A Publicity Storm For L'oreal

As the nations sweetheart, Cheryl Cole is rarely seen to put a foot wrong or have a hair out of place

. But the X Factor judge suffered a bad hair day recently after fans accused her of misleading them in a national publicity campaign for hair care brand LOreal. Media relations have since proven vital in combating the unwanted publicity storm surrounding the campaign for the new Elvive Full Restore 5 range after it emerged that Cole sported hair extensions for the TV commercial to give her hair more volume and bounce. Fans were outraged that their favourite star could dupe them in this way; after all, it would prove almost impossible for buyers to achieve the same full-bodied look out of a bottle.

LOreal has faced considerable criticism over fakery in its advertising in the not so distant past. In 2007, the company was condemned for producing misleading mascara adverts featuring Penelope Cruz. The TV and magazine adverts claimed that women could have up to 60 per cent longer eyelashes with its Telescopic mascara. It later emerged that Cruz was wearing individual false eyelashes in the ads for Telescopic, and the company was forced to include disclaimers during its advertisements making such issues clear.

The public rely on honest and straightforward communication, which LOreal claimed to have adhered to by including such a disclaimer during the Elvive Full Restore 5 advert stating that Coles hair was styled with some natural extensions, however consumers complained that this was insufficient as the message only remains onscreen for two seconds of its 30-second duration. The Advertising Standards Agency rejected 13 complaints that the ads were misleading because the message regarding Coles extensions was clear and legible.

It is the job of public relations experts to carefully manage such scenarios without letting the situation get out of hand and damage the brands reputation. A good PR agency proved essential for restoring public confidence in LOreal. Although the initial damage had already been done, it was still possible to turn around the fortunes of the new range by successfully communicating what has since been done to improve the situation. Coles constant presence in the national press ensured that once she had removed her hair extensions, photos of her perfectly styled shorter locks were top of the news agenda. LOreal and Cole were off the hook thanks to effective crisis management.

Cole was clearly picked to promote the range for her celebrity status rather than her naturally luscious locks. Many question why advertisers no longer choose models to market their products who are naturally blessed with the attribute their product supposedly enhances. Showing off what a product can do for average consumers is a marketing technique which worked wonders for Dove with its Campaign for Real Beauty, dedicated to creating thought provoking ads, confidence-building programmes, and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty. This could lend LOreal more credibility, but probably wouldnt have the same impact on sales and doesnt match the brands glamorous image. Instead, people are fooled into believing that buying LOreal products will make them look like Beyonce Knowles or Eva Longoria.

Despite the negative publicity, with Cole as global brand ambassador for Elvive Full Restore 5, there was next to no chance of it failing. Value sales of the new range, which were about 10,000 at the start of September, reached upwards of 250,000 by the end of November the height of the controversy effectively demonstrating the power of celebrity endorsement. What was an intelligent PR move by Cole was an equally smart marketing move by LOreal.

by: Katie111

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