Held from July through October, this exclusive collaboration centered around YSL Beauty’s 2024 ‘Summer Mirage’ campaign, featuring an eye-catching pop-up retail experience at Doha’s flagship airport.
L’Oréal envisions a bright future for travel retail and beauty, with increased travel interest and growth anticipated to 600 million new consumers by 2030. We aim to create unique and unforgettable experiences. The evolving retail landscape, driven by technology and omnichannel experiences, requires brands to constantly innovate. The traditional “trinity” ecosystem is transforming into a consumer-centric “pentarchy.”
This new model places the consumer at the heart of the ecosystem, surrounded and supported by brands, retailers, airports, airlines and digital partners, all working together to deliver personalized and engaging experiences. L’Oréal Groupe’s successful partnership with Qatar Duty Free and Qatar Airways at Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha, perfectly illustrates this new collaborative approach.
This pentarchy partnership marked a new benchmark in travel retail, with a first-of-its-kind activation in Qatar, showcasing a fully integrated ecosystem where airline, airport, retailer, brand and media collaborate to deliver a seamless and personalized consumer journey.
Held from July through October, this exclusive collaboration centered around YSL Beauty’s 2024 ‘Summer Mirage’ campaign, featuring an eye-catching pop-up retail experience at Doha’s flagship airport.
The campaign, fronted by YSL Beauty’s Global Ambassador Dua Lipa, blended the contrast of desert warmth with the refreshing allure of an oasis, capturing the essence of a summer escape and the hypnotic heat of the Moroccan desert.
The personalized consumer experience began prior to arrival at the airport by leveraging Qatar Airways’ expansive loyalty program.
Through a targeted CRM campaign, travelers were invited to experience the YSL Summer Mirage pop-up on arrival, promoting the exclusive campaign and driving excitement prior to their journey.
Upon arrival at the airport, YSL Beauty became a must-experience destination. Personalized digital out-of-home content, strategically placed throughout key areas of the airport, drove traffic to the pop-up. This was further amplified by the striking Libre and YSL Loveshine campaigns, each featuring a clear call to action.
Two hours before departure, all passengers traveling through Hamad International Airport received a notification from Qatar Airways’ mobile application, inviting them to visit the pop-up and receive a gift, with or without purchase, based on their loyalty status.
Upon entering the 65-square-meter Summer Mirage pop-up, travelers were immediately transported into a world of elevated beauty and immersive desert dreams, offering a cohesive and elevated experience at every touchpoint.
Travelers explored their favorite YSL fragrances through an interactive product table. They also experimented with their preferred makeup look via the Virtual Try-On app, which allowed them to try different styles before having them applied by a makeup expert.
Last but not least, travelers were able to personalize their gifts. They enjoyed UV printing of YSL designs on best-selling products, with an exclusive wrapped design inspired by the desert fantasy.
By blending YSL Beauty’s cutting-edge luxury with Qatar Airways’ interconnected environment, this collaboration redefined the boundaries of travel retail, leveraging brand connection at every step of the journey.
This collaborative partnership proved highly successful, delivering significant incremental value to the beauty category and allowing YSL Beauty to break new market share records. Crucially, leveraging data insights allowed to connect with consumers on a deeper level, contributing significantly to this value creation.
Mr Thabet Musleh, Chief Retail and Hospitality Officer at Qatar Airways Group, commented: “This partnership with YSL Beauty showcases what’s possible when an airline, airport, retailer, brand and media come together as one. We’ve developed the first-ever ‘pentarchy’ partnership in travel retail – delivering a unique, immersive experience that transforms travel into something truly unforgettable.”
“For the first time, this pioneering collaboration with Qatar Duty Free, Qatar Airways, and Hamad International Airport on this groundbreaking YSL Beauty campaign demonstrates how a truly holistic approach, can elevate the customer journey to new heights. We’re creating engaging brand experiences that connect with travelers on a deeper level. This is just the beginning of a new era for travel retail, and it’s incredibly exciting!” Emmanuel Goulin, L’Oréal Travel Retail President
