N.A.E. vs La Provençale Bio
- Faïrouz
- 25 nov. 2020
- 2 min de lecture
Dernière mise à jour : 30 nov. 2020
In 2010, three French women out of ten declared having bought at least one organic cosmetic product in the past year. In 2018, this proportion had doubled (Ifop, 2018).
Given the shift in consumer expectations and the boom of the organic cosmetics market, large corporations had to make a move. Henkel launched N.A.E. in 2018, but they were not the only multinational to step foot in this new blooming market. And that’s of course, L’Oréal!
The leader in cosmetics definitely did not stand idly by. They launched their own organic skincare brand La Provençale Bio the same year as Henkel launched N.A.E. Both brands have their very own brand identity, but they are actually not that far in the mechanisms that they use. I propose to you a small case study to understand how N.A.E. & La Provençale Bio compare.
The name
Firstly, La Provençale Bio is not a name that leaves consumers indifferent. The mention of “Bio” (meaning “organic”) in the name clearly is a significant asset. Moreover, the very name “La Provençale” refers to the beautiful region that is Provence and reminds the consumer of its lavender fields and cicada songs. Much more telling than N.A.E. if you ask me.
The geography
It’s interesting to see that both brands rely on geography and the country of origin effect for their positioning (more about N.A.E. & the country of origin effect in this article). While N.A.E. plays the Italian card all the way, La Provençale Bio is about the French southern countryside, a pledge of authenticity in the French imaginary. The Mediterranean border area seems to be a guarantee of authenticity and quality when it comes to organic cosmetics.
The ingredients
Regarding organic cosmetics, one of the focus is on ingredients and their quality. N.A.E. draws its inspiration from Italian herbalism and craft their products from plenty of organic plants, flowers and fruits. Meanwhile La Provençale Bio puts the focus on one specific ingredient: olive oil. It is the very star of their branding strategy. The logo is inspired from an engraving of a picker designed in 1888, and the woman appears in a circle that is made of an olive tree branch. Each product has a mention on the front-of-pack that says, “Organic Olive Oil – Controlled Designation of Origin Provence”. And obviously, the packaging is olive green for all of their products!
The location
Last but not least, La Provençale Bio has something that N.A.E. doesn’t: the Made in France stamp! I think that’s a very nice bonus for L’Oréal’s newborn. N.A.E. cannot brag about an Italian manufacturing which gives La Provençale a competitive advantage.
The results?
To end this article, I would like to say that no brand appears to be better than the other. The brand perceptions may be quite similar on an authentic x organic point of view. However, each brand plays its card very differently. La Provençale Bio is definitely more straightforward than N.A.E.
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