Allergan Puts Claire Danes on the Line Over Lash Lengthener and Skin Damage
Claire Danes was the subject of a Page Six item recently that said she was suffering from darkened skin round her eyes, a side effect of the Latisse eyelash lengthener she's paid by Allergan (AGN) to promote. Allergan denied the story and threatened legal action. The article, however, also drew my attention to Allergan's Claire Danes web site, which charts the growth of the actress's lashes through 16 weeks of treatment. It's a masterpiece of marketing, and other drug companies could learn from it.
The site revolves around a series of closeup photos of Danes' eyes that users can view from different angles, click, drag and zoom in and out from. Danes' eyelashes are visibly longer at the end of the treatment:
The compelling part of the site is where it says:
They are her real eyelashes. They have not been retouched.That last sentence is a bold one because if the photos are not retouched then they are certainly shot in the most flattering lighting possible. Danes has nary a pore nor a wrinkle on her face, even though in this Dec. 4 paparazzi shot pores on her forehead could be seen from several feet away.
Nonetheless, Allergan is putting its money where its mouth is, and assuming the company is telling the truth -- it doesn't always -- the Latisse web site is one of the most compelling pieces of drug marketing I've seen this year.
It begs the question, Why don't other drug companies do this? There are lots of conditions that alter or damage patients' appearance, and lot of drugs that clear those conditions up.
One of those drugs is Accutane for chronic acne. It's a highly dangerous drug that should be reviewed by the FDA to see if it needs to be taken off the market. But one of the reasons patients still ask for it is this web site, started by an Accutane patient who charted her progress in a series of photos leading up to her wedding, when she walked down the aisle mostly zit-free. She has had nothing to do Roche (RHHBY), the company that used to market the drug before it went generic.
The site contains none of the risk and safety statements a drug marketer would need to make, of course. But it's a much more compelling sell than most other drug web sites which don't dare put up before and after pictures of actual patients.
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