Medicis pharmaceutical, the maker of the cosmetic treatment Restylane, faced a marketing challenge. How do you make antiwrinkle injections appeal to mainstream women?
The solution: Produce your own reality show. Last week, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company began recruiting women to compete for the title of "Hottest Mom in America" in a contest the company hopes to film and sell to a TV network. Designed for suburban moms, the contest winner will receive a college scholarship for her child and will become an official Restylane spokeswoman.
The show is part of a broader marketing campaign for Restylane, using the Internet, blogs and television spots, aimed at women across America who might not think of themselves as customers for Medicis Pharmaceutical's top product: a regimen of twice-yearly injections that can cost a total of $2,000 or more to maintain.
Less than three years after it hit the U.S. market, Restylane has become a popular beauty treatment for some affluent women, but Medicis sees an enormous untapped market that it wants to reach with the hoped-for TV show and intertwined "viral marketing" campaign.
Conscious that a heavy-handed promotion of Restylane could turn off potential viewers, Medicis won't overtly push the treatment in the show. Physicians who specialize in facial rejuvenation will advise and probably treat the women on camera. Participating doctors could mention Restylane as a possible treatment although they are also free to recommend treatments that aren't sold by Medicis, the company says.
The contest is supposed to identify "a woman who is in tune with her family, involved in her community and in touch with her femininity," according to a letter that Medicis mailed last week to its customers -- the hundreds of dermatologists, plastic surgeons and other medical specialists who prescribe Restylane. The letter also invites those physicians to encourage their patients to participate in the pageant.
Medicis doesn't have a TV deal lined up so it is unclear when or where the show will air. But to produce the show, the dermatology company has recruited some savvy Hollywood hands, including award-winning producer John Feist -- one of the original producers of the iconic CBS reality show "Survivor" -- and Jamie Gold, a former celebrity talent-agent-turned-television producer. "Hottest Mom in America" is the initial project for Buzznation Productions, a TV venture started last year by three partners including Mr. Gold and Mark Hughes, a word-of-mouth marketing guru and author.
"If the show is done in a classy way there's no reason why it wouldn't be picked up by some network," says Mr. Gold. A big selling point, he adds, is that networks won't have to pay for marketing since Medicis is bankrolling an initiative to build buzz around contest auditions in five U.S. cities and Toronto. It is possible, he concedes, that the show could end up on a niche channel geared to women, or Medicis could be left with no alternative than to pay for air time. Medicis says it will produce at least 13 one-hour episodes.
The new promotion comes as Restylane is facing its first big competitive threat. Since its U.S. debut in January 2004, Restylane has enjoyed a virtual monopoly for dermal fillers, which are used to plump up deep facial lines, especially between the nose and chin. Irvine, Calif.-based Allergan is expected to soon start selling Juvederm, a rival filler approved by the Food and Drug Administration in February. Allergan, a much larger company than Medicis, practically created the cosmetic-medicine market with its antiwrinkle muscle-relaxer, Botox, used around the eyes and forehead. When Juvederm hits the market, patients and their doctors will for the first time have a choice between it and Restylane to treat the lower part of the face.
Medicis Chairman Jonah Shacknai says the "Hottest Mom in America" project was in the works before Juvederm's approval. He said "this is the largest single investment we've ever made in any promotion," but declined to give a dollar figure.
Two episodes will be filmed in each city -- Dallas, Miami, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto -- and the winners will face off at the finale. Judges will include a local media celebrity, a physician, a young adult, and a child aged about 10 to 12.
Buzznation has sent people to Dallas, ahead of the first contest taping at the city's Reunion Arena on Saturday. The advance scouts, wearing black "production team" T-shirts with the "Hottest Mom in America" logo, are this week visiting hair salons, spas and health clubs in targeted upscale neighborhoods. Their job is to persuade these establishments to post mirror-clinging decals that promote auditions to the TV show as well as an 800-number and Web site, HottestMominAmerica.com. In some cities, 30-second TV spots will be used to advertise auditions.
Ten finalists will be selected in each city. The episodes will include interviews with the women, their family members and neighbors, much like other TV shows in the reality genre. Banter with the judges -- including contestants' responses to edgy or embarrassing questions about whether cosmetic treatments represent "cheating" -- will be part of the fare.
"I didn't really like 'Extreme Makeover' and 'Swan' -- shows that were overdone and sensationalized plastic surgery," says Michael Kane, a New York City plastic surgeon and Medicis consultant. The contestants were looking to drastically change their lives, which he claims is "exactly the wrong message" for most patients. By contrast, he says, contestants on "Hottest Mom in America" will be women with fulfilling family and professional lives who merely want "a little bit of help" to look good.
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