I still fall for it (sometimes)

You know when you go to the dentist and he/she asks if you've been flossing? And if you haven't been, or haven't been doing so regularly, it's almost like you're confessing a sin when you say "Um, not as often as I should, Doc."

Well, this week I went to my dermatologist. Just an annual visit. And of course I'm bombarded with posters all around me about skincare, good skin health, beautiful women with beautiful skin, and so on. So I say to my Doctor: "I sometimes use the expensive soap to wash my face, but many times just the over-the-counter stuff. And, I've tried to use the anti-aging creams, I must have tried three of them (!), but they make my face feel so tight....because they're actually tightening my face. I really don't want wrinkles but I want to be comfortable. Seriously, what should I use?"

His answer?

"A big tub of whatever is on sale."

(those are his words verbatim, btw)

And I retort, as if I'm a walking billboard: "But won't I get less wrinkles in life if I use the anti-aging stuff? I'll use what you tell me to use."

And he looks at me and says: "Christina, I don't need to tell you this--you're a marketer. It's a billion-dollar industry trying to sell you stuff. Just moisturize and use sunscreen. That's it."

I'm sitting there in one of those scratchy paper gowns thinking, "Uh, reality check, my doctor just reminded me I'm a marketer."

In business, I'm pretty good at remembering those puppets have strings and dog-and-pony shows abound. Fact is, I call 'em out here a good bit. But the beauty industry gets me still (damn marketers). Lucky for me I have a doctor with integrity (and reminds me I'm a marketer, after all).

So I did what my Doc told me and bought the cheap stuff. But the lesson is priceless.

PS: Oh, and I asked him if Botox is still a cash cow (no, I would never willingly inject poison into my pores). Apparently it's not. The reason why? Too much of a pain to keep up with it regularly (every 3 months). So it ain't the price of beauty, but the maintenance of it all. Ha!

Comments

[Valeria Maltoni]

I had a chuckle reading this, CK. It's easy to buy the story of treating yourself to something special. I buy my products in Italy whenever I can because of allergies -- natural ingredients and no petrol derivatives in what I get. That's a whole other conversation ;-)

[Cam Beck]

But... but...

[Lewis Green]

Damn. So there's no hope for me, huh?

[Bill Gammell]

CK,

Thanks for the chuckle the important reminder.

In the words of Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza:

Jerry: Skin doesn't need a doctor!

George: Of course not! Wash it, dry it, move on!

[David Reich]

CK, good lesson, er, reminder. So many products are more about marketing than real product differentiation. Obviously, many people fall for it. That's a lucky thing for marketers.

Most of the time, I don't fall for the bells & whistles. Soap cleans, toothpaste cleans and/or whitens. Pretty simple. I don't give a sh*t if J-Lo or Brad Pitt uses it, or if the ad implies a certain beer or aftershave will make me a babe magnet (get real!).

Lucky for our industry and for the economy that I'm not the typical consumer.

[melissa]

Words of Wisdom! --Melissa

[jen_chan, writer MemberSpeed.com]

A marketing lesson from your own dermatologist. I guess we sometimes forget about the very things we're accustomed to. Skin care is a personal thing so we tend to separate those things with our work. And advertisements really do a great job of selling. As for me, I usually pick the ones with the prettier package.