Beauty may be skin deep

In my last blog, I had shared lessons from our experience with rebranding Baby Banz (a kids’ safety wear brand) to BANZ. We saw how laying emotion over an essentially rational platform helped to enhance the brand’s appeal to buyers and users.

In this blog, I talk about a beauty brand that achieved cut through by overlaying reason in a category that is sold almost entirely on emotion (quite unlike BANZ).      

The story about the creation of GUIZE FACE FX is included in our case study titled “A beauty brand gets more than a facelift”. Here are some learnings we garnered from working on this exciting contouring product.

1. If you go global, make sure you own the IP in every market

The need to create the new brand, GUIZE FACE FAX was no doubt driven by growing competition from cheaper, mediocre imitations being peddled on Amazon. But, a parallel factor was the client’s inability to use the existing brand name in one of the markets. 

Our advice to clients has always been to hire a competent IP Attorney to make sure the brand is trademarkable in every market they operate in. Bubblefish can help with this task as an optional service – we work with a reputed Legal firm that can handle all your trade marking needs.

2. If your name can soft sell your product, there is no need for a hard sell

I see many brand names desperately trying to cut through in a cut throat market. Some names sound contrived, others even outrageous. All because it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure a URL you like or trademark a name that you love.  

Bubblefish prides itself on diving deep to analyse your competitive space, your consumer’s psyche and your corporate culture before coming up with a name/phrase that telegraphs who you are or what your product does. This makes it easier to build a brand without the huge resources often required to gain visibility and salience. 

The GUIZE FACE FX name effectively communicates a generic property of the product - its ability to disguise less flattering facial features for a sharper look. Owning this space can be a source of sustained competitive advantage. The play on the word ‘guys’ also gave it a cheeky twist.

3. If you can ‘swim against the tide’ you can scale newer heights

Our home-grown methodology, the four step BubblefishLadder allows brands to go against the flow to reach newer heights.

The beauty business has always relied on exotic names, enticing packaging and celebrity endorsements to carve out a slice of the market. GUIZE FACE FX chose to buck this trend.  

Closely following how women used contour kits, we found that rarely anyone consumed all 6 pellets in a box. Invariably, you would run out of some while others remained unused. And, if your skin colour deviated from the norm, the increased choice was no help either.  

GUIZE FACE FX included four large slabs that lasted longer while offering every essential shade. Simultaneously, the product came in three different packs to suit a variety of skin tones. Whether you were light skinned, dark skinned or anywhere in between, there was a GUIZE FACE FX Contour Collection that would work just right for you. This concept of all round superior value was captured in the brand promise “Sharper face. Smarter value.” 

4. If visual form becomes one with product function, it makes a grand design 

The creative execution was simple and elegant with a minimalist approach. No bold motifs or glossy golds.  

Instead it cleverly employed ‘the line of separation’ - a key element in contouring that seamlessly blends highlights and contrasts on a woman’s face - as the defining feature of the logo treatment, packaging design, product display, talent imagery and web presence.  

GUIZE FACE FX was another Bubblefish success story from 2017. If you want to know details or how your brand can get more than a facelift, please email Delia.  

By Mahesh Enjeti, Advisor, Bubblefish