Key Takeaways:
In its drive to create more engaging experiences in the duty-free channel—through what L’Oréal Travel Retail (TR) calls “entertainment destinations” for travelers—the division has revealed details of its first-ever cross-category tie-up with a high-end brand in the drinks industry: Royal Salute Whisky owned by Pernod Ricard. The global beauty player also brought together a wider range of travel stakeholders for this major initiative.
The Royal Salute collab was specifically with the L’Oréal Paris Men Expert franchise, the objective being to expand men’s cosmetic reach through placement in predominantly male spaces in the airport such as premium alcohol retail environments. On Pernod Ricard’s side, the Paris-based drinks giant says its aim was to broaden its consumer base “through new, diverse touch points.”
The French duo’s test-run was a bar-inspired outpost in partnership with travel retailer King Power at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand, the world’s 11th busiest international hub which served 50.3 million passengers last year. To attract customers, the August event was driven by omnichannel experiences and technology. L’Oréal cites research showing that 47% of travelers “actively seek immersive experiences.” Younger travelers in particular want to create memorable moments that can be captured on their social feeds.
In a statement, the company said: “We are revolutionizing travel retail by creating unforgettable experiences and setting a new benchmark for shopper engagement in the channel.”
L’Oréal Men Expert’s Most Luxurious Line in Play
As part of the project, L’Oréal Paris focused on Men Expert Age Protect Anti-Aging Routine, a travel-exclusive set that represents the brand’s most luxurious offering. It is designed to sculpt, tighten, and rejuvenate the skin, and was used to entice passengers to pamper themselves.
L’Oréal TR, said, “This disruptive pop-up offers quick, complimentary hand massages to showcase the superior lightweight and non-oily texture of our Age Protect products. This experience demonstrates how high-quality skincare can be seamlessly integrated into a busy lifestyle.”
A multisensory nosing experience also encouraged men to explore the scent notes of L’Oréal Paris Men Expert Age Protect. Based on their preferred scent, travelers received a customized cocktail drink recipe, printed on a magnet memento. And from responses to a questionnaire, visitors could receive a customized skincare routine to take home. This initiative, said L’Oréal TR, might transform a quick stop into a sale, either at the airport or later in domestic stores.
The partnership culminated in an exclusive King Power lounge takeover where guests were invited to indulge in complimentary cocktails paying tribute to Royal Salute’s 21-year-old The Vintage Blend 2002 release, and inspired by the scent notes of the L’Oréal Paris Men Expert Age Protect line.
Breaking Category Boundaries
“By crafting unique experiences and unveiling novel touch points, this first-ever cross-category collaboration with Royal Salute and King Power in travel retail (shows how) we are continuously elevating and reshaping the traveler journey,” commented Jesus Abia, General Manager of L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific.
Antonio Duva, General Manager of Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Asia Pacific, added, “This collaboration reflects our commitment to breaking traditional category boundaries. By combining the worlds of luxury spirits, and beauty, we’re redefining how brands can connect across categories.”
Engaging All Stakeholders
Also for the first time in Thailand, L’Oréal Paris took a "pentarchy" approach by partnering with the airport landlord, Airports of Thailand (AOT); the retailer King Power; Bangkok Airways; Grab (the ride-hailing platform); plus travel-booking site Agoda; Meta (Facebook’s owner); and payment platform Alipay.
In this widened collaboration between brand, airport, retailer, airline, and media/tech players—supported by aviation tech company Sky ICT—L’Oréal TR reached passengers at every step along the passenger journey from pre-trip to in-transit and in-airport to maximize brand engagement.
The initiative used advanced data insights from Agoda’s booking data, King Power’s loyalty programs, and Meta’s targeting capabilities for precise engagement, offering more relevant recommendations to travelers based on their gender and nationality. Grab push notifications allowed for optimized, location-based promotions to build anticipation before arriving at the airport.
Boarding pass advertising and a premium airport shopping concierge service were some of the elements used to guide travelers to discover the L’Oréal Men Expert pop-up where its Age Perfect Age Defying Le Duo Serum was also available. The company claims the serum is clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles and boost firmness and radiance with peptides, vitamin B3, and vitamin C. Gamification was used with a “sure-win” blind-box play via Alipay offering various prizes with a minimum purchase.
Bachir Khater, L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific General Manager of the Consumer Product Division, described the activation as “a new era of consumer experience for global travelers.” He added, “We are just beginning to create a truly seamless, personalized, and rewarding journey in travel retail.”
While L’Oréal TR did not reveal the results of the activation, the location was well chosen: Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport saw passenger growth leap by 27% last year, lagging behind its pre-pandemic traffic by just 5%. In Asia Pacific, only South Korea’s Incheon International Airport and Singapore Changi are doing better, with both hubs back to around their 2019 passenger levels.
A new report on the travel retail channel from management consultancy Kearney—revealed at the recent TFWA show in Cannes, the annual global meeting point for the travel retail industry—said that Asia Pacific “is home to the world’s largest air traffic pool and a valuable travel retail base. However, the regional market declined year-on-year by 2% in terms of sales value.
The interregional pattern is fragmented, with the root of the contraction tied to lackluster consumer spending in Mainland China. Kearney notes that due to caution, “brands have also reduced promotional activities within regional airport hubs such as Seoul, Singapore, and Hong Kong.”
The L’Oréal TR initiative in Thailand therefore comes as a welcome move. It is not just radical when viewed by its ambitious approach of bringing in so many travel stakeholders. It also combines technology with cross-category collaboration, which has required significant investment. This shows the beauty house’s faith in the channel for the longer term—an important statement for other, smaller beauty players in the channel.
