Advertising skincare products to women over 40: "because they're worth it!".

ABSTRACT

Informal review of advertisements in general interest women's magazines suggests advertisers employ an array of nubile young women to promote cosmetic products. The authors hypothesize that women over 40 believe this approach to be "ageist" and ineffective. To explore this

hypothesis, the authors convened a focus group to analyze advertisements that specifically target women over 40. The advertisements assessed indicate those without models are likely to be more successful. Although such a conclusion cannot be drawn without further quantitative research, the authors believe that the results from the current study are sufficiently forceful to present warning signs to cosmetic marketers.

OVERVIEW OF THE COSMETICS INDUSTRY

Up until the last few years cosmetics and fragrances were divided into three distinct categories, largely based upon price and distribution. The previously categorized vertical markets within the cosmetics industry were prestige market, mass market and direct sales, accounting for market share of 40 percent, 37 percent and 15 percent respectively (Kline & Co. Report. Beauty Fashion. 2002). Prestige market products typically sell for $20 up to $150 or more, while mass market products are those sold at $19.95 and below. The prestige market, 60 percent of which is controlled by various Estee Lauder brands, is found in the "higher-end" department stores (such as Macy's, Nordstrom's, and Bloomingdale's.) The mass market brands enjoy wide distribution in chain drug stores such as CVS and Walgreens, grocery stores and mass merchandise stores such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Target, and include names like Revlon, L'Oreal and Maybelline. The third category, direct sales, contains cosmetics that are available through a direct sales force. The major brands in this category include Avon and Mary Kay. The Internet, and the opportunities that are presented as a result of this emerging channel of distribution, are affecting each of these vertical markets.

A new method of distribution has entered into the beauty field. Diverse specialty store chains such as the Gap, Bath & Body and Victoria's Secret, commanding 3 percent share of the market, are now offering private label beauty products in their stores (Kline, 2002). Most of these products are priced slightly below department store brands, but higher than mass market brands. Also, prestige brands such as Origins, MAC and Aveda have opened freestanding stores of their own.

Although all brands of cosmetics depend heavily on advertising to drive their sales, this is particularly true of the mass market brands as they are sold in self-service stores with no sales representative to encourage purchases or even to answer questions. In most cases they do not offer the consumer samples of the products, which are typically packaged and sealed. Advertising for the prestige brands tend to be more image-oriented to encourage the consumer to go into the store at which point the sales representative will be available to answer questions and provide samplings of the products.

The Kline Report (2002) indicates that the single largest segment of the cosmetics industry is facial treatments with $3.3 billion in sales at the manufacturers' level. It is also the fastest growing segment of the industry with a 7 percent increase in sales from 2000 to 2001. The category was driven largely by anti-aging products from prestige, mass market and direct sales brands. (Skincare Category Soars. Beauty Fashion. June 2002.) The leading brands in this category are Clinique and Estee Lauder. Product innovations and key ingredients such as copper Kinetin and vitamins C and E are popular at the moment. New eye creams and treatments are being introduced in great abundance. Companies are all vying to introduce skincare therapies that bring restorative benefits to stressed-out or aging skin. By the nature of this category, the primary target market for these products is older women as they begin to see fine lines and signs of aging on their faces. "While consumers aren't getting any younger, they are demanding more results-oriented products to tide them over between Botox injections." (Evans. Skin Deeper. WWD Beauty Biz. March 2002.)

OLDER AND RICHER

The Importance of the 40+ Target Market

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964 now aged between 38 and 56) are the richest demographic group in the country. In the year 2000 women between the ages of 45-54 spent an average of $850 on women's clothing while they spent $682 on personal care products. In the same year women between the ages of 25-34 spent only $561 and $576 in the respective categories. Women over 50 spend $26.6 billion a year on clothes and $27 million a day on personal care products. Almost one-third of all women in the United States today are 50 or over. This age group will rise by more than 25 percent in the next 10 years. They have more discretionary income than any other demographic group. Nearly two-thirds of the women 45-64 work full time. (Consumer Expenditure Survey: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Census Bureau. 2002)

In spite of the obvious size and affluence of this group, many fashion and cosmetic companies continue their youth-obsessed advertising often showing 20-something models to sell products to women in their 40's and 50's. "It's probably the most untapped market out there today. The industry must learn how sell and merchandise specifically to this vast audience. It used to be chic not to focus on the market. Now it's not wise to ignore it." (Cohen, "Redefining Fashion for 50+." NPDFashionworld. 2002.) Aging Boomers are more social and active, working and traveling more than did previous generations of the same age. To many of these women looking great does not mean looking young, but instead embracing age and turning it into a plus. The challenge for advertisers who want to capture their spending dollars is to create advertisements that these women will relate to.

