Dive Brief:
- Irish company Allergan's latest direct-to-consumer campaign for double chin treatment Kybella (injectable deoxycholic acid), called 'Profiles in Focus', uses the photographers lens to focus people on looking their best.
- Profiles in Focus includes hints and tips from a panel of profile experts to help people show their best side on social media, as well as curate their profiles to provide a more positive and professional image for potential employers.
- Kybella was approved in the EU earlier this month for the treatment of submental fullness (double chin), where it will be known as Belkyra. Kybella was approved in the U.S. in April 2015 to treat this stubborn area of fat.
Dive Insight:
Kybella, the first non-surgical treatment for submental fullness, was originally developed by Kythera, and snagged by Allergan when it bought the smaller company in October 2015. Kythera's focus on medical aesthetics fit in neatly with Allergan's Botox, Juvederm and Latisse franchises. Yet, Kybella's revenue was $12.7 million in the second quarter of 2016. Allergan paid $2.1 billion for the drug and is going to have to sell a lot of double chin shots to justify the acquisition to shareholders. The company is hoping to tap into patients' real-life worries to help drive sales of the drug.
According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) in 2015, excess fat under the chin or neck was in the top five concerns of consumers, at 67%.
Image is important, especially in this era of selfies and mobile phones, and this direct-to-consumer (DTC) campaign for Kybella is tapping into the zeitgeist. The campaign includes suggestions for a better headshot (stand up, find the best chin angle 'squinch' your eyes, pull back your shoulders, have a plain background, and crop the photo effectively), as well as creating a better social media profile to attract employers (use a good image, and select what you share!)
"The extraordinary reach of social media means our image is everywhere these days," says photographer Peter Hurley, author of The Headshot, "but unfortunately I have a lot clients tell me they actually avoid appearing in social media photos because they're unhappy or feel self-conscious about the way they look in these images."