Injecting Doubt in the Competition

Our Client

A Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company specializing in different therapeutic areas.

The Issue

A competitor in the aesthetics industry launched a new product that directly threatened the market share of a significant product in our client’s portfolio.

The Challenge

The market for these products was historically narrow, so the introduction of a competing product was bound to affect our client’s sales. Moreover, the competitor’s product was being marketed at a lower price point while making claims of a higher efficacy rate, putting our client’s market share at serious risk. As part of their launch, the competitor was running two digital campaigns: one promoting their product and the other directly attacking our client.

The Opportunity

The competitor drew significant attention with claims that their product was far superior to anything else on the market. However, there was reason to believe these claims were scientifically unfounded and misrepresented their own efficacy rate compared to the product’s FDA-approved label.

The Plan

The competitor was breaking numerous laws and potentially putting consumers at risk, so our first step was to bring their violations to the FDA and the FTC through a variety of means.

Knowing it would take time for federal intervention, we needed a broader public affairs effort geared at engaging with consumers directly on social media and online platforms. We developed targeted Facebook ads tailored to specific demographics and interests in the cosmetic and beauty industries. The ads served a dual purpose: some aimed to educate consumers about the competitor’s false claims, while others sought out potential advocates for a broader campaign.

To identify potential advocates for the future campaign, we created an online survey focused on attracting the attention of those who had recently undergone a cosmetic procedure and were dissatisfied with their results. As participants progressed through the survey, inquiries became more focused, probing into specific procedures, satisfaction levels, and perceptions of deceptive marketing. If the individual’s responses aligned with the objectives of our campaign, we asked if they would be willing to share their experience further.

The Result

Many consumers who experimented with the competitor’s product experienced its misrepresented efficacy rate, while even more consumers were warned not to make the switch.