RATIONALE FOR THE RESEARCH

Tokenism has been the by-word for advertising agencies in their attempts to reach the target market of women over 40 years of age: "We need one older woman to round out these models. How about so-and-so? She must be thirty-two." ("The more Ad Challenge: How to See 40+" more, April 2002.)

Informal review of advertisements in general interest women's magazines suggests advertisers employ an array of nubile young women, many of them actresses and models whose background and age are known in the target market for fashion and cosmetics. The authors hypothesize that women over 40 believe this approach to be "ageist," and given the large amount of disposable income controlled by women over 40, such advertising is likely to be ineffective. To explore this hypothesis, the authors convened a focus group to analyze advertisements in one woman's magazine. The periodical chosen, more, which debuted in 1998, has a specific target of women over 40. The study was designed to determine how well the advertisers were reaching their target and to identify other related marketing issues for further study.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The focus group of eight women was drawn from the administrative assistants present on the Providence College campus in early June 2002. Selection criteria included being over 40 years of age, having an interest in cosmetic products, and coming from the middle-income socio-economic group (with annual household income between $40,000 and $100,000.) The participants, all of whom are Caucasian, purchase and use cosmetic products on a daily basis, spending between five and thirty minutes per day on skincare and beauty treatment. They all read women's magazines.

The two-hour session began with a general introduction of the moderators and participants, followed by structured questions and discussion to develop baseline information. These questions included products used in daily beauty care, sources of information on cosmetics, shopping decisions, and advertisement recall in magazines.

Each participant was then given a copy of the June 2002 issue of more to review. This was followed by structured questions and discussion of seven advertisements. Two advertisements were from Lancome, the others were Maybelline, Pond's, VitaSkin[TM], Avon, Olay, and Botox. Five of the advertisements were double-fold (across the full two pages of the magazine); two (from Lancome and Pond's) were located only on the right-hand-side of the magazine. The participants were asked if the advertisements worked or did not work for them, and whether they felt the advertisers had targeted them.

A model contest, seeking models aged 40 and above from among more's readers, was then discussed, again with structured questions and response concerning the readers' identification with models, the winning model's perceived age, and whether the participants preferred advertisements with or without human models. This was followed by discussion of an advertising campaign contest which was presented to five advertising agencies; participants were asked to critique each campaign.

At the conclusion of the focus group, each participant was asked to complete a short questionnaire the results of which will be used for further research.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The baseline information showed that participants use a wide variety of products and brands. Some consider themselves to be brand loyal and always use the same manufacturer's products, while others change products and brands from time to time. The information they seek in order to make purchasing decisions comes from an array of sources, including magazines, word-of-mouth, television, direct mail and the Internet. They do not usually look for product information from cosmetic counters, with the feeling that these agencies put too much pressure on them to purchase. However, in-store flyers are used by all participants. Purchasing itself occurs across a full range of retailers, including discount stores, drug stores, department stores and direct sales representatives. None purchase on the Internet, although they seek product information there.

Participants did not have strong advertising recall. They named models (such as Andie MacDowell and Christie Brinkley) but could not associate them with particular products. They all commented that young women are typically models for cosmetic products.

The discussion of specific advertisements opened with Lancome "Renergie Intense Lift." The double-fold advertisement shows a gentle pink-colored rosebud, of which one side is complete, and the other side a cross-section of the flower. Printed on the flower are the words: "Dramatically firms. Intensely lifts." This was the only advertisement reviewed in which there was no human model.

