The second goal is to have you remember the product. Sometimes ads are really cute or clever, but the audience doesn’t get what is being pitched. Did you ever turn to the person next to you and ask, “What was that commercial for?” Some marketer flunked Marketing 101.

If an ad really grabs your attention and interests you enough to make a mental note to look for the product, it was a good ad. That doesn’t necessarily mean the product is good; but the company will probably have a strong product launch. Then the product will have to stand on its own merits.

My hat’s off this month to Avon for the pre-launch marketing campaign for its latest anti-aging skin cream, ThermaFirm Face Lifting Cream. I predict the launch will be very successful.

People are clamoring for free samples and want to know what the special ingredients are. The company is keeping the full ingredient list tightly under wraps.

I will be reviewing Thermafirm’s list of ingredients and the cream’s performance as soon as we receive our free samples next week.

You can check Ageless Beauty directly or go to the The Ageless Beauty Blog where I will be sure to let readers know as soon as the review is posted.

Jean

Therma-Wha?

As the market waits with bated breath for the scoop on Avon’s new product launch, ThermaFirm Face Lifting Cream, people are also puzzling over where in the world Avon got the idea for an anti-aging cream that purports to use “triple-sonic technology” to “form a 3-D matrix on your skin. The wave of the future. Unprecedented lifting. Pain-free.”

The company claims the ultrasonic stressed yeast, hydrolyzed protein and other special ingredients: “stimulate collagen production; protect against collagen breakdown by inhibiting collagen-depleting enzymes; and stimulate fibronectin, which helps link the dermal fibers together.”

Sounds to me like something out of an old Buck Rogers episode. But, as they say, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

There actually is a face lifting procedures based on radio waves. It’s called Thermage; and believe it or not, Thermage received FDA approval in 2004.

Thermage uses radio waves to heat the collagen beneath the skin. The resulting irritation stimulates the body to produce significant amounts of new collagen over the next three to six weeks.

Thermage is said to be especially effective to reverse sagging in the mid and lower facial area. Read more about Thermage here.

Supplement and Herb Caution

I am a believer in supplements but always caution people to be knowledgeable about and alert to possible side effects and contraindications. You also need to consider any prescribed medications you may be on. Your best bet is to check with your doctor.

Read our advice to Tricia below.

Reader Letter of the Month

I am currently taking St. John’s wort and I just started on the contraceptive NuvaRing. I was wondering if taking St. John’s wort would interfere with this particular contraceptive and if so, WHY.

Thank you for your time,

Tricia

Definitely yes. On the manufacturer’s website under “Drug interactions”, St. John’s wort is specifically mentioned.

According to the Mayo Clinic, St. John’s wort may prevent the contraceptive ring from working properly and result in unplanned pregnancy.

Talk to your doctor about alternatives to St. John’s wort A.S.A.P.

Click here for more information on St. John’s Wort.

Click here for the latest on anti-aging vitamin supplements and herbs.