Watch out Estee Lauder

An e-mail newsletter from egenerations (a Web site I must look around one of these days) popped into my inbox containing a long column of banner ads. One of these was for Ageless skin care. The packaging looked a bit like a Dove product (that is my excuse) so I clicked to the landing site and found a little masterpiece in “off the web” selling.

First thing is the model/actress of indeterminate age selling the qualities of the product - then there is the countdown number of bottles left in the right-hand corner to create urgency - then there is the “Rush me free my trial” handle – of course it is only free if you don’t cancel your credit card payment - then there is the “green hook” that the product “Contains extracts from 12 of the world’s richest fruit and vegetables” - then there is the credibility by association with logos of abcNews, Vogue and the New York Times – none of these organisations mention the product but have quotes about ageing - then there is the award “Best skin product of 2008” from an unknown award giver and then finally there is the statement “clinically tested at major universities” – no names.

In a macabre way I really admire the site – it uses all of the basic tools of direct TV selling in an unashamed in your face way.

Heavens knows if the product is any good – who knows if any of these products work. The one thing I can guarantee is that you will no find a site that uses more of the basic tools of selling in one place. Dick Stroud

Nine (not 8 or 10) Baby Boomer money makers

Forbes has an interesting article (s), some might say an idiots guide, to how to make money from Baby Boomers. If you don’t want to read the text, have a look at this slide show.

Can't wait to know what the 8 money winners are?

1.Nutrition/Weight-Management Consultant
2.Travel Agency
3.Errand Service
4.Financial Adviser
5.Specialty Contractor
6.Beauty Salon/Spa
7.'Cosmeceutical' Retailer
8.Health Club

The article has that “Friday afternoon” feel about it so wouldn’t give it too much credence, despite its well respected publisher. Dick Stroud

Packaging dyslexia

It goes without saying that Dove and its pro.age brand is a good thing. Love the ads, admire the guts for its radical product positioning etc etc.

However, from a functionality point of view, they don’t work for me. What I mean, in words of one syllable, is I don’t know the conditioner from the shampoo as I grope around in the shower.

OK, I know I could get glasses to wear in the shower, or increase the lighting, but for heavens sake I am not exactly blind and I cannot read the labeling. It is not surprising when you look at the poor colour contrast of the reversed out text.

Then a member of the Stroud household pointed out that it is easy to tell the difference. The Conditioner opens from the bottom and the Shampoo from the top.

Is this a male thing or just me but I didn’t know that. This packaging masterpiece completely passed me by.

There is a serious point, other than I will no longer smother my balding (bald) pate with conditioner, is that I reckon this packaging stinks. A plea to Dove. For people like me, with packaging dyslexia, please use good old fashioned readable text to say what is inside. Dick Stroud

Anti ageing ads

As mentioned yesterday, I have had a look at a couple of other manufacturer’s anti-ageing ads. Both are taken from the current issue of Vogue that is all about Ageless Style – well worth buying.

Let me state my mega-caveats before I start. I am not a woman, I know nothing about cosmetics and creating ads is not my business. OK.

I think they are dreadful. They remind me of the types of ads that the poor hapless saps in “The Apprentice” would create during one of their tasks. Come on, I mean, who could come up with the line: “Before you consider a face lift, consider the power of Re-Nutriv”. What about the line: "NEW cellular-nurturing moisturiser Pro-Xylane, Hyaluronic Acid & SPF 15”.

Clearly these ads work. I just don’t know how. Dick Stroud

Cosmetics advertising

Today’s FT has an article (Older, wiser, inspired) about beauty products and the older women, a subject about which I am singularly ill-equipped to comment. But since it is Saturday I will.

Apparently Imedeen has launched an online competition to find a new, non-model agency, face for its Prime Renewal range (by definition an older lady). This is being done in conjunction with Saga and Close Models. Obviously a PR generating competition.

This is the copy from the Imedeen web site:

Being in your 50s today is not what it was. You might be a grandmother, an empty-nester or juggling a career with the demands of young children. What hasn’t changed is the effect of hormonal ageing on your face and body.

The good news is – you can now fight back, with the help of IMEDEEN’s team of style and beauty experts.

To my mind this is drenched in negatives. Terms like “fight back”, “hormonal ageing on your face and body”…

This started me looking at the approach of other cosmetics companies. More of that tomorrow. Dick Stroud

Cognitive dissonance lives - OK

MediaPost’s Marketing Daily has an article based on Focalyst’s recent press release that identifies the double speak of Boomers who on one had say people should age naturally yet spend buckets loads of money on anti-ageing potions.

Come on guys. Why should this age group be any different to any other when it comes to sending out misleading marketing messages?

To be serious for a moment – I have a couple of problems with this sort of conclusion. Firstly, the age-range of the sample (42-87). Secondly, the results are not broken down into lifestyle segments.

I am sure (hope) Focalyst have all of this information but wish they would make a bit more of it available in their press release. It is rather like making a marketing statement about people aged 12-57 years old. It wouldn’t have much marketing credibility would it – well would it? Dick Stroud

A knee to behold

A few of us with an interest in 50-plus marketing received an e-mail asking: “How does the aging of celebrities affect the psyches of the 'normal' aging population? Does seeing something like this make them feel better? Or worse? Curious on your thoughts”.

The celebrity in question is Melanie Griffith and the part of her anatomy, where there are signs of gravity winning the day, is her knee. In all honesty it looks like poor old Melanie has, in the words of my dear old mum: “not worn too well”.

Typical of the style of journalism of the publication (the Daily Mail) the article then goes on to speculate that Ms Griffith has been hitting the Botox and collagen, big time.

There is the unspoken sub-text in the article that runs something like – big celebrity – pots of money – too much SDRR – no amount of money can stop you looking old – Ha Ha.

So as a ‘normal’ aging person, with a set of damn good knees, how do I react? Looking at the question from a marketer’s viewpoint I reckon the following.

Of course there is not a single response – if you asked the other 20 million 50-plus in the UK you would get all sorts of answers ranging from a senses of unadulterated schadenfreude through to sympathy that her obvious physical ageing is paraded in the tabloids.

I would also guess that that because of celebrities’ remoteness from the lives of ‘normal’ people, few ‘normals’ see the parallels between their own ageing and that of person they only know through the TV and cinema.

Finally, I would think there is a huge difference in the response between older men and women. I think there is the L’Oreal group of women who spend time and energy trying to delay/halt/reverse physiological ageing. Then there are the Dove pro.age group who say: “there is nothing I can do to stop ageing but I will look the best I can for my age”.

From a marketer’s perspective this is a fascinating topic since it gets to the heart of how people view the ageing process and what (and how much money) they are willing commit to doing something about it. Thanks Laura for sending the link. Dick Stroud

Profitable wrinkles

A couple of articles about anti-ageing / pro-ageing products (Dove and L’Oreal).

You can see why there is so much focus on this market.

The peak age for beauty product consumption in 1996 occurred between 40 and 60. In 2005 this figure had shifted to between 40 and 70. Around 40 per cent of 65 to 69 year olds suggest they used an anti-aging cream in 2005, compared to just 20 per cent in 1996.

With women (and men) purchasing these products earlier and continuing to use them for longer then it is a no-brainer why these two companies (plus a host of others) pour so many bucks into advertising. Dick Stroud