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Proactiv: How have three critical marketing decisions shaped a new venture’s future?

Proactiv shaped its brand by making three critical marketing decisions early on. It was important

for Rodan and Kathy to take these decisions because; a product’s early life cycle determines its

success in the market. Dr Rodan’s and Dr Kathy’s experience with acne patients showed that

more people were in the market with a dire need for an acne solution than research had

stipulated. Acne is a sensitive condition; most people would rather have a product that prevents it

than cures which was the case in the market before proactive. It is, therefore, evident that any

acne patient who comes across as proactive and gets to see the results is more than thankful for

the product.

Using infomercials was the best decision to market Proactiv for various reasons, as Dr Rodan

and Dr Kathy came to understand. First, Acne was an embarrassing issue; therefore, selling the

product openly would not produce positive results, as patient turnout would be very low. Second,

people need to be educated on how to treat their acne, something that could not just work in a 30-

60 second advert. Thirdly, the infomercial audience was a good target as it consisted of women

between their 20s to their 40s who would do anything to get rid of their acne problem, therefore,

providing a good market segment. Through infomercials, the product can air testimonials from

people who have experienced positive results.

It is clear that Rodan and Kathy were ready to throw in the towel after unsuccessfully seeking for

investment capital with no success. The deal with Guthy-Renker was their key to success, and if

it had not happened, then proactive would have had very low chances of existing in the market

today. Infomercials were a better choice for Proactiv than print and media advertising because

educating people on the product was necessary rather than just advertise (Agree and Martin).
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Infomercials offered more time to make this possible as compared to advertising through media

and print, where not many people would pay attention and most probably would assume it not to

work as the ones already in the market.

Proactiv’s positioning strategy has made it a success in the market as these strategies were able

to distinguish it from the other products already in the market. Categorising their product under

skin care products rather than acne products enabled them to tap into a more attractive and larger

market share. Coming up with the name Proactiv also played a major role for the product as

customers were not just looking for an attractive name in the market but rather something that

would address their problem (Nickika). “Proactiv”, coined from “proactive”, the opposite of

“reactive”, was the solution and it generated more positive reactions from the market. The use of

infomercials was one of the best decisions for Proactiv. It created recognition and understanding

in the market through educating potential clients and testimonies, which sparked a greater market

to seek the product leading to its success.

Proactiv’s core product seeks to market itself in the skincare market in which there is much

demand. The actual product, which is acne treatment, tends to have a lower demand in the

market because of it being a rather sensitive subject. The actual product is what indirectly leads

to a high market share. More people are buying it because of its ability to cure acne rather than as

a skin care product. Therefore, the actual product characteristics have been able to make its

spread in the market niche that was looking for a solution to their problems.
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References

Agree, Tom and Brett A.S. Martin. ""Planned or Impulse Purchases? How to Create Effective

Infomercials"." Journal of Advertising Research (2001): 35-42. Print.

Nickika. Real stories: Finally something that really works! 15 December 2012. web. 3 March 2013.