L'Oreal Plénitude
The key issues/ challenges the L'Oreal brand and its Plénitude line of products face in the U.S. market can be summarized in three main categories; the consumer’s brand and product perception, the consumer’s point of sale (“POS”) experience, and the current positioning of the Plénitude line.
Insights into key issues concerning consumer perception, buying experience, and reactions to current positioning have been identified in a number of custom market research studies and consumer focus groups, namely a facial skin care market study, qualitative research among “acceptors and rejecters” of Plénitude, and a Plénitude shelf shopping study.
L’Oreal assumed the American consumer’s lack of knowledge about skin care compared to their European counterparts would require their marketing strategy to educate the consumer concerning technology, product benefits (incl. product range logic), and competitive differentiation. The Acceptor/Rejector Studies revealed, however, that the product packaging was “confusing”, contained too many technical words, and wordy explanations without describing the actual purpose of the product. In an attempt to recreate the demonstration and training experience found in department and specialty stores, L’Oréal relied heavily on captivating and informative packaging to bridge the information gap. As a result, L’Oréal overwhelmed the self-service/mass- market consumer by over communicating and providing too much seemingly unnecessary information on the package itself.
Another challenge revealed by the market research studies was the consumer perception that the Plénitude product line was “very large and complicated”. The resulting buying experience was confusing, and for some, a major drawback in comparison to more familiar brands and products. The product differentiation within the Plénitude line was unclear. Consumers also noted the desire for “a [manufacturer suggested] regimen or guideline” to understand “what to use and when to use it”.
Insights into key issues concerning consumer perception, buying experience, and reactions to current positioning have been identified in a number of custom market research studies and consumer focus groups, namely a facial skin care market study, qualitative research among “acceptors and rejecters” of Plénitude, and a Plénitude shelf shopping study.
L’Oreal assumed the American consumer’s lack of knowledge about skin care compared to their European counterparts would require their marketing strategy to educate the consumer concerning technology, product benefits (incl. product range logic), and competitive differentiation. The Acceptor/Rejector Studies revealed, however, that the product packaging was “confusing”, contained too many technical words, and wordy explanations without describing the actual purpose of the product. In an attempt to recreate the demonstration and training experience found in department and specialty stores, L’Oréal relied heavily on captivating and informative packaging to bridge the information gap. As a result, L’Oréal overwhelmed the self-service/mass- market consumer by over communicating and providing too much seemingly unnecessary information on the package itself.
Another challenge revealed by the market research studies was the consumer perception that the Plénitude product line was “very large and complicated”. The resulting buying experience was confusing, and for some, a major drawback in comparison to more familiar brands and products. The product differentiation within the Plénitude line was unclear. Consumers also noted the desire for “a [manufacturer suggested] regimen or guideline” to understand “what to use and when to use it”.