The flower elicited some interesting responses. It was perceived as a sign of womanhood, partly because of the rose-pink color, but also because of the subtle image of a vagina in the cross-section of the flower. The wording was deemed to be very positive and clearly targeted to a woman over 40 years of age. A large amount of product information was provided. This advertisement brought general approval and a positive intent to seek out the product in a store.

The second advertisement reviewed was Maybelline "Smooth Result." This advertisement featured actress Melina Kanakaredes, known particularly well by the Providence-based focus group participants as Dr. Sid Hansen in the ABC television series, "Providence."

Although she is under 40 years of age, this aspect was not deemed by participants to be unacceptable, partly because she is "almost" forty, but also because she does have some initial signs of aging. Interestingly, skepticism often held towards products promising dramatic results was withheld here. Participants felt that this product, a liquid makeup, was not presented as being responsible for the actress's beauty. Rather, members of the group were very aware of the "maybe" element of the name (Maybelline) and the manner in which the word "maybe" was displayed across one side of the double-fold advertisement.

This viewpoint was dramatically reversed in reviewing the next two advertisements. The first, a single-side advertisement, was for a Lancome liquid makeup, entitled "Photogenic Ultra Comfort." A model whom many of the focus group participants recognized as Uma Thurmond, an actress in her early thirties, was shown looking down with a harsh light on her face. Every woman joined in the exclamation that this was the very worst pose in which to place an older woman. The advertisement and the product were rejected with some hostility.

On the following page were VitaSkin[TM] moisturizing products. They were advertised using an unclothed and very youthful model. None of the focus group participants could identify with her. They felt that their skin had already been damaged and that these products, to protect against the sun, were targeted towards 20-something women.

A single-fold advertisement for Pond's products also resulted in some negativity, although this had little to do with the advertisement itself. Three-quarters of the advertisement shows a face of a woman whom the group felt was an age-peer as her face was lightly lined in the corners of the eyes and mouth with copy stating "My worry lines." A small side-bar photograph showed the same woman at a distance with no wrinkling evident. The copy described the sources of the worry: "[A] husband who is always late, a 15-year-old daughter who wants a tattoo, and ... cellulite." Participants agreed with the concept of worry lines and the problems that cause them (although there was some discussion about whether women in their forties and above really do worry about cellulite.) However, the participants all had a poor reaction to the brand itself, recalling Pond's from their younger years as being a cheap, thick "cold cream" which they had no interest in purchasing or using today.

Conversely, another brand which has been marketed for many years, Olay, was routinely used by many of the participants. The single-fold advertisement was greeted with enthusiasm, both in terms of the product itself, as well as the manner in which it was advertised. An attractive age-peer model smiles across the page, showing expression lines at the mouth and eyes, and accompanied by the words "It's not just about looking younger. It's about looking wonderful." Participants felt that the text of the advertisement did not promise the impossible. Rather, the copy together with the Olay trademark "love the skin you're in[TM],, was seen as offering older women acceptance of who they are.

This level of acceptance was not evident in the group's assessment of the double-fold Avon advertisement which admonishes women to "Be young." The model, whose face fills the left-hand side of the advertisement, was perceived as being too youthful. The right-hand-side showed a pot of "retroactive" accompanied by the text: "make skin behave like it used to." There was no further information on the product and group participants could not see why they should "Call [their] Avon representative" on the basis of this advertisement. (This step is necessary as Avon is not sold in stores.)

The last advertisement reviewed was for Botox. Both the product and the advertisement had a negative impact, with comments such as: "I'm very skeptical of this...." The advertisement spread across two pages, and was accompanied by a third page of clinical product information. The left-hand-side was a full face model whom the participants believed to be well below the age of 40 and to have never had Botulinum Toxin treatment. The facing page contained small before-and-after photographs which the participants felt to be contrived, with a strongly furrowed frowning forehead, followed by one that was very smooth. This page contained a large amount of information regarding side effects of the treatment, which in itself many participants felt to be reason alone for not using Botox. The group acknowledged a priori skepticism of the treatment and the advertisement did nothing to change that. [Botox: Botulinum toxin is injected into the facial skin where wrinkles have formed. It is intended to smooth out the skin and keep it wrinkle-free for up to four months.]

