• Creating a core claim

    Posted by Peggy on May 3, 2014 at 1:37 am

    Hie everyone,
    I am Peggy, I’ve got my M.S in analytical chemistry, and am working as a materials specialist at a recently-established cosmetics company. For now, we have plans on launching color cosmetics as our first products. But we have also started our researches on manufacturing skin care products, and I would like your advice on brand making in skin care. How important is creating a core claim for our skin care products, and how successful can a brand with random claims be?

    Peggy replied 9 years, 10 months ago 3 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • davidw

    Member
    May 3, 2014 at 1:24 pm

    I think you will mostly find we are good at the chemistry side, not so much marketing.  IF so this forum would have a different name.  Sorry I can’t help.

  • oldperry

    Member
    May 5, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    Hello Peggy,

    The most important thing when marketing a cosmetic or personal care product is to come up with some unique story.  You can have a successful brand with standard technologies and standard claims.  Of course, it’s better if you could come up with some nifty claim but in skin care all the impressive ones are taken by the big corporations.
    Here are a few approaches you could take to the story.
    1.  Make products for a niche audience - Find an audience that the big guys are ignoring or that is too small for them to care about.  An example would be skin care for people with gluten sensitivities.  I’m not saying that’s a good market to go for but it’s an example of a targeted market who might want something that they’re not getting from mainstream products.  Groups of people like to feel special.
    2.  Create a clever origin story - Lots of brands have done this and have had some success.  Burts Bees was the story of how Burt started his personal care products.  Tom’s of Maine is another example.  Those happen to be natural focused brands but the story doesn’t have to be natural focused, just interesting.
    3.  Clever brand image - Another brand that was super successful without a novel technology or claim was Urban Decay.  Their products aren’t different but they were able to create a compelling brand image.  They started in 1996 and just sold to L’Oreal for >$150 million.  
    To me, the story is more important than the claims.  You need great products that support standard claims but a good story is crucial to a successful line.
  • Peggy

    Member
    May 6, 2014 at 5:29 am

    Many thanks Perry for your comment. Much appreciated.

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