The Skincare Ad that Dominated Last Year’s Super Bowl

Since Super Bowl LIX is almost upon us, I thought a little highlight from last year’s awesome Super Bowl commercials was in order. I was drawn to the oddity of Michael Cera’s commercial, but also its brilliance, as he aligned his name, which is his personal brand, with a well-known national skincare brand, CeraVe, for their first-ever Super Bowl commercial. And that’s where this partnership, and the outside-the-jar thinking of this entire campaign, worked for me.

It wasn’t just a singular commercial, as many brands do, given the incredibly high ad spend. Instead, CeraVe planned a three-week PR campaign all leading up to the big commercial, which was their reveal.

CeraVe has been around since 2006, so it definitely needed a refresh. And if it wanted to appeal to a younger demographic, some non-traditional thinking was in order.

The brand created a fake campaign with influencer Haley Kalil and made it look like she was watching Cera sign CeraVe jars. They also had paparazzi photos of this on Reddit and Daily Mail. A fake rumor campaign was spread all over social media, getting tons of buzz, all leading up to the big Super Bowl commercial reveal, where all the rumors were put to bed and it was revealed that Cera had no connection to the brand.

Media outlets picked up the story, and the brand secured a pivotal reveal in The New York Times. In addition, the campaign generated:
• 15.4B impressions before the commercial aired
• 400+ organic influencer engagements
• Viral buzz across TikTok, Instagram, X, and Reddit

In the commercial, Cera is claiming he owns the brand because it’s his name, but when the fake news was debunked, the brand created brilliant messaging that said “Cera stands for ceramides, not Michael Cera.” [A ceramide is a lipid molecule which plays an essential role in both water-retention and barrier function in the outer layer of the skin.]

How are you differentiating your own brand? Do you have any ideas that will make your target audience get this excited? Not sure where to start? Your Brand Is A Promise is the essential guide that will teach you everything you need to know about creating a strong, memorable brand.