Skincare: packaging doesn’t matter

Skincare: packaging doesn’t matter

(to people who care about results)

 

The same can be said about pretty much anything, really. Who cares what your new game’s box looks like, or what colour’s on the soup can? Obviously there are exceptions: you expect sensitive electronics to be well packaged to prevent damage, and you need to know what colour of paint’s in the can.

But beyond that… what’s the difference? Amazon doesn’t ship magically-pretty boxes because it’s what’s inside that counts.

Product packaging does have a purpose, of course: it’s to entice consumers to choose this product over that one. Maybe they think this model’s prettier, or this artful swoosh make people think of waves at the beach (water! It’s clean and pure!), or some other trick. If you want your company to stick around, you need to make sure you stand out on a crowded shelf. Marketing 101 – make customers want to buy things.

And then buy more things.

And if that doesn’t work… let’s rebrand again, to make ‘em buy all the things! Only… what if the things don’t work as expected? It’s not always a very consumer-friendly process, this marketing stuff.

Skincare’s a perfect example. Notice how Brand X launches a New, Improved, SuperMagicWow Potion basically every year? It’s always the product that’s going to clear your skin and keep you young & beautiful forever. This isn’t entirely dishonest – a lot of companies really do invest a lot of time into R&D, striving to deliver improved products to their customers. Skincare’s no exception.

Wait a minute.

Wasn’t that what last year’s product was supposed to do? And I guess it didn’t? Yeah. See, the trick with marketing is to make people feel bad about something so they’ll buy a product that claims to fix it. These are called “pain points” and by Joe, poking them works. Does it ever.

With skincare and similar industries, it’s super-easy: last year’s product didn’t work because your skin is the problem but don’t worry; this year’s line-up is going to work wonders for you. Oh, and, uh, see you next year. Same rat-time, same rat-channel.

Guess what? Your skin isn’t the problem and if marketing’s making you feel like it is, it’s not your fault (that’s what it’s supposed to do) and you’re far from alone.

Wheeere’s the results?

If a company’s products fulfill their promise – be it clearer, healthier, younger-looking skin or whatever else – then they don’t need to continually reinvent their presentation through glitzy TV ads and latest-greatest packaging. Sure, sometimes it’s “new look, same great taste” and that’s fine. Standing out is important.

But so is honesty. Maybe some of those advertising funds should’ve gone to the lab instead. You know, to develop a product that doesn’t need hype to thrive because it genuinely delivers. Just sayin’.

So do we lose the advertising battle? No – we simply choose not to fight it because consumers don’t win, either.

To be fair, METRIN doesn’t dump money into our labs either (well, at least not for R&D). But there’s one all-important reason for this: our formula’s been delivering consistent, repeatable, visible and feel-able results to our customers for over 80 years. And despite our lack of shiny-happy ad campaigns, many of our very first clients (and their children and grandchildren) are still with us today.

Right here. And much more than that.

Lasting skincare results are one thing. We’re pretty sure most companies would simply go out of business if their products didn’t do something. But there’s a lot more to inspiring multi-decade client relationships than just an effective product.

The key word’s “relationship” – we like to sell skincare products, sure. But our real goal is to actually help people feel comfortable in their own skin. Around here, we like to say “we sell skin care for life” because that’s often what ends up happening.

Where else can you access an entire team of skincare professionals any time you have a question?

Forget pretty packaging. We’d rather focus on supporting our customers, making sure you’re all happy and learning about your experiences & questions so we can go about improving and answering them. That’s why you don’t see a whole ton of pure promotion on this blog: because it’s better for everyone to make sure you don’t just enjoy quality, comfortable skincare – you understand how the products (and your skin’s natural renewal systems) work.

Our team likes to check in with you once in a while to see how you’re doing and how we can help. These are never sales calls – METRIN only sells one skincare system because that’s all you’ll need. We enjoy having an opportunity to help you personally… and, of course, getting a quick confirmation that we’re doing a good job and keeping your skin healthy. We’re people, too 🙂

Got a question or concern about your skin? Go for it – ask away. We’ll be happy to help. And you might just inspire us to post an in-depth answer here, because you’re certainly not the only one wondering.

Thanks for being part of the METRIN family. We truly appreciate it. And if you’re not yet, we’ve got a promise for you: METRIN will work. You’ll experience the results you’re looking for – whether it’s reduced signs of aging, improved texture with fewer dry/oily patches, decreased discoloration or just clearer, healthy-looking skin, you’ll see it within 6 months.

 

And if you disagree? Every drop of skincare is free. No questions asked. Even if you use it all.

 

How’s that for truth in advertising?