L'Oreal steps up internet marketing with new website

The cosmetics giant's site is to be officially released in January 2008 and will cover all of the company's product categories - skincare, haircare, hair colour, and cosmetics. The site will feature the company's tool for helping consumers make informed product choices from the l'Oreal Paris' product ranges, the "Can I Help You?' feature. The feature is interactive, asking users to answer a series of questions, the answers to which will be analysed by a computer algorithm before a suggestion is made to the user, according to the company. Additional information will also be available to the consumer, such as educational videos and expert tips on how to use the product concerned. Other features of the website include the Beauty Filter tool, which helps customers find the products they are looking for amongst the company's 1,100 offerings, said L'Oreal. Visitors can explore the product catalogue using different criteria, such as colour, age, product benefit and even the celebrity spokesperson representing the product. Indeed, the company's spokespeople play a large role in the new site, providing access to in-depth coverage and behind the scenes footage of stars such as Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria and Beyonce Knowles. According to the company, visitors will be able to "read biographies, watch videos, find out what inspires these extraordinary women, and learn how they get their looks"​, illustrating the company still places a high value on celebrity involvement. While celebrity endorsements have proved a money spinner for cosmetics manufacturers in recent years, the relationship between stars and firms is not always an easy one. In a recent case Teri Hatcher is being sued by cosmetics company Hydroderm for breach of contract as the company believes she has not been loyal to their brand by endorsing another company's products. Earlier this week Nicole Kidman responded quickly to claims that she had breached her contract with Chanel No. 5 by using other perfumes. The British newspaper the Daily Telegraph claimed that Kidman prefers Jo Malone's White Jasmine and Mint Scent to the Chanel No. 5 perfume that she is paid to endorse.