Kérastase ParisFor Discussion: How to Create its Brand “Ethos”

Dexter KingSeptember 20, 2013

AGENDAHow do we create a brand story for Kérastase?

Creating Brand Mythology & Ethos

Establishing Cultural Relevance

Brand Target Example

Additional Considerations

2

“A people’s ethos is the tone, character and quality of their life, its

moral and aesthetic style and mood; it is the underlying attitude toward

themselves and their world that life reflects.”

3 Source: C. Gertz, The Interpretation of Culture, 1973

THE CONVERSATION VALUE GENERATED BY INVENTIVE

ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCES.“THE REASON TO TALK”

CREATE BRAND MYTHOLOGY

THE AUTHENTIC, AND UNIQUE BRAND STORY THAT HAS THE

POWER TO EXCITE PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM CURIOUS

How do we Create a Brand Story for Kérastase Paris?

A NEW CLASS OF INFLUENCERS,

INDEPENDENT THINKERS AND DOERS THAT ARE NOT

AFRAID TO STAND OUT, EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY

WHILE LEAVING CLASSLESS LUXURY FOR DEAD

INNOVATORS WHO “THINK DIFFERENT”

ESTABLISH CULTURAL RELEVANCE

Creating the Brand Story

“In consumer culture people no longer consume for merely functional satisfaction, but consumption

becomes meaning-based, and brands are often used as symbolic resources for the construction and maintenance

of identity”*

5 Source: R. Elliot & K. Wattanasuwan, International Journal of Advertising, 1998

PURPOSE

THE REASON

YOU EXIST BEYOND

MAKING MONEY

(NEVER CHANGES)

GOALS

SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES THAT SUPPORT YOUR MISSION AND VISION

(1-5 YEARS)

THE STRATEGIC PYRAMID

MISSION

A MASTER PLAN

FOR CREATING VALUE

(5-20 YEARS)

VISION

A SHARED PICTURE

OF MISSION SUCCESS

(5-20 YEARS)

LIQUID AGENCY

Strategic Pyramid: The “What” of Brand Strategy

6 Source: The Liquid Agency, 2012

Google: To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible.

Coca-Cola: To refresh the world

PURPOSE VISIONJFK Space Program:

Put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s

Mount Gay Rum:

Become a Top 5 rum brand in the USA by 2018

Kérastase Paris:

To bring the culture and principles of skincare to the world of haircare.

Kérastase Paris: To become the innovation engine

for L’Oréal by 2020.

Creating the Brand Mythology and Ethos

Kérastase Paris is the ONLY _____that _____.

7 Source: “Zag” by Marty Neumeier, 2007

Kérastase Paris: What Makes It “The Only?”

ex - HARLEY DAVIDSONWHAT: The only motorcycle manufacturerHOW: that makes big, loud motorcyclesWHO: for macho guysWHERE: mostly in the USAWHY: who want to join a gang of cowboysWHEN: in an era of decreasing personal freedom

Creating the Brand Mythology and Ethos

Our research showed that the proliferation of media and products requires marketers to find new ways to get their brands included in the

initial-consideration set that consumers develop as they begin their decision journey. We also

found that because of the shift away from one-way communication—from marketers to

consumers—toward a two-way conversation, marketers need a more systematic way to

satisfy customer demands and manage word-of-mouth

8 Source: McKinsey & Co Marketing Insights, June 2009

Kérastase Paris’ Digital Strategy: Consumer Generated Ecosystem

Create a brand-equity-building Internet ecosystem utilizing social media, blogs and mobile to connect with target consumers. Enable brand connection by requesting

and posting consumer or influencer-generated content while Kérastase pushes content to consumers where they live, work and play.

Images Source: Tommy Ton’s Tumblr Blog + Zimbio.com

Establishing Cultural Relevance

Brand Platform: Is it just Fashion?What about partnering with innovative women who “think different” + “give back”

across all genres of culture and society?

Establishing Cultural Relevance

Leila JanahTory Burch

Marissa Mayer

Liya Kebede

“The old brand model, which advocated the creation of an external brand image to influence consumers,

is a thing of the past... brands must be better from the inside out. They must

embrace a cultural shift.”

11 Source: The Liquid Agency, Brand Culture White Paper, 2012

Consumer Target: The Rebels of the EliteInnovators who “Think Different” - A new class of influencers, independent thinkers and doers that are not afraid to stand out

and embrace authenticity while leaving classless luxury for dead.

Images Source: Tommy Ton’s Tumblr Blog

Brand Target Example

You've got to eat while you dream. You've got to deliver on short-range commitments, while you develop a long-range strategy and vision and

implement it. …success [is] …doing both.

13 Source: Jack Welch

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Consumer interviews reveal opportunity in the short term for consumer connection and growth

Source: Interviews with customers of high end salons

“ I love Kérastase. I think its products are amazing, but I stopped using it because the size of the package was too small based on how much it cost. I would prefer to pay more for a larger package that would last much longer.”

Former Kérastase consumer from

Blu Salon, Edgewater NJ

“ I know Kérastase is a very high quality product, but it has no personality to me.”Customer of a

high end salon in Northern NJ

“ I was going to use Kérastase but when I read the label I saw that it was made by L’Oréal. Then I became concerned that I was just getting a mass brand in fancy packaging.”

Customer of a high end salon in

New York City

“ It’s hard to trust your stylist enough to give them free reign to create whatever they feel is best. Looking at me and my friends, I’ve noticed that we only make big changes to our hair when something in our lives has changed. Marriage... baby... age...”

Customer of a high end salon in

Northern NJ

Additional Considerations

PR

Influencer

StrategicAlliances

TrainingMaterial

Packaging

CRM

Sampling

RetailTheater

Advertising

BrandExperience

Interactive

Kérastase Paris’Marketing Growth Drivers

Additional Considerations

Additional Information NeededStrategy and Execution must be informed by the

realities and circumstances the brand faces

• Historical volume and distribution levels with growth rates

• Brand performance vs. the competition

• Future projections and goals for the brand

• Kérastase’s consumer decision journey*... how well do we understand it?

Source: McKinsey & Co Marketing Insights; June 2009

Additional Considerations

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Thank You