Shots:

• Emily spoke about the launch of the new visual identity of Merz Aesthetics. The identity is built on the idea to create a cohesive and clear visual identity for Merz Aesthetics that reflects who they are and the purpose to fuel confidence
• The brightness of this new identity includes shades of orange, yellow, green, red and blue, contrasted by minimalist black and white typography and enhanced by photography representing diverse ages and cultural backgrounds
• The interview shows Merz Aesthetics’ innovative approach to aesthetic medicines with a unique product portfolio to meet patient’s needs 

Smriti: We all have read about Merz Aesthetics’ new visual identity. Can you please talk about this new identity, what it is, key messaging, etc.? (Please share something which our readers might not have read in the press releases) 

Emily Browder: Merz Aesthetics launched in January 2020 as the largest dedicated medical aesthetics business in the world. At that time, we created our confidence to be platform in alignment with our company purpose. It was important for us to orient ourselves around being a purpose-driven organization. All Merz Aesthetics employees show up for work each day knowing that we exist to fuel confidence by helping people look better, feel better and live better. Medical aesthetics is about more than how someone looks on the outside. It’s about feeling good in your skin and finding ways to feel like the most confident version of yourself.  

Merz Aesthetics’ new corporate visual identity builds on that idea of confidence, while also celebrating originality through a vibrant and distinct color palette along with strong and joyful photography – aiming to elicit a strong emotional connection from our audience. It underscores Merz Aesthetics’ brand message and commitment to empowering real people and highlighting personal authenticity in their quest for confidence.  

Smriti: What is the key reason behind launching this new visual identity? What pushed the Merz Aesthetics’ team to do this? 

Emily Browder: Excellence never comes from sticking with the status quo. It comes from doing things differently, from disruptive ideas and a relentless commitment to innovation. Our founder Friedrich Merz instilled that drive by saying ‘trust yourself and be different.’  

At Merz Aesthetics, we found that there was a clear gap in the medical aesthetics industry to be bold and reflect authentic confidence. Therefore, in collaboration with our regional Presidents and global stakeholders, we collectively built our new look to truly reflect who we are and to bridge that gap in our industry. The refreshed visual identity better communicates our company purpose and brand personality attributes of originality, realness, dedication, and confidence – building towards a more authentic truth and premium standard in medical aesthetics.   

Smriti: Why choose “Confidence to be”? What is the reason behind choosing this message? 

Emily Browder: At Merz Aesthetics, confidence is at the core of everything we do. It’s reflected in our innovative, entrepreneurial employees, the relationships and support we provide our customers, and the confidence inspired in the patients they treat. Instilling confidence within every person is the higher-order benefit to what we do in medical aesthetics and is the common purpose of all our stakeholders. Employees want to come to work and feel confident in their employer and our customers work to instill confidence in their patients daily.  

We empower individuals in their personal quest to be their best selves. This is reflected in the way that we’ve established unique connections with healthcare professionals – listening, advising supporting, and celebrating them – and what makes their success our success. Ultimately, we’re pursuing the same shared vision to help the world look better, feel better and live better. 

Smriti: Is this platform an outcome of data-driven analysis (what we mean is did the Merz Aesthetics team conduct any survey, or market research to gather customer feedback and then designed this campaign) 

Emily Browder: Merz Aesthetics conducted a survey of over 1,400 consumers and health care practitioners (HCPs) across the globe in all four of our regions. In recognition of the feedback received in that study, the new visual identity embraces vibrant colors, minimalist typography, and strong and joyful photography that brings to life authentic confidence. We uncovered results and feedback that we found to be particularly valuable, such as:  

• 79% of consumers and 72% of HCPs found that the new brand identity sets Merz Aesthetics apart.  
• 84% of consumers and 78% of HCPs found the new brand identity to be unique, while also incentivizing them to seek more information about the brand. 
• Upon viewing the new brand identity, those surveyed identified the words confidence, beauty, vibrant, interesting, and colorful to best describe the brand. 

Smriti: How is Merz Aesthetics’ “Confidence to be” different from competition organization’s similar initiatives (such as AbbVie’s “Forces of Beauty”/ DREAM initiative, without directly talking about AbbVie’s or any other competitor. Please elaborate on details) 

Emily Browder: Not all medical aesthetics businesses are built the same. Merz Aesthetics has been independent and family-operated for more than a century. It allows us to be fast and agile in responding to the needs of our customers. And it allows us to work directly with healthcare professionals to bring their patients the information and support they need to feel more confident. In our society, there’s a promise of more. More beautiful, more youthful, more success, more, well, more. But at Merz Aesthetics, we defy this one-dimensional way of thinking. Because we believe the most important thing is to simply be more, you.  

We empower individuals in their personal quest to be their best selves — because every person has a unique brand of confidence. 

Source: Canva

About the Author: 

Emily Browder serves as the Head of Global Communications for Merz Aesthetics where she leads the company’s communication strategy and is responsible for all external and internal communications. Emily oversees global media relations, public relations, social media, executive communications and employee communications to help build and protect the company’s reputation. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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