A social media brand comparison paper for my social media marketing strategy course.

1. Melissa Vuocolo
Mark 4450
October 19, 2016
A Brand Comparison Paper
L'Oreal Paris
vs.
Urban Decay

2. Table of Contents
2
Executive Summary......................................................................3
At First Blush, L'Oreal Paris..........................................................4
At First Blush, Urban Decay..........................................................5
Overall Social Media Presence.....................................................6
Social Mention...............................................................................7
Facebook......................................................................................8
The Color Palette, Facebook........................................................9
Twitter.........................................................................................10
The Color Palette, Twitter...........................................................11
Instagram....................................................................................12
The Color Palette, Instagram......................................................13
Pinterest......................................................................................14
The Color Palette, Pinterest........................................................15
YouTube......................................................................................16
The Color Palette, YouTube........................................................17
Mobile App..................................................................................18
Overall Winner............................................................................19

3. 3
Executive Summary
The global cosmetics industry has had its ups and downs, but within the last decade the industry has
taken a turn for the better while experiencing steady growth. Makeup and beauty tools used to be
thought of as a product for the glamorous, the vain, and the rich. While all of this is true, cosmetics are
now for everyone and when I say everyone I mean it. All ethnicities, income levels, and genders are
now consumers of these products. Expansion is a word that encompasses the industry. The number of
cosmetic companies are expanding while already established brands are expanding their product lines
and availability. Cosmetics can now be purchased at any department store, specialty store, big-box
retailer, convenience store, and through brands online websites. This is a 60-billion-dollar industry with
over 70 brands in the United States alone. With that much competition it can be hard to see how brands
can continue to emerge, grow, and profit. This paper will take a look at two cosmetic brands, who have
found success in this industry, and how they stack up against each other.
Meet Your Makeup Artists
It is no secret that L’Oreal is the world leader in makeup and beauty. The company owns over
32 international brands and are easily recognized by many. The two brands I will be
comparing are both subsidiaries of L’Oreal, more specifically L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics and
Urban Decay Cosmetics. Even though these two brands share a parent company, they are
still competitors and have completely separate marketing teams, strategies, and campaigns.

4. At First Blush
L'Oreal Paris
The Story
Because You're Worth It
It all started back in 1909 when a chemist named Eugene decided to patent his
formulation of non toxic hair dye. The rest is history, literally. L’Oreal has gone on to
become the largest beauty brand through extensive research and strategic
acquisitions.
This is of course the brands legendary phrase. These words have become timeless
and what the brand stands for. It was written in 1973, during a social revolution and
new wave of feminism, by a copywriter named Ilon Specht. The slogan was an
immediate hit. L’Oreal says that today around 80% of women recognize and respond
to this positive phrase. The brand now lives by these words and incorporates their
meaning into action every day through the company’s products, philanthropy, and
empowerment of women.
4

5. At First Blush
Urban Decay
Beauty With An Edge
Does Pink Make You Puke?
Urban Decay is like L’Oreal’s sexier, more hip sister. The brand is decades younger,
finding its start in the mid- ‘90s. They wanted to shake up the sameness of the pink, red
and beige colors that made up the prestige beauty market. Breaking up this monopoly,
Wende Zomnir and her friends released a line of lipsticks and nail enamels inspired by
dodgier features of the urban landscape. The vibe, as they like to call it, since day one has
been beauty with an edge. This cosmetic brand is unlike any other. Don’t believe me?
Wende, the brands Co-founder and CCO test runs every single product the company
produces. No, this does not mean putting a full face on in the morning and then seeing
what it looks like after work. Wende puts these products through the ultimate test by
wearing full makeup while she snowboards, surfs, and does hot yoga. Wende describes
herself as beauty obsessed, but her philosophy on makeup, which has carried into Urban
Decay’s message, is about self-expression and showing the world who you are, not hiding
your flaws. Wende has always been a girl boss and in the beginning mixed nail polish and
assembled press kits in her Laguna Beach bungalow.
This was the concept in the early days of UD, which led to
shade names like Smog, Rust, Oil Slick, and Acid Rain.
5

