BOOTS: THINKING WITH THEIR DNA MEANT THINKING DIFFERENTLY/ MORE COMPETITIVELY IN SKINCARE

I admire what Boots the Chemist are doing in the UK on their anti-age line (Boots Protect and Perfect).

They have shown the importance of not just following the set and established ways and norms. In anti-aging the big players and brands, like Olay and L’Oreal, invest in TV as the main media (no doubt constantly wrestling with the TV authority on claims and claim support) and then also have PR and the such.

Boots were more clever. They do not have the same momentum and habit that the big FMCG players have where managements are trained and focused on the TV copy led model. Nor did they have the budgets I suspect.

So they cleverly focused on investing in clinical (which is more in the DNA of a pharmacy thinking company) and released it not through the beauty editor world, but through the science editor and news world. The take out from the clinical was: not many moisturisers have real anti aging effects, but Boots really does over time. One study, just one study.

Science sections in press reported it and news followed. The media did the job of making strong claims.

Then with their retailer mindset, they focused on attracting people into store with copy that said the thing everyone is talking about is now n store, and store displays reinforcing it. They drove traffic based on the news that an amazing product offering was now in store.

They are selling a ton of the stuff. And they never had to fight with authorities on claim support and nuances.

They also acted true to their mindset and competencies. They did not run head on with the big traditional marketers.

Thinking different model seems key these days. Boots are doing it in the UK, while brands like Caudalie are doing it in French pharmacies and Proactiv with direct response TV/ online in the USA. The traditional model may not be broken, but seems no guarantee of success as consumers know the model and how messages are told. The new models seem to get through and get reaction more....

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