HEARD of ZPTO? It's that fast-acting magic formula that neutralises microbes that cause dandruff and moisturises the scalp while lending sheen to your hair. On the way, it hopes to add some sparkle to Hindustan Lever's Clinic All-Clear shampoo.
What about Pro-Vitamin B5? It's the latest wonder vitamin being touted by both hair-care and skin-care companies like P&G (Pantene) and Benckiser (Coty Vitacare) as the answer to damaged hair and dry skin.
And hydroxy acids? These are 'lipids' that strengthen inter-cellular 'cement' that hold cells together so that skin and hair become firmer and stronger. Garnier's Synergie cream and Lakme's revival lotion are banking on these properties to drive sales up.
The name of the game is ZEWS: Zap 'Em With Science!
Does ceramide sound like something you make flooring tiles from? Does 'micro-captors' bring you visions of tiny armed robots protecting future societies from scumbags? Wasn't zeolite the extra-terrestrial metal that had strange effects on Superman? If your reply to all three questions are 'yes', it's time you woke up. And firm up on ZEWS. Answers at the bottom of the page.
There are suddenly so many outlandish formulae and acronyms around that ad capsules before TV programmes are beginning to look like random take-outs from a sci-fi movie. Take the skincare segment. Lakme alone boasts a separate speciality ingredient in each of its products. Its replenishment cream has Tocopheral, an anti-oxidising ingredient. The astringent is fortified with Zincidone, an anti-seborrhoeic agent to prevent oiliness. While the revival lotion has alpha-hydroxy acids, the radiance lotion has beta-hydroxy system and vitamin A palmitate. The facial scrub has D-Panthenol for nourishment and the face pack Allantoin to remove hidden impurities from the skin.
Phew!
If you think that's bad, take a gander at shampoos. Among the exotic, incomprehensible attributes, Organics touts glucasil, Pantene pro-vitamin B. Head & Shoulders has ZPT, Clinic has ZPTO. Palmolive Optima has keratin treatment, Ultra Doux is Ph balanced while Flex has balsam and protein.
In edible oils, Flora is positioned as a cholesterol fighter with PUFA (poly unsaturated fatty acids) with anti-oxidants TBHQ. Postman draws a comparison between PUFA and MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acids)-based oils and claims how MUFA increases good cholesterol to resist heart attack. Dabur's Level claims it balances cholesterol by increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), thereby reducing risk of heart diseases. Saffola draws a chart to demonstrate how the cholesterol slowing factor is highest in its oil.
The imperative for ZEWS isn't difficult to understand. First, the trend is most pronounced in the fast-moving consumer goods. "Over time products in the FMCG market get more homogeneous with modern technology constantly wiping out competitive advantage of 'superior products'. After all, how different can a toothpaste or a toothbrush be from another? This product parity leads companies to pull out fancy attributes from their hats," says Shivjeet Kullar, national creative director, Joint Commission, Asia-Pacific. Thus a Colgate brush claims it has step-trim bristles, unique diamond-shaped head and angled handle; Pepsodent says it has M-shaped bristles, spoon-shaped head and triple-angled handle. "It's a differentiating technique that each product uses to stand out in a pack," points out Charles Berley, vice-president, McCann Erickson.
Second, benefits from products like shampoos, creams or edible oils are difficult to demonstrate because gratification doesn't happen instantaneously. Unlike, say coffee, where taste can instantly tell consumers that the product lives up to the promise. Therefore, when the promise of skincare or edible oil products is demonstrated through scientific diagrams or communication, it gives the product some kind of handle to rely on.
THIRD, in case of premium products like anti-wrinkle creams or night repair creams, a scientific basis to the product enhances its perceived value. The consumer of these products is often the 'scientifically' informed and aware buyer who's familiar with things like the T-zone of facial skin, the melanin activity, SPF20, the three-step skincare routine of cleaning-toning-moisturising. "Consumers today like to be informed. Even if it's a technical term, he/she would like to understand the benefit it would deliver and how. Products must demonstrate what their benefits are," says Nehal Medh, general manager, ORG-Marg. "Initially names of special ingredients like AHA and vitasomes may be a little difficult to comprehend," says Aniljit
Singh, head, marketing, Benckiser India. "But consumers do value the fact that there's a logical explanation and a clear rationale as to why these products are expected to work for them." Saffola, the refined safflower oil from Marico Industries has successfully demonstrated how ZEWS can induce the consumer to pay more for the perceived benefit.
Finally, once a brand goes the ZEWS way, others in the category are forced to tow the line. So when P&G launched Ariel with Microshine, Lever retaliated with Surf Excel's "anti-bobbling agent formula"; the day P&G launched Head & Shoulders shampoo with ZPT, Lever introduced Clinic All-Clear with ZPTO. A Lever spokesperson explains that all anti-dandruff shampoos contain this zinc compound, and both P&G and Lever have their proprietary patented names. In the late '80s, Cadbury's India spent years of research to produce a health beverage called Enriche, which was given "24 vital ingredients" against market leader Complan's 23. Weeks before Enriche was to be launched, Dalmiya Industries launched Active 25! Cadbury's scientists quickly added two more ingredients to give 26! Didn't work. Both Active 25 and Enriche are now dead.
When everyone starts playing by ZEWS rules, they've to start going that extra mile to hammer home to customers that they're more scientific than others. So the ad copy for Benckiser's Coty Vitacare under-eye cream reads more like the communication for a dietary food supplement than a skincare product.
It elaborates five ingredients to support its night repair function: alpha hydroxy acids to reduce wrinkles, vitamin A to improve skin elasticity, pro-vitamin B5 to retain moisture, vitamin C to protect against damaging effects of the environment, and vitamin E to moisturise from within. TV commercials for Pond's skin-care products transport viewers to a lab-like environment where serious-looking people in white coats explain with diagrams how their products are the fruits of midnight oil burned for years on dermatological research.
But ZEWS has in recent times been leading to litigation—and confusion among customers. When Lever claimed ceramides in Sunsilk "rebuild hair and bring it back to life," P&G went to MRTP Commission alleging it was serious exaggeration. Lever argued it was just a metaphoric statement. MRTPC wasn't convinced. "The statement would be understood differently by people who use common parlance," it said. "(When people read ads), for them words convey literal meaning and not metaphorical. It's possible in literature, not advertising." Lever withdrew the offending ad line.
More recently, Lever's claim that Pepsodent toothpaste was "102 per cent better" than Colgate landed it in court. It's now withdrawn the ad but has slapped a case on Colgate for claiming its toothpaste kills germs. All this is now leading to some scepticism about ZEWS. "The danger with scientific claim-led advertising has been that it's been used more for retaliating or reacting to competition rather than focusing on consumer benefits," says Berley.
In any case, advertisers and marketers agree such advertising is successful only in inducing trial purchase. If a product fails to satisfy the customer, he won't buy it again. So blind reliance on ZEWS—or its dishonest use—can have very limited benefits. "Giving a so-called scientific basis to products by coining abbreviations like PSPO or ZPTO or churning jargon like wash-boosters or dirt-blasters is nothing but bad imagination of a bad copywriter, endorsed and approved by a bad client. They're underestimating the IQ levels of the consumers. It's bound to run out of steam," says Freddie Birdy, creative director, Mudra Communications. Till then, the consumer will stay confused.
