Brandstorm 2018: a record edition

The hard work and creativity of our teams from the Netherlands, India, and Singapore were rewarded in the 2018 final of Brandstorm, the student competition organized by L’Oréal. Here’s a look back at a unique edition of an event that’s dedicated to innovation and marketing.

A record competition

The 26^th edition of Brandstorm, which ended May 17 at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, brought together 34,700 students for an ambitious challenge – to invent the hairdressing salon of the future. With more than 2,000 schools from around the world taking part, compared to 300 in 2017, there was a marked increase in the number of competitors.

Every year, L’Oréal enhances its longstanding business game in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship, the two key strands of the Group’s DNA. The fun aspect of the event gives the world leader in cosmetics a chance to identify and test the abilities of talented young people, thanks to its “Real Life Innovation Experience”. “Students are increasingly attracted to the idea of dedicating several months to innovation in real-life conditions, working in a ‘test and learn’ mode,” says Carole Pasco-Domergue, Chief Marketing Officer for Human Relations at L’Oréal.

The concept is also attractive because of the resources provided to students by L’Oréal – nearly 80 hours of e-learning, along with individual support from L’Oréal experts or external partners. The success of these brainstorming sessions is clear, with more than 8,000 ideas being put forward in 2018. It was another record for the event, and offers a wealth of opportunities for the Group.

And the winner is…

The suspense ended on the final day, with 150 competitors still in this year’s race. The Brand Award went to a team from the Netherlands, who fully convinced a jury of 70 experts and journalists in a series of pitches covering different aspects of their project (marketing, technology, CSR, etc.). One of two teams from India won the Tech Award, while the CSR Award went to a group of students from Singapore. Each winning team received €10,000 – just the kind of helping hand needed to get their projects off the ground!