SINGAPORE, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- National University of Singapore (NUS) students Yeo Yin Hong, 21, Zaneta Tan, 21, and Fang Xiuxian, 23, emerged victorious at the L'Oreal Brandstorm 2013 National Finals. The business competition, widely regarded as one of the most prestigious marketing games in the world, is into its 12th edition in Singapore, and attracted the participation of 174 local university students across 58 teams. Teams worked through a gruelling four-month period to formulate a comprehensive business strategy within rigorous authentic scenarios.
The winning team - "Team Aurora" - will now move on to represent Singapore in the International Finals held in Paris on 20 June 2013. They will pit themselves against teams from 45 other countries to vie for the title of International Champions, which comes with an all-expenses-paid trip worth 10,000 euros to a destination of their choice. Singapore teams have traditionally performed well at the international edition of the competition - in 2011, a team from Nanyang Technological University emerged as the global champions.
"The L'Oreal Brandstorm competition opens opportunities for Singapore's youths to gain international exposure to global ideas. Students are challenged to come up with creative ideas, and translate these into innovative products," said Mr Christopher Neo, Managing Director of L'Oreal Singapore. "In the process, students are encouraged to take complete ownership of their ideas, beginning with the initial conceptualising of ideas right down to the final marketing strategies of their product."
In Brandstorm 2013, participants were tasked to assume the role of Head of ASEAN Hub, and develop and market a new product for the Group's flagship brand, L'Oreal Paris. Team Aurora impressed the judges with their proposal - Paradis Scalp Care - a scalp treatment range comprising an exfoliating gel and a scalp essence.
"The experience has been gruelling, but extremely satisfying. We spent countless nights refining and improving on our business ideas," said Tan. "But I'm glad we persevered, and we're all extremely excited to see our hard work pay off."
Other participants in the competition are not left out either. L'Oreal uses Brandstorm as an opportunity to recruit promising talent from all finalists.
"L'Oreal is excited to partner with our tertiary institutions to develop young talents through Brandstorm, and to offer outstanding candidates a chance to realise their potential with the group after graduation," said Ms Alice Lim, Human Resource Director of L'Oreal Singapore. "Brandstorm reaffirms L'Oreal's commitment to developing young talents, and serves as a testimony to the innovative approaches the company takes to recruit and engage new staff."
About L'Oreal Brandstorm
L'Oreal Brandstorm aims for the best students from around the world to experience invaluable professional experience through a multi-national leader in the beauty industry. The competition also enables the Group to identify and recruit talented undergraduates with relevant skills and competencies.
Since 2002, a total of 22 students from Brandstorm have been recruited under the Management Trainee programme at L'Oreal Singapore.
About Brandstorm 2013
A total of 174 students from leading local universities in Singapore worked in teams of three to develop and market a new product for the L'Oreal group's flagship brand - L'Oreal Paris. Participants were asked to take on the role of Head of ASEAN Hub, and challenged to propose a new product range and an appropriate marketing mix for their innovation. This process includes the development of product concept, design packaging, service model, and distribution channels, while identifying key competitors and outlining consumer expectations, needs, usage habits and trends.
To give participants an idea of professional standards and gain invaluable real-world experience, great lengths are taken to ensure an authentic business simulation environment. Students are given the opportunity to work with an international advertising agency, be mentored by L'Oreal Singapore's senior management team throughout the process, and interact with key management figures in the industry.
About L'Oreal
L'Oreal, the world's leading beauty 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 22.5 billion euros in 2012, L'Oreal employs 72,600 people worldwide. In 2013, the Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think-tank for business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, recognised L'Oreal as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. This is the fourth time that L'Oreal has received this distinction. For more information, visit www.loreal.com.
APPENDIX A: Results of L'Oreal Brandstorm 2013 Singapore
Champion:
Team Aurora - National University of Singapore
(Yeo Yin Hong, 21; Zaneta Tan, 21; Fang Xiuxian, 23)
1st Runner Up:
Team Adnormal - Singapore Management University
(Yang Zheng Han, 25; Ng Yanni, 22; Denise Leong, 22)
2nd Runner Up:
Team Magnifique - Nanyang Technological University
(Yan An, 20; Geng Li, 20; Zou Jingxi, 21)
Consolations:
Team Hairspray - National University of Singapore
(Hilda Chua, 23; Eilton Ho, 26; Lui Weijian, 24)
Team Ostrich - Singapore Management University
(Tok Pei Yi, 23; Jareth Koh, 27; Mabel Lim, 23)
Team Hairystorm - Nanyang Technological University
(Udaya Pinasthikaswasti, 24; Arif Adriyanto, 21; Pratiwi Ng, 23)
Best Speaker Award:
Geng Li, 20 (Team Magnifique - Nanyang Technological University)
MediaCorp Excellence Award:
Team Adnormal - Singapore Management University
(Yang Zheng Han, 25; Ng Yanni, 22; Denise Leong, 22)
APPENDIX B: Names of Judges for L'Oreal Brandstorm 2013 Singapore
