July 20th 2009 was one of the most memorable days for all of us as it saw the felicitation ceremony for the winners of L‘Oréal Brandstorm. The competition which started in November had finally drawn to a close. Team Nouveau of SCMHRD emerged winners in Paris beating stiff com-petition from a total of 6,200 students belonging to 36 different countries. Earlier, the girls from SCMHRD had gone past the challenges from elite Indian B-schools such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIT/ SJMSOM Mumbai, two teams from NMIMS, Mumbai earlier this year in March and had booked their seat for the grand finale at France.
The highly coveted cup was brought home and it demanded nothing short of a celebration. On the much-awaited day of felicitation, SCMHRD was a sight to behold, with decked up halls and buildings plastered with posters of the winners.
Every year L‘Oréal, one of the pioneers in cosmetics industry, invites registrations from its partner B-schools and involves the marketing professors to coach and guide the teams through the competition. L‘Oréal Brandstorm‘ has gained popularity among B-school students as a global competition on branding and marketing communication that provides select B-schools an opportunity to work on brand building and creating marketing strategies. The teams had to analyse case study of a brand, which this year was Capital Soleil, VICHY Laboratories, Active Cosmetics Division, L‘Oréal.
The felicitation function was attended by Jacques Challes, Managing Director of L‘Oréal India. Mr. Jacques has been associated with L‘Oréal for 27 years and is responsible for the Group‘s activities in Consumer Products, Professional Products, Active Cosmetics and Luxury Divisions in the region. The event was also attended by Sujata Tyagi, Head of Human Resources L‘Oréal India, Rupika Raman, Brand manager Maybelline India and other members of the L‘Oréal family. The other attendees were Deep Vakharia, Project Manager McCann Erickson, Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Prof. K. S. Subramanian and staff and students of SCMHRD.
The event was kick-started by Mrs. Pratima Shorey, Head of COE Marketing, who briefed up the students about the competition, what it entailed and the hard work that went behind it. The introduction was followed by the chief of L‘Oreal speaking about the partnership that will embed between SCMHRD and L‘Oréal. Mr. Jacques quipped – “It was not only SCMHRD winning, It was India winning…” Dr Vidya Yeravdekar instilled a sense of pride by telling the students about how SCMHRD was transforming into a great institution. Then followed the moment that took everyone‘s breath away, when the three girls Shruti Jayaprakash, Priti Rajput and Hirachana Pandya of Team Nouveau delivered their winning presentation. The three girls, clad in the same pink sarees which they wore during the finale, mesmerized the audience (students, faculty and experts) with their brilliant idea of solid perfume flakes, to be used in their proposed brand. The advertising conceptualized by them was equally captivating. They spoke of their eventful journey and shared their wonderful experiences, to the mesmerized audience. The girls bowed to a standing ovation and were then felicitated by Mr. Jacques Challes. The event concluded with Prof. K. S. Subramanian‘s speech about the strong bond that SCMHRD and L‘Oréal will always share. He applauded his team saying it was a great example of substance and strategy.
In addition to the event, Maybelline had organized a fashion show and ten minute games at the SIU poolside preceding the ceremony. A fashion show competition was also conducted for the girls of SCMHRD. The students competed with one another and walked on the ramp to win goodie bags sponsored by L‘Oréal. Makeover counters were also set up for students who thought they needed a change or just wanted to experiment with their looks. Every student who participated was also awarded with gifts and hampers.
The evening summed up on a high note with a dinner buffet that had both parties promising to carry the partnership forward.