Well, this is all, of course, purely In My Humble Opinion. I believe that Timeless Secret
I personally used Timeless Secret for a couple years, and I have to say, that it was the first product that I found so compatible with my skin after I moved to US from Russia. At first I couldn’t find any cosmetic brand that would have been affordable and walked the talk. Timeless Secret was perfect for me! And what I liked about it – it’s just 5 products. Cleanser (with is also a toner, and combines any kinds multi-step cleansing elements), day cream, night cream, eye cream, and a mask. And it works well for any type of skin. It really was a miracle product (still may be for you if you are lucky to buy what’s left of the stock).
What I think went wrong is the brand owner’s the lack of knowledge in Beauty Marketing. Product partners is a great company which made their fortune on selling fitness products, such as DVD workouts, fitness supplements, and fitness gear. Pretty much, male type of product which required “male” type marketing – aggressive, strong, redundant, stimulating. This kinda product needs a constant visual reminder to potential customers of how good it is. And fit people who are using the product and all success stories are the best example.
What I think has happened, excited by Fitness products marketing success, Product Partners decided to use the same or similar marketing approach advertising their beauty. But beauty advertising is quite different! It’s a “female” type of marketing – it should be soft, inviting, alluring, unobtrusive… Endless infomercials can’t really make majority of the marketing of a beauty brand, unless it’s featuring a very trustworthy celebrity who has been using the brand for years and looks fantastic in her senior years. For instance, I would try Cindy Crawford’s line. Although, I wouldn’t buy the whole set, even with a warranty and an offer of a complete return.
Another mistake in the marketing of the Timeless Secret is that it was offered on the subscription basis only. A big no-no. This is a new brand, nobody really knows about it. People don’t believe what infomercials say, unless they can see the result. Pictures of real women with smoothed skin after using Timeless Secret? No, sorry, won’t do. Before the trust to the brand is established, nothing will do. And you can’t establish the trust without giving people a chance to try the product.
So, even though the product was good, and the price was VERY good (approximately $30 per month for a product that actually made you look younger!), but it was aggressively advertised in infomercials and offered only on a subscription basis. People already know that these two together may mean fast money made on a bad product. Add the relatively low price, and you have little trust from the customer.
Of course, the Timeless Secret had its admirers. Those women who didn’t mind buying a trial version and weren’t afraid of getting into a subscription affair (because they watch their expense and knew they would have canceled if they didn’t like it!) – they loved Timeless Secret. But the way it was marketed, it never had a chance to become a successful business.
What should have been done differently? In my ideal world, this is what I would do if it was my product:
Massive sample distribution. (At some point, Timeless secret was produced in a month-sized jars and offered as a trial on their website, but for a very short time, as the manufacturer decided it wasn’t profitable.) Samples should have been everywhere – in all magazines, in local malls, wherever you could have done it. Day and Night cream would go perfect together! Needless to say, the samples should have been given away for free massively on the Timeless Secret website.
Product demonstration. Just the cleansing foam alone would have made a sensation if it was offered for trial in the places where they give away free makeup. The foaming mask could be the second product to go along.
Social Networks Awareness Campaigns. This could have been awesome! Facebook and other networks campaigns would have been awesome! A giveaway of just few full sets could have created a huge network of female admirers who would have talked about it. There could have been so many interesting things done with it! Contests, lotteries, giveaways for PR. You name it.
Regular short (and expensive!) commercials instead of infomercials. Who will watch a 30-minute long cosmetic-related movie? 30 seconds, prime time. Chick flick. Lines such as “New sensation in age-defying products. Free samples on Facebook.” There. Everybody wants a sample!
No subscription conversion before the product would reach enough coverage and audience awareness. In my opinion, Timeless Secret should not have had gone subscription-only at all, but offered a subscription a few months after the launch as an option – and test it. I would sell only month-size products at a slightly higher price. For example, a 3-piece set for three months (cleanser, day, and night cremes) was offered, say, at $39.95. I would sell monthly set for $19.99 and single products slightly more expensive than in the set. Within a month everybody would be able to figure out the value of this product! They would have come for more, and after I got enough awareness, I would add an option of the subscription where I would sell 3-month sized products combo at a significantly lower price compared to one-month. It would have been much cheaper to buy a subscription than month-by month.
But! I would also add FREE bonuses to each subscription, which would have made my offer Irresistible. How? EASY! Product Partners has an array of amazing fitness products including but not limited by a variety of fitness videos, gear, protein shakes, meal replacements, vitamins. What would it cost for them to add one extra product to the subscription box! It could have been 7-day vitamin pack, couple portions of protein shake, a protein bar. Needless to say, the company could have tested new workouts and advertise their fitness video programs with a short DVD of a select workout from each program! It could have been a surprise every month, women would love it! Needless to say this kind of cross-department marketing would increase company sales in Fitness department with little added marketing expense.
A network of beauty shows similar to Zepter sales-campaigns. Well, even Product Partners themselves had great experience with Team Beachbody Coach program. Well, it became possible, because the majority of those coaches were themselves walking success stories of weight loss and acquiring great shape. The beauty products don’t work that fast, and the results are not so vivid. But still, they could at least have attempted an ambassador program! I think it could have gone great!
Unfortunately, Timeless Secret went its own way, and all we know right now, is that the product is not being produced any longer. There is a trial-size Timeless Secret set that is selling on Amazon for ridiculous $40+. It is still worth the try, may be the product will be revived and brought back, because to me it was one of the best cosmetics I have ever tried.