6. Overall Social Media Presence
6

7. Social Mention
Social Mention is a useful platform to assess the sentiment of a brand.
The website pulls in data to give a “real time” analysis of any brand you
choose. I have pulled several sentiment analyses and the one to the left
seems to reflect the average results L’Oreal Paris receives. For strength
of the brand, which is the likelihood the brand is being talked about
across various social platforms, L’Oreal Paris is 39%. That is a decent
percentage for the brand. The percentage for passion is a respectable
number as you do not often see percentages close or anywhere near
100. On the lower end for the brand is reach. The reach or brand
influence shows that there are not as many unique mentions of the
brand. Overall brand sentiment is pretty good. The sentiment ratio
reveals that a majority of people talking about L’Oreal Paris are doing so
in a positive way.
According to Social Mention numbers, passion is Urban Decay’s greatest
strength. With a passion score of 61%, the brand is succeeding in creating a
sense of community and promoting their values of self-expression.
Sentiment wise the brand is also doing very well. With an 8 to 1 ratio users
are not only talking about the brand, but sharing highly positive thoughts. As
far as reach, this is an area of improvement for the brand. Yet, depending on
context and the real time data Social Mention delivers, this could
significantly change depending what is going on in the world on that day.
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8. Facebook
o Followers: 24,564,524
o People Talking About This: 83,848
o Highlights: Posts on a daily basis, current
#womenofworth campaign
o Contours: Does not illicit fan engagement,
does not reply or takes too long to reply to
comments
I believe that L’Oreal Paris’ Facebook is
very well developed and their strongest
platform. I suspect this is due to the fact that
their customers are generally in an older
demographic that has a larger presence on
FB. It is clear from scrolling through the last
few months that L’Oreal uses a photo rich
content strategy. Their current, ongoing
campaign is #womenofworth. This campaign
features an inspirational woman every day.
The woman with the most likes receives 35K
towards the charity of her choosing. This
campaign is a great way for L’Oreal to form a
great relationship with their customers by
empowering women and giving to charity. If
L’Oreal wanted to improve their Facebook
presence they should focus on creating
posts that facilitate conversation with their
fans.
o Followers: 3,100,662
o People Talking About This: 28,398
o Highlights: Photo rich posts, Posts several
times a day, replies to comments quickly
o Contours: Too much product promotion and not
enough content, posts are often lengthy
Urban Decay’s Facebook presence is strong,
but overall is likely their weakest platform. They
do a great job of posting at least once every day
and their posts ranges from video tutorials,
product promotions, and behind the scenes
videos of their HQ. Even though they have a
strong following they do not receive as many
likes, comments and shares on their posts as I
would expect. Posting about trending topics or
even trying promoted posts could help them out in
this area. If Urban Decay wanted to improve their
Facebook presence they should think about
including more engaging content that enables fan
interaction.
While both brands are doing a great job utilizing this platform, I would argue
that L’Oreal Paris is just one step ahead. They essentially share the same
types of posts including tutorials and product promotions. L’Oreal edges out
the competition by consistently sharing people not just product.
8

9. The Color Palette
Facebook
L'Oreal Paris
Urban Decay
9

10. Urban Decay’s Twitter is considerably stronger than L’Oreal Paris’. This is evident in the
actual numbers as well as creativity and thoughtfulness. To expand their use of this
platform, L’Oreal could easily create fresher content to encourage retweets and
engagement. It is clear that UD wants to not only create friendships with their followers,
but also encourage their followers to interact with each other.
Twitter
o Followers: 400,632
o Highlights: Fun and trendy hashtags,
retweets content from relevant accounts
o Contours: Tweets do not differ much from
FB posts, does not often tweet followers
L’Oreal has a lot of room for
improvement when it comes to this platform
as it is not being used to its full potential.
However, they do a great job of using
hashtags that are relevant and trendy. This
will help to increase their amount of
retweets since currently, retweets are
almost non-existent on their page. The
number one cosmetics company in the
world should be averaging more than 5
retweets per post. I believe this is due to
most of the posts being simplified versions
of their Facebook posts. Consistency
across platforms is great, but there is
always room for creativity and new strategy.
L’Oreal has posted significantly more
tweets than Urban Decay, but continues to
lag behind in followers, retweets, and
overall engagement.
o Followers: 919,948
o Highlights: Tweets back to customers for
complaints and for pure conversation
o Contours: Content is unoriginal when
compared to FB
This is one of Urban Decay’s strongest
social platforms. The majority of the tweets
have high levels of retweets, favorites and
replies from followers. The strategic
approach is extremely unique. Tweets
reflect the Urban Decay vibe as a whole
rather than solely just products, but the
product promotion is equally just as strong.
Urban Decay will tweet engaging questions,
product picks of employees and influencers,
creative new product announcements, and
fun posts that have nothing to do with
makeup, like tacos on national taco day.
They do not tweet as much as L’Oreal, but
they make up for it in replies. Not only will
they reply to customer complaints, but they
also actively converse with followers about
products, food, and even wish Happy
Birthday’s.
10

