Q-Med appoints Cirkle to change consumer perceptions of cosmetic medicine

The campaign will seek to change assumptions around minimally invasive cosmetic practices following negative press surrounding actress Lesley Ash’s ‘trout pout’, when she suffered an allergic reaction to her lip filler in 2002.

Launched in 1996, Restylane was the first natural filler on the market, made from hyaluronic acid, and boasts more than 11 million treatments globally.

The trade and consumer remit will drive awareness, education and advocacy for Restylane among key stakeholders including aesthetic practitioners. Priced at approximately £300 per treatment, Restylane will be promoted towards more affluent consumers in titles such as Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and GQ as well as trade titles including Cosmetic News and Body Language.

The PR campaign to drive the product’s credibility will kick off with the launch of the Q-Med Faculty, which will be made up of high profile aesthetic practitioners who will promote the brand’s safe, natural and effective proposition.

Previously the company used a mixture of advertising and PR to market the product, but in a change of direction, the new campaign will focus on a purely editorial remit.

James Backhouse, general manger for Q-Med UK, said: ‘PR will be the key driver for Restylane and the fresh thinking and commercial understanding that Cirkle brings made it our agency of choice from the start. It demonstrated a real strategic understanding of our business model, the consumer and the media.'

Cirkle’s body+soul team, led by Kay Glover, will manage the account. The division is also responsible for clients including Remington, Cuticura, Montagne Jeunesse and Life Fitness.