PCA SKIN

Executive Creative Director

I was engaged to lead a complete brand strategy evolution of the customer experience and design for a clinical skin care company, from positioning through execution. Over the course of a four-year commitment, this process evolved PCA from a regional B2B product company to a global-class brand, creating a B2C product presence and scaling the customer base by 30x, resulting in a sale of the company to Colgate for $300 million+.*

After undergoing an internal deep-dive and competitive market evaluation, I simplified the naming from multiple expressions and logos to PCA SKIN with a new logo to leverage existing equities, but claim a clear market territory and clarify product offerings. I evolved the packaging and created new marketing communications and collateral with the team to amplify these changes.

I worked onsite to conduct thorough discovery process, develop a team, rebuild the brand architecture, including positioning, naming, identity, marketing, product strategy and packaging re-design of 200+SKUs, education materials, and workplace design.

PCA SKIN treatments and products were originally only available through licensed skin health professionals that have been trained and certified by PCA SKIN in their use.

As the innovator of the modified and enhanced peel, PCA expanded the line of blended chemical peels to include professional and take-home treatment options for all skin types, ethnicities, and conditions.

The core challenge I took on was delineating the two core customer segments; the professional line of treatment products sold exclusively to PCA SKIN Certified Professionals, and new take-home, consumer-friendly product suites, while maintaining the core expert channel equities. In collaboration with the PCA science group, I created a new DTC product concept and design for a premier launch available exclusively at retail, “Universal Radiance.”

Since PCA’s customers are a uniquely loyal bunch, both the professionals and their patients (many of whom are dealing with complex skin conditions), it became clear that they were a huge brand asset.

I proposed exclusively using actual customers in all marketing materials, introduced DEI, and conducted multiple photoshoots capturing their unique authenticity, enjoying the skin they’re in.

The ongoing customer research and listening tours were something I enjoyed, which led to the idea to video document the interviews, capturing the passion of the two core audiences – the professionals and their patients – expressing their loyalty, and becoming natural brand ambassadors. We also used video to document specific treatments for training and education classes.

Here are two examples from the library of patient and professional testimonials:

PCA educated and certified thousands of licensed professionals each year in the safe and effective application of their professional treatments and advanced products.

Elevating the education standards and supporting the graduate of PCA’s programs in parallel to developing the DTC products is crucial to the overall brand mission. I was responsible for ideas and executions to elevate and reward the professionals and create unique tools, posters, promotions and trade show presence to help them build their practices.

I created ideas, planograms, and prototypes to help develop a direct-to-consumer retail strategy and presence.

For the new mass retail channel, I proposed creating an arrangement with the retail partners to bring in actual PCA ambassadors to stores to demo products and connect new customers to a local professional.

Here’s a quick BEFORE & AFTER snapshot of the brand evolution as seen just through the website:

*Colgate-Palmolive Annual Report 2018: “In January 2018, the Company acquired all of the outstanding equity interests of Physicians Care Alliance, LLC (“PCA Skin”) and Elta MD Holdings, Inc. (“Elta MD”), professional skin health businesses, for aggregate cash consideration of approximately $730 million.