The array of beauty lotions and potions that claim to ward off wrinkles and other signs of ageing
that women – and increasingly men – can choose from is extensive. Indeed, in an overall industry reputed to be worth £25 billion world-wide and £6.2bn in Britain, Boots No7 ‘Protect & Perfect’ serum, retailing at £16.75 for 30ml and being on the shelves for three years already, was an unlikely contender for the title ‘Magic Cream’ that was to spark a wave of near hysteria that reached as far as the USA and Australia. Yet, that’s exactly what happened after the product was featured on BBC’s science programme Horizon.
The Horizon programme featured Lesley Regan, a 50 year-old professor of obstetrics and
gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital in London, who went in search of ‘The Holy Grail’ – otherwise
known as an anti-ageing product that scientifically worked. Her search led her to the cream
perfected by scientist Steve Barton and his team in Nottingham. Mr Barton has been using the
serum for several years, and had conducted his own trials with what he described as ‘fantastic’
results. However, it was only when the product was examined by a team of expert dermatologists at Manchester University that the claims became more believable. Professor Chris Griffiths, who heads the team at Manchester, explained that although they were initially sceptical, their independent research spanning 10 months and investigating a range of anti-ageing creams – many of which retail for far more than £17 – scientifically proved that No7’s Protect and Perfect actually worked. The cream was found to contain protecting and renewing agents associated with the production of collagen and elastin, as well as silicone and antioxidants, and was compared to prescription drugs used to treat severe acne and sun damage to skin. Professor Griffiths was reported to say ‘At both basic science and clinical levels Boots No7 Protect & Perfect has been shown scientifically to repair photo-aged skin and improve the fine wrinkles associated with photoageing.’
Boots had expected demand to rise once the programme had aired, and had prepared by shipping in 21 weeks supply of the product prior to the Horizon programme. Yet, despite the fact that the serum was only shown on camera for a few seconds, within 24 hours of the programme being aired, sales rose by 2,000 per cent, the shelves in Boots up and down the country were empty, waiting lists reportedly comprising four figures were opened, Boots’ web store received 4,000 requests in one evening, and within days the product was being traded on e-bay for up to £100. Some stores reported women charging behind counters, convinced that there would be hidden supplies there, others raced each other down isles to get to the ‘Magic Cream’, and one store reported a near-riot when a single customer bought up their entire stock.
These events were only the beginning of the frenzy, however. While Boots switched most of their production to the Protect & Perfect line in an effort to cope with demand, the shortage fuelled further demand, as the news of the cream spread and more and more people wanted to buy it. The serum was a major conversation topic amongst mums outside schools and between friends. When stores received stock, they would telephone customers on the waiting lists telling them to be quick, and these customers would tell their friends, so stocks continued to disappear from shelves almost as fast as they could be filled, despite the product then being limited to one purchase per customer. Media reports of queues developing in the early hours outside Boots stores when stocks were expected fuelled even more demand. Many men also waited outside stores from 5am, some of them claiming to be under strict instructions from females to get their hand on the cream. Others, however, admitted to wanting to try the cream for themselves. Young girls queued up, some of them to buy for their mothers who had been trying to get hold of the cream for some time; others because they had heard from older friends that it actually worked.
Protect & Perfect was also big news on the web. Blogging gave individuals an outlet to share their thoughts, while an extraordinary number of on-line beauty forums such as ‘Hey, Dollface!’ focused on the serum. The ‘Beauty Community Forum’ of the magazine Good Housekeeping, for example, which has almost 44,000 members and can have many non-member guests on line at any one time as well, contained entries from scores of women sharing their experiences, beliefs and knowledge about the product. Many asked for advice on how to get hold of the cream, and the magazine’s Beauty Director was asking women to share their results with the forum after using the product for at least 8 weeks – the time she believed it took to see results. The product even featured on plastic surgery blogs, and on-line discussions about the brand could be found from Doctors in Australia to beauty editors in America.
Not all communication about the brand was positive. Both the Guardian and The Independent on Sunday contained pieces from journalists pouring scorn on the women who queued half the night for the product, labelling their reaction as ‘madness’ and ‘a case study of human
perversity…another instance of the growing phenomenon we might call hysteria marketing’.
Others, of course, might just call it word-of-mouth.
(Adapted from Fill, 2011: 82)
Questions
1. Discuss the reasons why in the first instance the Horizon programme caused such a reaction amongst consumers.
This research conducted as an ethics-approved randomised clinical trial had the credibility to be included on a BBC Horizon programme and resulted in purchasing hysteria amongst the discerning face cream buying public to the extent that Boots stores sold out within hours with long waiting lists for the product.
2. Identify the opinion formers and opinion leaders in the case.
3. Discuss the variables that influenced the word of mouth communications around Protect &
Perfect.