Miracle cream or social media phenomenon?

As if we needed another reason to  ♥  Waitrose...

A story caught my attention in the press.

The events actually happened a couple of years ago but I keep stumbling across references to it every now and then. It's worth mentioning because it serves to highlight three things:

1. the power of testimonial
2. social media has the ability to drive sales much faster than traditional forms of media
3. sometimes the most basic products can be transformed into beauty must-haves

It's a story about how, literally overnight, a white-label supermarket product sparked one of the biggest beauty discoveries since YSL's Touche Eclat (fortunately, not of the same pricey ilk).

The story goes like this...

One day, a mum uploads a comment on Mumsnet:

"I can't even remember what made me put it on my face one day but OMG - it is fab. I have been using it constantly for 2 weeks now and my skin now has the smoothest texture, which I don't think it's had since prepubescence. And it makes my foundation look super dewy and youthful too. It is SO much better than all the expensive face creams I have tried - including Creme de la Mer."


Wow. You can imagine the response. It's the kind of testimonial brands can only fantasise about. 


Shortly afterwards, other mums started to upload their own joyous anecdotes about the miracle butter, and unsurprisingly, Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter sold out within weeks. In fact, the demand for the miracle cream became so great that Waitrose was able to shift the equivalent of a 14 year supply in the
space of just 12 months (you do the maths).


Some of the press headlines included:
Supermarket stampede as women slap £2.49 baby 'bottom butter' on their faces (Daily Mail)


Let's face it, Baby Bottom Butter is better on your cheeks (The Guardian)


Perhaps the astonishing rise in sales of Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter can be attributed to the fact a consumer happened to compare it to one of the most premium face creams on the planet; Creme de la Mer. Dropping a brand name like that is surely going to cause a few eyes to widen. 


Whatever the reason, even after the dermatological effects of the butter were investigated and experts were openly skeptical about the supposed benefits, sales continued to rise. Perhaps because at £2.50, you can't really go wrong.