A/R brochure question?

**akeroptical** · 01-27-2007, 08:51 PM

We all seem to agree that A/R has lots of wonderful benefits but I have an issue with the brochures that the different companies print.

I use alot of Teflon A/R through our office and the newest brochure after the merger shows a lady wearing glasses before and after that shows a realistic expectation for A/R. I do the same before and after for patients with my own glasses and a frame from the board with regular demo lenses.

My issue is with the night driving picture. I have seen brochures from a hand full of A/R suppliers that have the same format. One pic is glasses and one is night time showing before and after. The night driving picture always shows extremly bright white headlights in the before picture with haloing around lights. Then the after picture shows no halos which I feel is a realistic expectation but it shows the headlights much, much dimmer and not quite as white and distracting looking. I feel like this is misleading to the patients and opticians that sell A/R. If A/R allows more light through the lens how could it possible dull the brightness of headlights. Check out you office brochures, you'll see what I mean. Furthermore, I have glasses with and without A/R and I cannot recreate this affect for my own eyes and I am a myope with astigmatism.

I wish they would just do the pictures with the same light intensity, be it dull or bright. I feel like there is some photoshop being used and not just a real before and after.

Any comments?

**cocoisland58** · 01-27-2007, 11:11 PM

Ah, grasshopper. Do you know nothing of marketing? Does the hamburger in the picture on the menu look much like the one they put in front of you? To sell a product one must exaggerate it's qualities. It's not a lie but just an inflated truth. Do I think my Crizal lenses are as fabulous as I tell my customers they are? No, but I like them just fine. Get it? Now stop nit-picking and go sell your AR.

**For-Life** · 01-27-2007, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by cocoisland58

Ah, grasshopper. Do you know nothing of marketing? Does the hamburger in the picture on the menu look much like the one they put in front of you? To sell a product one must exaggerate it's qualities. It's not a lie but just an inflated truth. Do I think my Crizal lenses are as fabulous as I tell my customers they are? No, but I like them just fine. Get it? Now stop nit-picking and go sell your AR.

Devil's Advocate here.

Good, modern marketers would look at the equation and say

Satisfaction = the actual good - expected good

If expected good is greater than actual good then we have negative satisfaction.

**akeroptical** · 01-28-2007, 02:57 PM

First, I understand that most advertisments are based on making the product look good. So COCOISLAND has a small point.

Second, I am a bit shocked to hear an "Optician" compare our goods to a hamburger. We have a hard enough time with the general publics perception of the value of optical goods.

I charge $90 for premium A/R. I don't know about the rest of you but if I paid $90 for a hamburger it had better look like the picture and melt in my mouth.

As far as the brochures, I tell my patients not to expect what the picture shows in the night driving senerio. I just feel that the companies such as Zeiss/Sola and Essilor already have such good products why do they feel the need for this kind of deceit.

I guess my original reason for the post was to see if others felt like I do and to see how you present it to your patients.

**cocoisland58** · 01-28-2007, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by akeroptical

First, I understand that most advertisments are based on making the product look good. So COCOISLAND has a small point.

Second, I am a bit shocked to hear an "Optician" compare our goods to a hamburger. We have a hard enough time with the general publics perception of the value of optical goods.

I charge $90 for premium A/R. I don't know about the rest of you but if I paid $90 for a hamburger it had better look like the picture and melt in my mouth.

Don't be "shocked", get a sense of humor. I was simply making a generalization of a marketing standard. You know what I tell people about AR really? I tell them it is a wonderful cosmetic feature that I would never be without. This is the truth.

**EyeFitWell** · 01-29-2007, 10:09 AM

akeroptical-
I have to agree with you, we want to underpromise and overdeliver. So, you want your patient to have the proper expectations in place before pick up.
When I discuss AR, I go through all the "features/benefits" with the patient one by one, commenting. When I get to the nightime picture, I always say, "Now, this is a touch exaggerated, but I've definately noticed a huge improvement, especially when it rains" or something to that affect. The picture is misleading IMO, and if they get the wrong picture in their heads, they'll be back claiming that the AR doesn't work. So, I try to give them accurate expectations from the start.

**OptiChick21** · 01-29-2007, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by For-Life

Satisfaction = the actual good - expected good

If expected good is greater than actual good then we have negative satisfaction.

LoL... I've never thought of it that way before.

But then that is exactly what we're seeing with A/R brochures, they're giving the patient a greater expected good, and the when they recieve the actual good they are dissapointed, right?

:hammer:

**LKahn** · 01-29-2007, 12:12 PM

I find most get to caught up in selling the features and details.

Sell the benefit, This coating will make your experience wearing glasses more pleasant and comfortable.

**allanon** · 01-29-2007, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by akeroptical

First, I understand that most advertisments are based on making the product look good. So COCOISLAND has a small point.

Second, I am a bit shocked to hear an "Optician" compare our goods to a hamburger. We have a hard enough time with the general publics perception of the value of optical goods.

I charge $90 for premium A/R. I don't know about the rest of you but if I paid $90 for a hamburger it had better look like the picture and melt in my mouth.

As far as the brochures, I tell my patients not to expect what the picture shows in the night driving senerio. I just feel that the companies such as Zeiss/Sola and Essilor already have such good products why do they feel the need for this kind of deceit.

I guess my original reason for the post was to see if others felt like I do and to see how you present it to your patients.

Sounds like to me you don't believe in what you're selling. Also sounds like you feel $90 is too much for a nice A/R.

We happen to sell AR to 81% of our clients. 2yrs ago it was 12-15%. Same patients, different optician. Our current opticial believes in the product we sell, and so do I. We mostly sell Hoya's SuperHiVision, but we have quite a bit of Alize and Carat Advantage, too.

Do I have my faves? Sure. But I also believe a nice AR will increase durability, cleanability, acuity, night vision, and overall satisfaction. Happy patients ensure I have good blood pressure.

As an aside, I don't tout the non-tangibles, like electrostatic stuff..

**akeroptical** · 01-29-2007, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by akeroptical

We all seem to agree that A/R has lots of wonderful benefits..... companies such as Zeiss/Sola and Essilor already have such good products

I'm having a hard time how you percieve that I don't believe in the procuct.

My issue is the night driving photo, only. I was purley throwing the thought out there to see how other opticians fell. I too sell lots of A/R and enjoy its benefits.

**CME4SPECS** · 01-29-2007, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by akeroptical

I'm having a hard time how you percieve that I don't believe in the procuct.

My issue is the night driving photo, only. I was purley throwing the thought out there to see how other opticians fell. I too sell lots of A/R and enjoy its benefits.

If you don't believe what the brochures are showing. do not use them or, tell the customer that the pics have been enhanced for demostration purposes.