LOreal
...th sold under the same sales force. This must be taken into consideration considering that L'Oreal has products in both hair colorants (Recital) and in skin care (Plenitude). L'Oreal's strategy is to "trickle down" technology over time from high-end outlets like department stores to mass-markets, such as drugstores. The mass market brand Plenitude has become the market leader in France, but even eight years after introduction in the United States, the product continues to lose money. The case presents qualitative market research data to enable students to diagnose the problem and develop an action plan. Includes color exhibits. Better than to believe a lotion could turn back time. But two years ago, when a few fine wrinkles appeared above her lip, she decided to dip into the plain little jar of Creme de la Mer at the Neiman Marcus counter. Impressed that it was created by a NASA scientist, she paid a lot—$85 for a 1-oz. jar—and is happy to keep on paying. The pesky lines haven't gone away. But they also haven't got worse. And now she sounds like the saleslady who first hooked her on the product. "You should see my skin;' she raves. "For somebody 44, it looks good." Most of us don't expect the fountain of youth when we slather on a face cream at night. After all, we've grown up with fantastical claims from the cosmetics industry that never seem to pan out. But suddenly the cosmetics counters are arrayed with dozens of new products that promise really and truly to reduce the signs of aging. The difference is that this time around, there may be som...