Timestrip - Cosmetics Case Study

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The application potential and versatility of the Timestrip® technology has been highlighted particularly well in a project for leading US consumer products brand Tetra.
Tetra is synonymous with aquariums and fish-keeping and recently carried out a customer-led redesign of its biggest-selling aquarium filter, Whisper®. Tetra’s senior designer went out into customers’ homes and talked to them at length about what they wanted from a filter and what problems they experienced with those currently available. He then came up with the Whisper EX®, a revolutionary new design unlike anything else in the market, which was officially launched at the Pet Expo in San Diego, California, in February 2008.

Benefits of new filter lost without regular replacement
No matter what the exciting properties of the new Whisper EX® filter, they would be significantly affected by whether or not customers remembered to replace it regularly. Gaining the maximum benefits from the new improved filter would only be possible if it were renewed within the recommended timespan. Tetra approached Timestrip plc to come up with a visual reminder of the recommended end of a filter’s life, which could be integrated into the filter itself. The label would need to be easily activated by the consumer, many of whom may be children or first-time aquarium keepers. And of course it would need to show at a glance when the recommended life of the filter was over.

“Timestrip® is a very important aspect … because of its easy-to-use and
easy-to-read technology, Timestrip® takes the guesswork out of deciding
when to change a filter cartridge.”

Joseph Roark, Senior Brand Manager at Tetra

Customised joint brandedTimestrip®

Integrated Timestrip® makes it clear
Timestrip developed a jointly-branded label which could be built in to the filter itself. The integrated Timestrip® clearly shows consumers as soon as the filter is past its recommended time of use and they can therefore replace it before the quality of their water starts to deteriorate. In the past, aquarium owners were led simply by the colour of the water in determining filter changes, but when the water has changed colour, it is in fact already long past the time the filter should have been replaced. With the added Timestrip® in Tetra’s new filter, there’s no reason for aquarium environments to drop below optimum quality.

Key part of improved customer experience
“Timestrip® is a very important aspect of the new line of Whisper EX® filtration systems,” said Joseph Roark, Senior Brand Manager at Tetra. “Because of its easy-to-use and easy-to-read technology, Timestrip® takes the guesswork out of deciding when to change a filter cartridge. By watching what the Timestrip® – not the water – is telling them, customers will achieve a healthier aquatic environment, longer-lived fish and a more enjoyable aquarium experience.”