L'Oreal's CeraVe brand launched an all-digital campaign last November to highlight the health benefits of its products on skin.
The "Think Ceramides!" program was named after the key ingredient included within all CeraVe product formulations. Ceramides are lipids naturally found in skin, and comprise half of the skin’s composition to form the natural skin barrier, according to the company.
"We understand many consumers may not know what ceramides are, so the hope for our new campaign is to raise awareness about the fundamental role they play in protecting our greatest organ, our skin," says Jaclyn Marrone, vice president of marketing, CeraVe.
CeraVe chose November so that the campaign could also celebrate "Healthy Skin Month," a national initiative led by the American Academy of Dermatology. The ceramides-focused assets will be used throughout this year as evergreen content, educating followers and brand fans on the importance of ceramides, Marrone says.
The brand worked closely with Ogilvy, its New York-based advertising agency, to develop the campaign’s central theme. Ogilvy created two videos representative of the key messaging that CeraVe always keeps ceramides in mind, so consumers don’t have to worry about it. The brand also partnered with Brooklyn, N.Y.-based creative agency Mustache to integrate the campaign message into lifestyle social content.
More than 70 pieces of creative were developed for the campaign, spanning across digital, social, e-commerce, medical and public relations platforms. Posts appeared on CeraVe's social media accounts, and Tom Allison, the brand’s co-founder, also shared the campaign on his Twitter and TikTok accounts. Allison’s TikTok activity coincided with a Nov. 26 takeover of that social media platform planned for users outside of the U.S.
As CeraVe remains rooted in dermatology, it collaborates with derm influencers and key opinion leaders to be the voice of its campaigns. For "Think Ceramides!", the brand teamed with Dr. Muneeb Shah on TikTok to help convey the key role ceramides play for skin.
"Dr. Shah has been a continued partner of the brand and was the perfect derm influencer for this campaign, because he does a great job at making scientific learnings relatable and easy to understand — something incredibly important to the brand as [it seeks] to educate viewers on the importance of skin health," Marrone says.
CeraVe also partnered with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Ted Lain for various assets of the campaign. This included a Nov. 4 Instagram Live skin chat on CeraVe’s account to discuss the benefits of ceramides.
The brand plans to tie in to Healthy Skin Month each November as an opportunity to increase awareness and communication about ceramides, Marrone says.
