Clean & Clear Soft Aimed at Post-Acne Consumers

Quick. What are the great historical marketing feats? If you thought of the three companies that started from soap/cleansing bars (P&G, Neutrogena and Dove), you are right on, but what about today’s No. 1 cosmetic line in mass that started from a medicated makeup for teenagers? That’s right, in the late 1960s, Cover Girl came on the scene with brilliant psychological and end/benefit positioning (Cover Girls) and product benefit supported by Noxzema—then a powerful cleansing and multi-purpose brand. It was an unbeatable combination of aspirational positioning and permission-to-believe. Cover Girl reached the No. 1 spot in the late 1970s and has stayed there—all in the face of massive competition. Those seventies teen-agers, now in the anti-aging segment, have stayed with this very well managed brand. And, Cover Girl is still the No. 1 brand for teenagers—we’d call that a real marketing coup. That’s a good segue to the new non-medicated, non-acne Clean & Clear line. It’s the answer to J&J’s dilemma. How to keep Clean & Clear consumers after they leave the acne section? And, if you can swing it, add skin care authority to Clean & Clear acne products. So J&J created a group of four products, positioned as Clean & Clear Soft, with a “healthy & protected” afterglow; just the right buzzwords for today’s consumer. So, you ask, why aren’t the total scores better?
   
Other than models who are just a bit beyond the teenage years (good), the ad doesn’t really target its intended audience via need. Yes, Clean & Clear will, per se, reach out to a younger consumer. However, its excellent positioning does not: one, seal the deal by establishing the “post-acne/problem skin” bridge to consumers’ real need for “soft” skin care; or two, provide permission-to-believe that these products are better than what she may be using; i.e., create dissonance.  Consider, for a moment, just the concept without the ad. You can accept that the products will be satisfactory, but notice that the line’s real strengths are in positioning and consumer appeal (target audience). Competition is a killer, but the Marketing Potential score is pretty good for a very competitive category.
   
The ad is strong in Headline and Visual Impact, but this really good concept falls short in Copy execution and, as a result, Consumer Appeal. The ad simply doesn’t work hard enough to establish a “transition” skin care category; i.e., relate to the reader. One neat plus—the ad sends you to the website for more information where you’ll find an introductory coupon. That’s good “permission-to-buy.”

Yes, But Can You Find It?

Another and crucial dilemma is where will it be found in-store? If it’s in the acne section, it may/will be lost among myriad Clean & Clear acne products (true in the one CVS store we checked), especially as its color scheme is quite similar. Moreover, if it’s in that acne section, how will it appeal to so many more consumers for whom the positioning of soft skin with upscale ingredients has appeal? And, if it’s in the very competitive regular skin care section, it will be lost with only four facings. Its good value pricing is an advantage—Scrub/Steam, $6.99 for 5oz.; Moisturizers, $8.99 for 4 oz. in CVS.  
   

Clean & Clear Soft: good transition strategy, but not executed well-enough in ad and retail.

What to do? Going in, Clean & Clear marketing people knew that store location would be the problem—no surprise. Solution? Prepare for either/or location and make it work both ways. But, always with the game plan for the future in mind. Where do you want to be in 2-5 years, and then, how to get there? See the future first, and then execute to realize the strategy. Each new product and/or line should fit a master plan. Then, evaluate your advertising as to whether it fits/aids the plan.
   
Keeping an about-to-leave consumerand simultaneously going for a new consumer requires the discipline of establishing need and benefit, with plenty of permission-to-believe—and, hopefully, with a psychological positioning that targets, targets, targets.

About the Author
TheBrandAudit is a Grayson Associates proprietary new marketing technique to determine the success potential of a new product concept or execution, prior to launch. Or, for an existing sluggish product or line, it will analyze its strengths and weaknesses, against key competition. The audit score is based upon Grayson Associates’ 29 “keys-to-success” criteria for the key marketing categories of Product, Positioning, Consumer Appeal, Competition and Marketing Potential. A score less than 80 (out of 100) means trouble in the marketplace. TheBrandAudit will appear bi-monthly. Contact: suzanne @graysonassociates.com.

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