A well placed scientific fact or useful statistic can make a huge difference to the credibility of your marketing. My pet hate is bad science in writing – especially marketing that masquerades as science.
One of the worst offenders are the moisturising creams that fall under the broad heading of ‘cosmeceuticals’. Cosmeceutical is a marketing term- there are no requirements to prove that the products actually live up to their claims.
Are you paying for science or marketing?
The cosmeceutical industry is a billion dollar industry – fuelled by marketing. Cosmeceutical companies typically spend 2 percent of total cost on research and development and a staggering 20 percent on marketing.
Microsoft on the other hand spent $8.7 billion on R&D last year and its sales budget increased to $13.2 billion to cover new product launches.
Windows 7 and Bing are the results of research; ‘pro-collagen microsmoothing biospheres with revitalifting fibrelastine’ is cleverly marketed moisturiser.
I think the ratio for homeopathy is even worse.
Ducks and runs for cover.
I love the way cosmeceutical TV advertisements use meaningless pseudo-scientific animations where little balls of science attack wrinkles or other signs of aging.
There’s an implication the ‘research laboratory’ behind the product is an ethical, prestigious institution on a par with Cern, rather than some horrid back room on an industrial estate where mascara is stuck in bunny rabbit eyes.
Cosmeceutical, are not very scientific, but they can make women feel much better compared to Windows Vista.