Inspirational Owners: March 2006

Olay

OLAY is one of the best known and loved beauty and skincare brands the world over. Michael Kuremsky, Global Olay General Manager and Franchise Leader for the Procter & Gamble Company, shares his Lovemarks insights.

Lovemarks: What do you think people are looking for in beauty products in this day in age?

Michael Kuremsky: Women are more sophisticated and proud of their own femininity today than ever before, and because of that, she expects a lot from the products she uses. She wants them to perform and give her a real benefit, but also allow her to express her own individuality. She’s not interested in conforming to a pre-set standard or ideal.

LMKS: Why do you think consumers love Olay? What do you think sets it a part from comparative products on the market?

MK: Women love Olay because we give them a real, noticeable benefit that transforms their skin. We help her to go from just liking her skin, to truly loving it. And in that way, we help her to transform herself and her spirit.

LMKS: How do you relate the ideas of Love and Respect to the way your business works from day to day?

MK: Loyalty and Respect come from our proven product performance and experience, as well as our distinctive, enjoyable packaging. The Love stems from our commitment to understanding her - her skin needs and who she is as a woman. This understanding helps us create the right products and, we believe, the communication that uniquely connects to her and her life.

LMKS: Do you have any examples of how you use ‘story telling’ to add Mystery to your business?

MK: Over the years, Olay has attracted a very loyal following and, interestingly, is a brand that’s been ‘passed down through the generations.’ It’s not uncommon to hear a woman tell the story of her mother’s, and even grandmother’s, strikingly beautiful skin and recall ‘Oil of Olay’s’ Pink Beauty Fluid being a staple on their vanities.

LMKS: Can you identify how one of the five senses – or a combination or interplay of more than one – connects most strongly with your product or service?

MK: Olay’s product design stimulates both touch aesthesis and visual results. It starts with the packaging that, with its smoothness and curves, is delightful to hold and to dispense. Then it’s the way the drop of product feels on the fingertips and the sensation of the product as it glides across the skin and then absorbed. Her skin is left feeling unbelievably smooth and satisfied. This daily experience becomes a love affair, enabling the long term use needed for the chronic skin benefits to happen, and creating the real skin change that she can see for herself.

LMKS: Aside from your own company, there may be other businesses operating in other categories that you consider have the edge it takes to be a ‘Lovemark In Action’. Can you name 2 or 3 other companies, and what you Love or Respect most about them?

MK: Without question, Apple’s i-Pod. Functionally, it makes it easier for people to enjoy their music. But combined with its simple understated design, it’s become a cultural icon that can immediately bond two strangers who have nothing more than this shared experience in common. And recently, Sudoku. Fascinating! It captures mental stimulation and fun, which is often considered disparate things. It’s appealing to all different kinds of people and bridges the young and the old. And although it’s essentially the same game with the same numbers, it’s different every time you play. It’s mysteriously addictive; you can’t help but get hooked.

LMKS: Name 5 of your Lovemarks.

MK: Kenneth Cole, Disney, Olympics, MINI, Target