Caroline Lane created a website for an innovative software company called FetPS to help small businesses. She identified key problems small businesses have with software and set objectives for the website to get attention, explain how the product works, and build credibility. She designed the website structure with different sections and helped create content. The website was published. For a class, Caroline analyzed L'Oreal's communication strategy for entering the men's anti-aging market. Initially, L'Oreal used similar strategies as for women, which did not address men's unique barriers. A new campaign featuring Hugh Laurie was more effective by spending time on insights, using unconventional styles, and building closeness to overcome relevance issues for men

1. Caroline S. Lane
Work Samples

2. Caroline Lane
Creation of www.fetps.fr
What is FetPS: An innovative software company
for small businesses.
What I did for them:
1) Identified problems:
- Decision makers in small businesses tend to
believe that all software products are the
same, that people working with computers
are « liars », so it is very difficult to engage
them. Sofware is often consider a waste of
time and money.
- As the product is different from everything that
exists, it is not easy to make people
understand how it works.
- Businesses tend to trust big groups with
established reputations more than start-
ups.
2) Set Objectives for the website:
- Get potential clients attention and interest.
- Make them understand how the product works,
and what the main advantages of the solution
are.
- Build credibility for the team, the company and the
product.
Samples 2013

3. Caroline Lane
3) Designed the website structure:
- A Home Page to get client interest: a teaser
with consumer insights and key selling
points.
- A « How it Works » section to make visitors
understand product specs divided into 4
themes plus an demo page.
- An « About Us » section to build credibility.
- « Contact Us » section to develop leads.
4) Helped with content creation
- Created a slideshow with key selling points
and consumer insights for the home
page.
- Used existing product description and key
selling points develop the « How it
Works» section.
- Reviewed the « How it Works» section with
the product developers and integrated
key words for SEO.
3) Created and Published
the Website
Creationof www.fetps.fr
Samples 2013

4. Caroline Lane
Communication Strategy Analysis
Why I did this: For my Integrated Marketing
Communication class.
The requirement: Analyzing a brand
communication on the anti-aging products
industry.
The angle: Analyzing how L’Oréal developed
new communication patterns to address the
men’s market with products already
existing for women.
Outcome:
- Highlighting the importance of
communication for conquering new
markets.
- Highlighting the importance of a
thorough analysis of the market and
a precise brief before launching a
communication campaign.
- Highlighting the importance of
developing consistent
communication across all media
channels.
Samples 2013

5. Caroline Lane
Communication Strategy Analysis
Women already sense the 3 first steps. The brand doesn’t have to convince them that appearance matters.
Brands can thus play on brand awareness, brand credibility, and brand superiority in their communication. Men
on the other hnd probably won’t acknowledge step one. Thus brands face a relevance problem and have to
convince men of the first steps before moving further on the ladder.
[…]
L’Oréal Anti-Aging early communication toward men
Using the traditional anti-aging patterns
We chose to study early copies from L’Oreal on the anti -ageing men’s market because we noticed that the style
of communication shifted completely between the first anti-aging ads for men and the more recent ads.
A specific consumer barrier: Relevance
With a well developed cosmetic and fashion market, women are used to being told that their looks matters.
Women are constantly addressed with make-up, perfume, specialized shampoo, moisturizer, hair color products,
body moisturizer and slimming products commercials. It is accepted for women to pursue an ideal: beautiful
smooth skin with no wrinkles, young appearance, nice hair and a trendy look. Friends, communities and
magazines are available to give thousands of tips to reach that goal and so are brands.
However, the men’s market is very different and cosmetic marketers face a new challenge in addressing men.
The usual cosmetic products advertised to men are limited to aftershave, shampoo, and cologne.
Let’s consider the following communication/insight ladder for cosmetics:
A Shift in the Anti-aging products Industry: A new
communication style to address the men market
The Example of L’Oréal Men Expert
Samples 2013

