Have you ever stopped to analyze the marketing behind Old Spice?
On paper, body wash and deodorant are about as undifferentiated as a product category can possibly get. At their core, these products do two simple things: they clean you up, and they make you smell good. There is no secret chemical formula, no proprietary top-secret technology, and no magic ingredient that turns a bottle of body wash into gold.
Yet, Old Spice transformed itself into an absolute cultural phenomenon.
They didn’t achieve this by reinventing the soap. They achieved it by completely changing how people felt about the brand. They leaned into a tone that was hilarious, bold, and intentionally a little ridiculous. Suddenly, people weren’t just buying deodorant in silence—they were talking about a body wash brand at the dinner table.
If you own or manage a medical spa, this dynamic carries a critical marketing lesson.
The Med Spa Dilemma: Why Product Superiority Is a Myth
Medical spas find themselves in a position strikingly similar to the body wash aisle:
- Injectables are injectables.
- Lasers are lasers.
The competitor down the street has access to virtually the exact same treatments, the exact same devices, and in many cases, the exact same or similar training certifications.
If your core growth strategy relies on waiting for a “product advantage” or a device exclusivity deal to save your practice, you are going to be waiting a very long time. Superior equipment and technical skill are baseline expectations; they are no longer reliable differentiators in a saturated market.
What can set your practice apart is the exact lesson Old Spice figured out: Magnetism.
Brand magnetism is the intangible feeling a prospective patient experiences the second they encounter your business. You don’t build magnetism by accident; you build it through consistent, intentional marketing and advertising.
Restructuring the “Know, Like, Trust” Framework
In marketing, the classic Know, Like, and Trust framework outlines the exact psychological journey a consumer takes before buying:
- Know: They must know you exist.
- Like: They must like what you are about.
- Trust: They must trust that you are the right choice.
These steps are designed to happen in sequence. However, most med spas make the mistake of sprinting straight to the Trust phase.
[Common Med Spa Mistake]
Skip “Know” & “Like” ➔ Sprint Straight to “Trust” (Credentials, Certifications, Before/Afters)
[Effective Brand Building Strategy]
1. Know (Visibility with a Unique Perspective)
↓
2. Like (Distinct Brand Personality & Voice)
↓
3. Trust (Social Proof, Results, Clinical Expertise)
↓
4. Intrigue (Behind-the-Scenes & Fresh Perspectives)
Practices routinely flood their marketing with clinical credentials, advanced certifications, and endless before-and-after photos. While those elements are essential, launching with them is entirely backward. If you can get people to feel something and genuinely connect with your business before they ever care to read your résumé, you immediately hold the advantage.
Here is how to properly build each layer in practice:
1. The “Know” Phase: Showing Up with a Perspective
Establishing visibility requires showing up consistently across content, paid ads, and social media channels. However, simply being visible isn’t enough—you must be visible with a unique point of view.
Posting generic content like “We offer Botox” does nothing to distinguish your practice from the five other clinics in a three-mile radius. Your content must communicate who you are so that prospective patients immediately feel a sense of connection and understanding.
2. The “Like” Phase: Pick a Lane and Commit
Likability comes directly from highlighting the distinct personality traits of your practice and team. Ask yourself what your core brand identity feels like:
- Are you warm and approachable?
- Are you strictly clinical, precise, and high-tech?
- Are you ultra-luxurious and exclusive?
- Are you fun, lighthearted, and energetic?
Whatever identity you choose, pick a lane and commit to it completely. The brands that people fall in love with carry a clear, distinct personality—you can virtually hear their distinct voice in every caption, video, and advertisement they release. That is the level of brand identity you are aiming to build.
3. The “Trust” Phase: Earning Credibility
Trust is earned through social proof: clinical results, patient reviews, case studies, and demonstrating deep expertise. But remember: trust only works after someone already likes you enough to pay attention. Credentials are meaningless if the audience has already scrolled past your content.
The Hidden Fourth Element: Intrigue
Beyond knowing, liking, and trusting, there is a powerful fourth element that rarely gets enough attention in aesthetic marketing: Intrigue.
Old Spice didn’t just inform consumers about their products; they gave them something interesting to think about, share with friends, and come back to watch again.
How Intrigue Applies to Your Practice:
- Unspoken Insights: Sharing education or truths about treatments that patients didn’t realize they needed to know.
- Behind-the-Scenes Access: Unfiltered, real-world content that makes your practice feel human, transparent, and approachable.
- Bold Perspectives: Articulating strong opinions or insights that no one else in your local market is willing to say out loud.
Intrigue breaks through the noise of standard aesthetic advertising because it engages curiosity rather than pitching a treatment.
Marketing Is Your Differentiation
At the end of the day, your marketing isn’t just a fallback plan to fill empty appointments when word-of-mouth slows down—it is a core component of your operational strategy.
The med spas that win over the long term aren’t necessarily the ones with the absolute “best” injectors or the newest, most expensive machines. The practices that win are the ones that master brand magnetism by making people feel something every single time they interact with the brand.
