DALLAS, Jul 23, 2004/ FW/ --- In a business where “looks is everything,” Lancôme, the third leading luxury beauty brand in the world is on the cutting edge. Launching its Fall 2004 global advertising campaign, the cosmetics giant is breaking new grounds in publicity and promotions.

The ultra-glamorous and artistic new print campaign is designed to spark a personal connection with women through its exceptional macro-photography camera-work; eye-popping colors; clear and concise vocabulary; and products that showcase what they are and what they do.

"Extensive research in the US led us to this new advertising approach," said Odile Roujol, Deputy General Manager of Lancôme in a statement.

"Lancôme advertising now puts products center-stage, where they are clearly showcased with succinct copy about product innovation, performance and benefits. The captivating visuals are extremely upscale and breathtakingly beautiful; the entire campaign is consistent with French-style luxury and helps to position Lancôme as the cutting-edge, trailblazing beauty brand that it is," Roujol added.

The US$300 million campaign was created through a partnership between Paris-based Agence 133, a newly created arm of Publicis Worldwide, and Lancome's International and US marketing teams.

Agence 133, an agency specifically dedicated to luxury market advertising, is an art lab that shakes up traditional boundaries between professions to offer luxury brands unique ways to communicate to their audience.

"Lancôme is always evolving as a brand," said Edgar Huber, President of The Luxury Products Division, L'Oreal USA in the same statement. "We know the importance of keeping our image fresh and as a leading luxury brand we have an obligation to continuously surprise, astonish and reinvent. This new campaign clearly conveys the current image of Lancôme."

The message of the campaign conveys a very personal approach to beauty, establishing an emotional connection between the brand and women through 1.) a handwritten signature 2.) the use of the first person in the copy: "I" and "my" and 3.) the intimacy of close-up photography.

This new advertising style also offers more creative options for Lancôme: some of the ads feature just products while some feature a product along side an extremely close-up photograph of Lancôme models such as Ines Sastre or Lizzy Jagger. The pairing of model-and-product images were conceived to capture the exciting and emotional moment when a woman interacts with a Lancôme product.