- Launching a new skin care product into an already saturated marketplace can be extremely daunting. Allergan relied on public relations as the key driver to build “buzz” for the launch of PREVAGE™ antioxidant cream in January 2005. Because PREVAGE would be sold exclusively through dermatologists’ and plastic surgeons’ offices, the team set out to utilize all communications efforts to drive consumers into a physician’s office, asking for PREVAGE by name.
- To generate pre-launch buzz in the consumer arena, editors from top-tier magazines were invited to an editorial roundtable to learn about the science behind PREVAGE. This roundtable served as a proactive means of setting the stage for long-lead coverage to hit at the time of launch. Additionally, CCA targeted major print, broadcast and Internet media outlets, sending interested reporters samples of the product.
- To support broadcast efforts at launch, CCA developed a video news release (VNR) featuring dermatologist Dr. Jeanine Downie and one of her patients. During the first month, the VNR reached 7.1 million U.S. viewers. CCA also targeted key celebrity “buzzmakers” to influence consumers at the time of launch.
- Success was measured by both media impression numbers and rapid consumer acceptance, and results exceeded expectations. As of June 2005, there were over 325 million media impressions, including placements in Prevention, Parade, TIME, The Los Angeles Times, InStyle, Woman's World, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, US Weekly, and broadcast appearances on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America and CBS’s Early Show. Significant correlations between media placements and sales were also noted; the total number of sales accounts more than doubled after PREVAGE appeared on The TODAY Show in January. By June 2005, the company achieved 117% of its annual sales goal, supported by a 600% increase in the number of PREVAGE sales accounts.