11. The Color Palette
Twitter
L'Oreal Paris
Urban Decay
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12. Instagram
o Followers: 2,675,772
o Average Likes Per Post: 19.7K
o Average Comments Per Post: 70
o Highlights: Variety in posts, features
products along with video tutorials and
pictures of Paris
o Contours: Posts seem are very repetitive
Instagram is definitely not L'Oreal's strongest
platform. However, the pictures they post are
beautifully shot and feature striking makeup
looks, picturesque nature views, and
breathtaking photos of the Eiffel Tower.
L'Oreal generally targets a slightly older
audience than Urban Decay, but it is clear
from their captions that they are trying to
reach out to the younger generations. Do I
think it is working? Frankly no, I do not. The
captions make it seem like they are trying too
hard to be hip and trendy by throwing in as
many buzzwords or millennial slang terms as
they can. If they really want to increase their
following and engagement they need to stop
trying to be something they are not.
o Followers: 6,652,761
o Average Likes Per Post: 61.2K
o Average Comments Per Post: 270
o Highlights: Feed is bright and fun, posts
feature popular celebrities and social media
influencers
o Contours: Lack of interaction with followers
Urban Decay's Instagram is #GOALS. Their
posts feature beautiful pictures of the products
along with swatches, video tutorials, and re-
grams of their followers. Instagram is where the
majority of their target market is and they are
making the most of that, which is evident in
the number of likes and comments per post.
Every post is extremely aesthetically pleasing
and their captions are clever and relevant. It
was hard for me to find areas of improvement,
but I did notice that they did not often interact
with followers in the comment section. Urban
Decay's edgy vibe truly comes through on this
platform and their content continues to capture
the attention of their audience.
Both brands have beautifully designed feeds that instantly capture your attention.
However, when you look past the pretty pictures and focus on strategy, it is clear
that Urban Decay is several steps ahead. The content they post is unique,
creative, and varied. L'Oreal comes across as trying too hard while Urban Decay
makes it look effortless.
12

13. The Color Palette
Instagram
L'Oreal Paris
Urban Decay
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14. Pinterest
Followers: 29,153
Highlights
Inspired Eyes Board- "All the eyeshadow,
eyeliner and mascara to lock them in your
gaze. These are the colors for can’t-look-
away."
Beautiful Travel Board- "Gorgeous travel
destinations from around the globe to
inspire eyes and minds."
Followers: 106,435
Highlights
Eyes Board- "From the perfect smoky to
effortless winged liner, this board has
you covered with eye looks for every
occasion."
UD Halloween Board- "Whether you're
feeling Feminine, Dangerous, Fun (or
all 3!) We've got the step-by-step to
creating the perfect Halloween look."
L'Oreal's Pinterest is a perfect mixture of
beauty and inspiration. Marketing the Paris
aspect of the brand name are boards such
as "Chic Looks for the Parisienne",
"French Fare", and "Paris, Je T'Aime". My
favorite board has to be "Beauty Truths",
which is a curation of beauty quotes that
will either inspire you or give you a good
laugh. My only suggestion would be to
create new boards for different times of the
year. I would love to see a Fall or
Halloween inspired board.
Cohesive. That is the word that comes
to mind when looking at Urban Decay's
Pinterest page. I was happy, but not at
all surprised, to see a Halloween board.
The board shows off the edgier side of
the brand with tutorials ranging from
zombies to unicorns. My suggestion for
UD would be to include more boards
that are not product focused as L'Oreal
has.
Urban Decay's Pinterest has a slight upper hand on L'Oreal. While both brands
appeal to their audience with artistically driven images and makeup inspiration,
Urban Decay not only succeeds in followers, but also in execution. The overall
cohesiveness of their boards and the exciting themes give them a slight edge over
their competition.
14