To bring the focus group to a close, the authors presented two projects undertaken by more to better serve their target market of women over 40 years of age. The first, in May 2002, related to a contest entitled "40 + Model Search" encouraging more mature women to become models. The contest page included a photograph of a previous winner, Liz Cullumber, aged 54. This photo was shown to the group without any supporting copy. The group was asked first how old they thought Ms. Cullumber was. Everyone put her age at mid-50s or above. This view was supported by the model's strikingly grey-white hair. Secondly, they were asked if they identified with her and if they would feel confident about products that she promoted. They assented to both parts of that question.

The second project undertaken by more in April 2002 was to challenge five advertising agencies to create a campaign that would help corporate decision-makers sell their products in a more appropriate way to the over-40 woman. Each of the five advertising campaigns were reviewed by the focus group.

* GSD&M Advertising produced an advertisement the heading of which read "spring chickens have smaller nest eggs," and continued, "consider chicks over 40." Our focus group participants found this wording offensive and annoying.

* Del Rivero Messianu DDB produced a campaign which featured a Hispanic man in a self-described "macho" pose, saying "In my house I always have the last word.... Yes ... mi vida." (my love). This did not appeal to the women in our group. However, it was acknowledged that the campaign had been targeted more specifically to a Latina audience with whom it may be more successful.

* The Kaplan Thaler Group developed a campaign featuring a group of women accompanied by the heading "These babies have boom." This advertisement was deemed acceptable by the focus group participants as the models appeared to be over 40 years of age. However, at least one participant did not appreciate being referred to as a "baby."

* The campaign by D'Arcy Los Angeles featured a high stiletto-heeled shoe, accompanied by the headline: "At 42, I still kick butt," and a subheading: "I just do it in a more expensive shoe." This advertisement was received with laughter and acceptance, though some group members did not care for the wording, feeling that it was crude. Furthermore, the very high heeled shoe used to support the by-line was deemed by some to be completely wrong for an audience which is now wearing "wedgeheeled, box-toed loafers."

* The final entrant in the challenge was by Dimassimo Brand Advertising, and showed a woman who was clearly in her forties making the statement, "If you want my money, stop showing me pictures of my daughter in underwear." This was the only campaign which received universal acceptance by the focus group.

CONCLUSION AND FURTHER RESEARCH

This study was conducted as an exploratory phase of a greater project in which the authors envision determining more specifically what advertising techniques would be effective to reach a demographic group of consumers with considerable spending power. The array of advertisements assessed in this focus group elicited both positive and negative responses. In terms of the copy in the advertisements, the group felt that most of the advertisers made a reasonable attempt to deal with issues facing more mature women. Terms such as "Age minimizing" (Maybelline), "lifting, firming" (Lancome), and "minimize age spots and wrinkles" (Olay) had been used. It was in the use of photographs of models that the majority of the negativity was directed. One hypothesis to be explored is that advertisements without a human face are more successful than those using models and actresses, many of whom are highly paid. Furthermore, companies using "faceless" advertising may find that they have a more readily globalized message. However, this conclusion cannot be drawn without further quantitative research using a representative sample drawn from the target market of women over 40 years of age. Nonetheless, we believe that the results from our current study are sufficiently forceful to present warning signs to cosmetic marketers to at least be more willing to acknowledge the negative energy that they may be generating in using young women and making promises that may be greeted with open skepticism. The outcome of the focus group's discussion of the contest seeking mature models indicated that, if models are to be used, it could be hypothesized that attractive older women may be more effective in reaching the over-40 target.

In the context of the advertising agencies' challenge, it is of interest to the authors that agencies, which have been given the express charge of reaching the target market of women over 40 years of age, may not have successfully achieved this. This implies that there is, indeed, a great deal still to be done in this area.

REFERENCES

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Evans, Matthew W. (2002, March, 41). Skin Deeper. WWD Beauty Biz.

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Maybelline. (2002, June). More, 2-3.

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U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2002). Consumer Expenditure Survey: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved June 11, 2002, from http://data.bls.gov/servlet/.

VitaSkin[TM]. (2002, June). More, 10-11.