It's not unusual for one brand to claim superiority over another using comparative advertising. In the case of the new ad campaign from Burt's Bees, however, there is a twist in that the brand points out the differences in the ingredients of competing products without mentioning them by name.
Mike Indursky, the chief marketing and strategic officer at Burt's Bees, told AdAge.com, "You see brands attack other brands. We'd never want to do that. What we want to do is show one ingredient vs. another ingredient."
The Burt's Bees approach involves making a distinction between its "natural" ingredients versus the "synthetic" formulas of competing products.
One ad involves comparing the beeswax used in Burt's Bees products to petrolatum found in conventional products. According to the ad, beeswax is a "naturally replenishing moisturizer" that comes from bees while petrolatum is made from "crude oil."
Another message compares Burt's use of "milk and honey" as ingredients in its body lotion to a preservative used by other products that can release formaldehyde.
Stacy Malkan, at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, told NPR's Marketplace that Burt's Bees' ads are provocative but convey messages that are important for consumers to hear.
"There's growing consumer demand for safer and non-toxic products, and companies that are making safer products need to find a way to let consumers know that," she said.
The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) thinks that Burt's Bees ads are misleading by suggesting that natural ingredients are somehow safer and/or more effective than synthetics.
The PCPC's John Bailey said Burt's claims are "not supported by the science and the record in the marketplace for these products."
Discussion Questions: Is Burt's Bees on the right track with its new ad campaign? Is drawing attention to specific "natural" ingredients wise? Is it likely to convert consumers who currently use conventional beauty products to the Burt's Bees brand?