CHICAGO, June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer attitudes are blurring the boundaries between health and beauty, driving growth in cosmeceuticals and creating new challenges for marketers and retailers, according to Sarah Wilcox, senior vice president, group account director at Draft and the head of its Draft Health unit, and Jim Lucas, senior vice president and director of strategic planning and research at Draft Chicago.
In a joint presentation today at the Strategic Research Institute's "Cosmeceuticals: New Strategies & Developments" Conference in New York City, Wilcox and Lucas identified increased life expectancy, working women, and new ingredients and technologies as major factors affecting the way consumers are now thinking about health and beauty -- and why and where they shop for related products.
"Increased life expectancy has brought about a change in the way people view aging and what they can -- and should -- do about it," said Wilcox. "Meanwhile, there are also a growing number of women in the workforce feeling pressure to maintain a youthful and vibrant appearance. These women allocate significant dollars to beauty regimens as well as health-related services, such as yoga and massages. These women are looking to treat themselves to a better appearance, or to save time with their beauty routine, or to relieve stress. If you factor in the plethora of new and improved ingredients and technologies, you have a marketplace full of new opportunities to improve health and beauty."
In a presentation titled, "Putting Power Behind Your Products," Lucas and Wilcox indicated that consumer thought and behavior are still in the nascent stage and can be influenced, a task in which both manufacturers and retailers must play a major role.
"Health and beauty as categories are overlapping, with cosmeceuticals sitting in the middle. Consumers are expecting a lot from both extremes of these categories, from their over-the-counter skin care creams to their full- scale face lifts," said Wilcox. "Cosmetic surgery is becoming acceptable to a large portion of the population, and people will go to great lengths -- stapling, stitching, and lifting -- to look good. Consumers today have more product and service options than at anytime in history. They must be educated about what choice to make when they are considering health and beauty regimens, such as ingredient selection and product benefits. Using health claims as a differentiator only works if the claims are credible, understandable and relevant, and only if the consumer is able to compare benefits and risks."
Lucas, a retail ecology expert, spoke to the challenges facing retailers today. "Retailers need to communicate to consumers in an environment which offers little time or space for communicating complex messages," he explained. "Personal care products have a long list of things that need to be communicated at the point-of-purchase."
According to Lucas, the blurring of boundaries is opening new distribution channels and giving consumers more choices. "Consumers now trust health experts as well as beauty experts," said Lucas. "Shoppers formerly found dealing with beauty consultants, department stores, spas, or beauty salons, are now visiting pharmacies and drug stores. Similarly, health-motivated consumers are flowing into spas and beauty salons, as well as department stores, and working with beauty consultants and beauty experts.
"Marketers must stay ahead of changing consumer thought and purchase behavior to maintain their competitive edge," stated Lucas. "Increasingly, consumers are evaluating an expanded set of options and prices and looking to find the most effective and safe solutions for improving their health and beauty. The cosmeceutical marketplace represents significant opportunities because of growing consumer demand, which is why there are currently large investments being made in this area by consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical companies as well as retailers."
Founded in 1978, Draft is a global marketing communications company that ranks as the largest direct and promotions agency in the United States, with offices across The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Major clients include Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America, CVS/Pharmacies, DeVry University, Kellogg, Nuveen Investments and the United States Postal Service, among others. Draft is a member of the Interpublic Group of Companies . Jim Lucas and Sarah Wilcox can be reached at 312-944-3500 or via email at jlucas@draftnet.com or swilcox@draftnet.com .
Draft
In a joint presentation today at the Strategic Research Institute's "Cosmeceuticals: New Strategies & Developments" Conference in New York City, Wilcox and Lucas identified increased life expectancy, working women, and new ingredients and technologies as major factors affecting the way consumers are now thinking about health and beauty -- and why and where they shop for related products.
"Increased life expectancy has brought about a change in the way people view aging and what they can -- and should -- do about it," said Wilcox. "Meanwhile, there are also a growing number of women in the workforce feeling pressure to maintain a youthful and vibrant appearance. These women allocate significant dollars to beauty regimens as well as health-related services, such as yoga and massages. These women are looking to treat themselves to a better appearance, or to save time with their beauty routine, or to relieve stress. If you factor in the plethora of new and improved ingredients and technologies, you have a marketplace full of new opportunities to improve health and beauty."
In a presentation titled, "Putting Power Behind Your Products," Lucas and Wilcox indicated that consumer thought and behavior are still in the nascent stage and can be influenced, a task in which both manufacturers and retailers must play a major role.
"Health and beauty as categories are overlapping, with cosmeceuticals sitting in the middle. Consumers are expecting a lot from both extremes of these categories, from their over-the-counter skin care creams to their full- scale face lifts," said Wilcox. "Cosmetic surgery is becoming acceptable to a large portion of the population, and people will go to great lengths -- stapling, stitching, and lifting -- to look good. Consumers today have more product and service options than at anytime in history. They must be educated about what choice to make when they are considering health and beauty regimens, such as ingredient selection and product benefits. Using health claims as a differentiator only works if the claims are credible, understandable and relevant, and only if the consumer is able to compare benefits and risks."
Lucas, a retail ecology expert, spoke to the challenges facing retailers today. "Retailers need to communicate to consumers in an environment which offers little time or space for communicating complex messages," he explained. "Personal care products have a long list of things that need to be communicated at the point-of-purchase."
According to Lucas, the blurring of boundaries is opening new distribution channels and giving consumers more choices. "Consumers now trust health experts as well as beauty experts," said Lucas. "Shoppers formerly found dealing with beauty consultants, department stores, spas, or beauty salons, are now visiting pharmacies and drug stores. Similarly, health-motivated consumers are flowing into spas and beauty salons, as well as department stores, and working with beauty consultants and beauty experts.
"Marketers must stay ahead of changing consumer thought and purchase behavior to maintain their competitive edge," stated Lucas. "Increasingly, consumers are evaluating an expanded set of options and prices and looking to find the most effective and safe solutions for improving their health and beauty. The cosmeceutical marketplace represents significant opportunities because of growing consumer demand, which is why there are currently large investments being made in this area by consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical companies as well as retailers."
Founded in 1978, Draft is a global marketing communications company that ranks as the largest direct and promotions agency in the United States, with offices across The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Major clients include Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America, CVS/Pharmacies, DeVry University, Kellogg, Nuveen Investments and the United States Postal Service, among others. Draft is a member of the Interpublic Group of Companies . Jim Lucas and Sarah Wilcox can be reached at 312-944-3500 or via email at jlucas@draftnet.com or swilcox@draftnet.com .
Draft