15. The Color Palette
Pinterest
L'Oreal Paris
Urban Decay
15

16. YouTube
o Subscribers: 75,245
# of videos: 452
Total # of Views: 43,753,443
o Subscribers: 85,271
# of videos: 178
Total # of Views: 6,015,482
I first noticed that L'Oreal had a lot of videos
uploaded on their account. The videos range
from hair and makeup tutorials to videos
promoting their Women of Worth campaign.
The content being posted is great, but L'Oreal
is not getting as many views as they could. I
have two recommendations. My first would be
to actually lengthen the videos. Most of their
videos are under a minute and while it is
smart to keep the videos short, I feel as
though adding just a minute or two would
allow them to post better content and receive
more views. My second recommendation
would be to include more influencers. The
beauty guru community on youtube is huge
and has a massive following. A collaboration
with these influencers could be just what
L'Oreal needs to get more eyes on their
videos.
Urban Decay has once again proven that they
really know what they are doing when it comes
to social media. Their YouTube channel may
lag behind L'Oreal's in regards to the number of
videos and total views, but they make up for it
in content, subscribers, and views per video.
What first stood out to me about UD's videos
were their thumbnails. They were colorful,
included people's faces, and if they were
tutorials, they showed the end result. UD is
doing exactly what I want L'Oreal to. Every few
videos I saw a well known beauty guru as the
thumbnail; it is easy to see why Urban Decay
has, on average, more views per video. Urban
Decay's videos give off a sense of being more
personal, in fact their latest upload is an AMA
with co-founder Wende Zomnir. I actually want
to sit down and watch these videos and I did
not have that same feeling when looking at
L'Oreal's channel.
I am sure it is already crystal clear who the winner of this platform is. Urban Decay has
been posting videos for the past three years, while L'Oreal has been posting for the
past six, and yet UD is hitting higher numbers when it comes to what counts, video
views and subscribers. I do believe that L'Oreal has a lot of potential and by taking into
consideration my recommendations, they could be just as successful.
16

17. The Color Palette
YouTube
L'Oreal Paris
Urban Decay
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18. Mobile App
L'Oreal Paris
Urban Decay
I absolutely love when brands have mobile apps,
especially when it involves makeup. L'Oreal's app is
called Makeup Genius and it allows users to try on
makeup looks using their products. I played around
inside the app and it has some really cool features.
You can either create your own look or if you need
some help, you can pick from ready-to-wear looks
curated by makeup artists. In my opinion the best
part of the app is that once you select your makeup it
moves with you in real time, similar to a snapchat
filter. After you are done playing around with different
looks you have the option to buy the products you
used, straight from the app.
Urban Decay's app is called Vice Lipstick and it is
somewhat similar to the previous. However, in this
app you can only try on their Vice Lipsticks, hence
the name. The app allows you to take a photo of
yourself and then select from their large line of
lipsticks. If you find a shade that you like you are
able to swipe right to save them to look at later. It is
almost like Tinder, but for lipsticks! A cool feature of
this app is that it allows you to create an album of
your favorites and share it with friends. Your friends
can then vote on which shade they like the best on
you. The Urban Decay app also lets you make in-
app purchases.
Both brands have very similar mobile apps as far as interface. I would have to say
L'Oreal's app has a few features that set it apart from Urban Decay's. I enjoyed the
snapchat filter like appearance of L'Oreal's as opposed to simply taking a picture on the
Urban Decay app. L'Oreal had more positive reviews in the app store than Urban Decay
did and L'Oreal offers the app for both iPhone and Android while Urban Decay only
offers an iPhone version.
18

19. L'Oreal Paris and Urban Decay are both incredible beauty brands that seek to empower and instill
confidence in women all over the world. They both connect with women across multiple platforms and
both excel at what they do. In the context of the content marketing evolution both brands fall in the same
area on the continuum, in between the fourth and fifth stage. Both still have a little ways to go before truly
reaching the end of the evolution, but are very close to where they should be, with Urban Decay just
slightly more evolved. Urban Decay has used social media strategy and creative content to push
themselves just ahead of L'Oreal in gaining their target audiences attention. Their social media strategy
across all platforms really helps take the company ahead of competitors. Urban Decay's strongest
platforms are Instagram and YouTube. They truly understand the platform and what the customer is
looking for. Apart from appealing, vibrant photos, UD strives to motivate their followers through inspiring
quotes, artistic product shots, and unique ways of making cosmetics more than just a morning routine.
They understand how to appeal and capture the attention of their diverse following. Urban Decay
legitimately grasps how to leverage content and current trends, whether that be on YouTube with tent-
pole videos around upcoming holidays like Halloween or on their Instagram featuring relevant beauty
gurus. Urban Decay has lived up to their vibe of being edgy and is often the makeup brand that attracts
the most attention in a sea of sameness. No matter what digital platform you are on, Urban Decay is
there with originality and branding consistency. On their Vice Lipstick app, the customer can experiment
with products, share with friends, which creates e-word of mouth, and purchase their favorites
easily. Overall, Urban Decay understands their fans and has leveraged their social strategy to reflect this.
Although this was a close race, I sincerely believe that Urban Decay comes out on top in this brand
comparison.
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