Marketing Lessons Learned From The Most Off-Putting Product

First impressions are important in nearly every field of existence. A first impression is what will get a startup off the ground, forge a strong relationship or help assure a patient that they are in safe hands.

In life science marketing, first impressions are even more important, as people will not take a chance on products that could affect their health if they are not convinced quickly that it is safe and effective.

One of the greatest examples of a product getting this first impression so badly wrong is Rejuvenique, an electric facial mask that initially debuted in 1999 with claims that it could use electrodes to stimulate the face, tone it and reduce wrinkles.

These claims are exceptionally dubious in the first place since the product never received safety approval, but most people simply could not get past the utterly frightening appearance of the product itself, which was shaped like an exceptionally blank, disconcerting mask with electrodes on the inner side.

This did not create the impression of a relaxing, comfortable lifestyle product and instead resembled a mask from a work of horror fiction. Even celebrity endorser Linda Evans describes the mask as reminiscent of the mask worn by Erik, the Phantom of the Opera.

At this point, few were willing to invest in the product, and those that did found that the mask was heavy, uncomfortable, and painful to use, with few users reporting much impact on the skin.

Whilst electrical stimulation has been used by therapists in the past to treat conditions such as facial palsy, it is typically seen as ineffective compared to other treatment options even when used by professionals in clinics.

It did not sell particularly well and whilst it does have a degree of infamy, this is the result of the off-putting initial appearance of the product and the poor way it was marketed rather than any stated or actual claims.