iconic product or product range for The Body Shop while respecting the brand’s values in order to reflect the Group’s commitment to ethical beauty. With digital communication becoming increasingly indispensible in today’s marketplace, one of the challenges to students was to incorporate this aspect in their strategy. A record 8,249 registrations were received this year, bringing the total number of participants to more than 60,000 from 280 partner universities around the world to date.
During this exciting 6-month journey, from the national to international level, teams get to work closely with L’Oréal executives, gaining extensive professional guidance. This year, students who made it to the finals also got to interact with a prestigious jury headed by Marc Menesguen, Executive Vice-President, Strategic Marketing, L’Oreal; Sophie Gasperment, Executive Chairman, The Body Shop; Jérome Tixier, Executive Vice-President, Human Resources, L’Oreal; Ann Massal, International Brand Director, The Body Shop and Trefor Thomas, Partner and Creative Director, Brand Advocate.
Spotting the best talents
Brandstorm is also an innovative recruitment tool for L’Oréal, allowing the Group to identify the best talents in marketing from around the world while giving students a chance to discover careers within the Group. Every year, between 150 to 200 students are recruited via Brandstorm, many of whom have gone on to have thriving careers. Examples of careers at the international level are:
– Brandstorm 2000 – Emily from Taiwan, now Brand Director for L’Oréal Professionel in Taiwan
– Brandstorm 2004 – Jaron from Singapore, now Asia Zone Marketing Manager for Matrix
– Brandstorm 2005 – Marc from France, now Global Marketing Director at L’Oréal Paris
– Brandstorm 2005 – Chi from Canada, now National Sales Director for Biotherm China
Said Marie-Dominique Jacquet, Employer Branding Director, L’Oréal, “I am deeply impressed by these students from all over the world and bravo to each and every one for having taken up the Brandstorm challenge. Through Brandstorm, we are able to spot and attract the best young talents who are the driving force behind our business. Looking forward, L’Oréal is committed to continuously developing and innovating Brandstorm in order to make it pertinent and exciting for the students. The 2013 edition will see this unique business game enter a new digital phase with the L’Oréal Paris brand.”
About L’Oréal Brandstorm:
L’Oréal remains a pioneer in innovative recruitment with Brandstorm which was launched in 1993 and encourages young people to realise their potential, develop their professional skills and discover career opportunities. The aim is to offer students from around the world a pedagogical and professional experience and the opportunity to take on the role of an International brand manager within the beauty products industry. This project is part of the L’Oréal Human Resources communication strategy and aims to enhance students’ creativity and perception of the L’Oréal business.
About L’Oréal
L’Oréal, the world’s leading cosmetics company, has catered to all forms of beauty in the world for over 100 years and has built an unrivalled portfolio of 27 international, diverse and complementary brands. With sales amounting to 20.3 billion euros in 2011, L’Oréal employs 68,900 people worldwide. Regarding sustainable development, Corporate Knights, a Global Responsible Investment Network, has selected L’Oréal for its 2012 ranking of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. L’Oréal has received this distinction for the 5th consecutive year. www.loreal.com
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