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| Above: (From left) Nathalie Kristo, general manager for Maybelline New York and Garnier; Stephen De Medicis; Nicole Montgomery; Javier San Juan, president & CEO of L’Oréal Canada, and Rebecca White |
For the fifth time in six years, a team of undergraduate students from the Schulich School of Business at York University have won the L'Oréal Brandstorm national marketing competition and will represent Canada at the international finals in Paris on June 29 and 30.
Stephen De Medicis, Nicole Montgomery and Rebecca White defeated some of Canada's top business students to capture the national title in Montreal.
The 2009 edition of the L'Oréal Brandstorm competition focused on the Maybelline New York brand. Students worked in teams of three to create and develop a strategic marketing and communication campaign for the brand's first fragrance.
The Schulich team distributed a survey and conducted focus groups to gain first-hand consumer insights into the proposed product line. In coming up with its strategic plan, the team benefited from the coaching and strategic insights of Ashwin Joshi, professor of marketing and director of the Schulich MBA Program, and Ashley Konson, Schulich part-time marketing instructor.
Brandstorm is one of the most demanding marketing games in the world. It allows students to apply theoretical knowledge from the classroom to the professional experience of an international brand manager. It also allows L'Oréal the opportunity to identify potential talent.
"Brandstorm is one of the best recruitment tools at L'Oréal, attracting incredible talent and building tomorrow's leaders with a strategy focused on creativity and innovation," says Martial Lalancette, senior vice-president of human resources at L'Oréal Canada.
The Schulich students will compete against 39 teams from business schools around the world at the international finals in June. The first prize for the winning team of the international finals is a trip to the city of their choice, worth €10,000.
"Brandstorm is truly an unparalleled opportunity to turn marketing theory into practice," says Schulich team member Rebecca White. "We are excited to take our presentation to the next level and to represent Schulich in Paris."