6. Caroline Lane
Communication Strategy Analysis
In its first communication efforts toward men, L’Oréal used patterns very close to those used in the women’s
market and didn’t really address the relevance barrier we just identified.
Video clip commercial: Vitalift starring Pierce Brosnan
[…]
Efficiency
We think in its first communication attempts, L’Oréal fails to overcome the relevance barrier. What is mostly
wrong is probably not the execution but the brief itself. Target, barriers and insights seem not to have been
clearly identified.
As a result the commercial is not really impactful because it is constructed very much as a women’s usual anti-
aging commercial (same structure, means, color codes). This rhetoric is very traditional and is the one used for
women which makes it difficult to get men’s attention. The risk is that most men don’t recognize themselves as
the target and won’t even listen to the message.
A New Communication Strategy
L’Oreal Men Expert recently changed its communication strategy, including anti-aging communication strategy,
with the release of the new VitaLift 5 TV Commercial
The new L’Oreal Men Expert VitaLift 5 campaign starring Hugh Laurie is based on a TV commercial for which
a series of 5 teasers “What’s happening to Hugh?” were released on the web. There is also a print campaign
using photos of Hugh Laurie for which a “Behind the Scenes” clip has been made and published on the “What’s
happening to Hugh” clips: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5
[…]
Breaking the codes: Key to success
•
Codes really contrast with what is usual in the industry. The dominant color in the beginning is black. The
rhythm is very unusual. The whole first part of the commercial is an insight (surprise of getting old, all remedies
doubtfully considered). This is followed by a testimonial of Hugh Laurie with a demonstration of the product’s
benefits which ends up on a fun note.
The tone of the actor’s voice is powerfully used. One can actually hear surprise and then doubt in Hugh
Laurie’s voice when he states his insights, which produce closeness to the consumer.
More than half of the commercial is spent on consumer insights, which is consistent with the aim to fight the
relevance barrier. The insights are cut in very short statements backed up with different soundtrack and images
from very different environments. This gives a unique rhythm to the commercial and gives a dynamic
impression. The product is then presented in a few seconds followed by the benefits. Each benefit is backed up
by a powerful image (smooth= girlfriend kiss; firm= tenters; revitalized= car acceleration).
Samples 2013

7. Caroline Lane
Communication Strategy Analysis
The commercial ends on a cliché with Hugh Laurie saying “This is not a cliché”. This emphasizes the brands
fun personality by using auto-derision. The discourse type use is clearly pathos (fear from growing old, fear
being ridiculous, desires and dreams).
Efficiency
The choice of the icon, the chosen creative route, the codes and the structure of the ad are all consistent with
the aim to build on closeness and fight the relevance barrier.
We can already see this is a very carefully planned commercial, very well thought out, very coherent and
consistent with the objectives of the brand.
[…]
Consistency in the communication of L’Oreal Men Expert
This campaign is constructed on the same structure as other Men Expert campaigns. The global strategy of
L’Oréal Men Expert is to use fun and exaggeration in their communication. Hair color products’
communication is made on the same basis: Patrick Dempsey’s testimonial and exaggeration about the benefits
are used. Three benefits are stated with no direct link to looking better or younger. The fact that “undetectable”
is a benefit backs up our theory that men don’t want to use cosmetic products for social reasons. This is once
again what L’Oreal is trying to address. (Examples of this campaign’s video clips are here: The Journalist,
Joggeuse, Essayage , The small change that make a big difference).
Anti-aging and hair color products are sold as a range extension of far more usual products for men: deodorant,
shaving products, etc. For those products L’Oreal uses the code of the industry mixed with their own codes
(One famous brand ambassador per range, the same color range, way the stars are dressed and look), which
makes the global communication for the brand consistent. Thus products as anti-aging and hair color can
benefit from the manly aura of the more traditional male products within the brand.
So the new copy is all the more efficient in that it takes advantage of the existing brand equity and contributes
to building the brand value.
One drawback of this campaign is the few amounts of printed ads published. We have gone through numerous
issues of the following magazines: l’express, Le Nouvel Obs, GQ, Men Health, Têtu, L’optimum; without
finding one print ad for L’Oreal Men Expert VitaLift. The product was not once cited as a recommendation
from the magazine in the “consumption” pages.
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8. Caroline Lane
Facebook Page
Why I did this: To apply for an international marketing
position in a French start up called « Michel et Augustin »,
while learning more about facebook pages and using some
of my marketing communication skills.
The idea: Promote the brand with mascot that represents
it, the cow. Create a buzz by inviting the « raving fans »
community to participate in online and live events.
Promotion:
- « where do you want the cow to go? » : facebook poll.
- «I welcome the cow in my city » : I would have sent the
cow to people so they can take pictures and post them
online. I would have sent Michel and Augustin samples to
increase the brand friendliness.
Samples 2013